Spotlight
Thursday, 24 April
Clive Davis
You needn’t be a pop star or CEO to know that the music business is suffering even as it is evolving evolves at a turbo-charged pace. When was the last time you (or maybe your kids) purchased a physical CD versus a digital version? In the past year, how much music have you (or, again, your kids) gotten for free via downloads, legal or otherwise? Perhaps no one feels the sting of shuttering music stores and plummeting album sales as much as the legendary Clive Davis. The lawyer-turned-svengali with the “golden ear,” who helped discover and market Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keyes, Kelly Clarkson and scores of others, stepped down as CEO of SonyBMG Music Group last week. Replaced by younger executive, Barry Weiss, the iconic Davis is now filling the vague-sounding role of “chief creative officer” and will maintain relationships with his star clients. And stars they are: Keys’ album “As I am” has sold over 2 million albums copies, and Davis’s brand-new protégé Leona Lewis, hailed as the “new Mariah Carey,” saw her debut album premiere at number one on the Billboard 200, and the gifted but troubled Whitney Houston reportedly has a comeback album due to arrive later this year. He may be a casualty of the changing biz, but Davis is a charismatic, savvy star in his own right.
XML Feed
Have
Spotlight
delivered to your favorite newsreader. Click the orange link above to subscribe or use this link.
Spotlight Archives
Subscribe to 02138
02138 is not automatically mailed to all Harvard alumni.
Enter your email and name below to reserve your FREE Trial Issue!
Your privacy is ensured. We never sell, disclose, or trade contact information.
02138 is an independent magazine and is not affiliated with Harvard University. Please note that 02138 is available to the general public by subscription only, but is not automatically mailed to all Harvard alumni.