Clive Davis strikes back
Sources close to veteran executive Clive Davis say he has reached an agreement with BMG Entertainment to start a jointly owned label. The still un-named start-up provides and odd ending to what had been a surprising and acrimonious split between Davis, who headed Arista Records, and BMG, its current owner. Several Arista artists, including LFO, Shannon Curfman, Deborah Cox and Next, are reportedly slated to follow Davis to the new company. George Michael is also rumored to be headed for the label, although his London management firm did not return calls seeking confirmation. Additionally, Mariah Carey - who has sold nearly 40 million records in the past ten years and whose contract with Sony expires after her next record - is among the performers Davis has spoken to in recent weeks.
The sixty-seven-year-old Davis, who started Arista Records twenty-five years ago and ran it until June, when he was replaced by producer-songwriter-executive Antonio "L.A." Reid, is one of the most successful executives in record industry history. After joining Columbia Records as a staff lawyer in the early Sixties, Davis rose to become president of both Columbia and its then-parent operation, the CBS Records Group (The company was subsequently sold to Sony), and its widely credited with steering Columbia into its role as a leading rock label. Ousted from CBS in 1973, Davis launched Arista and continued to run it after its acquisition by BMG. While the label boasts a wide-ranging roster, from Kenny G to Patti Smith, Davis also took an active personal role in the recording careers of several Arista acts as executive producer for Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and most recently, Carlos Santana.
The huge commercial success of Santana's Supernatural, which has sold 13 million copies, made the timing of Davis' departure from Arista surprising: Few label heads lose their jobs after delivering a blockbuster. But BMG was reportedly disenchanted with Davis' free spending on promotion and his apparent unwillingness to develop a successor. Indeed, in an unpublished interview with Rolling Stone just weeks before the dispute erupted, Davis said he entertained no throughts of retiring. "The only time I ask it is at a dinner party, if anyone asks me," he said with a laugh. "As long as my health holds out, and it's fine, there's no reason to stop... I think I've got a number of years before I think about it."
Ultimately, BMG's decision to turn the reins at Arista over to L.A. Reid provoked an industry tempest, with artists such as House and Santana offering public support for Davis and rumors abounding that they and other performers might exit Arista with him. In the end, Santana recieved a new contract and stayed with Arista, where Houston also remains.
Although one published report placed BMG's initial investment in the new Davis-run label at $150 million, industry sources say the hard-dollar commitment is probably a good deal less, with additional funding available on a per-project basis. One of those future projects could prove to be Carey, who is said to be talking with several labels about a new contract once her Sony deal expires. "Clive would love to have Mariah," says a source close to Davis. "And she has reached out to him." The label is expected to debut in January. (RollingStone Magazine)
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