Clive: Inside the Record Business

How you will feel about what Clive Davis writes in this book definitely depends upon your age, and how you think of music. There are 3 types of people in music: 1. The Artist (or "Artiste") who cares only about the music and nothing else, 2. The "Music Biz Guy" who could care less about the music, only the bottom line, and 3. The Working Musician who walks the line between the other two, trying to perform quality music and make a living at it. The main thrust of the book (other than just the bottom line) is how the record business evolved from the days when big labels had "Artist & Repertiore" departments run by great musicians who strictly controlled what got recorded and released, to having that department taken over by marketers and bean counters. He documents how Mitch Miller, who was the head of A & R at Columbia refused to allow Rock & Roll music, and how Clive changed that. Whether that change was good or bad is up to the individual to decide. Davis clearly did the right thing for the bottom line, but it also opened the door for a bunch of marginally talented performers and groups to get big label record deals because the kids would buy whatever they were told was "hip". Given the state of today's music (and music business) it may have been the beginning of what will ultimately be the end. With Rap and no-talents like the Jonas Brothers getting millions of dollars in hype, any semblance of real quality and professionalism has all but disappeared in the recording business and the sales nosedive reflects that.