There certainly is freshness. There is, and has been, the emergence of Lady Gaga. When you look and you see the great album Eminem did, there certainly have been some very strong records that have come out in the past year.What are the issues that concern you the most? We’ve got to make sure that music is not homogenized, that music does not exist only to fit into a radio format – which is just encouraging rhythm and tempo and discouraging artistry. We’ve got to be careful that we not just concentrate on having hit records but that we launch the careers of stars. That’s what the business has always been for me: equal parts discovery of new artists like Whitney or Alicia, but also showing, in effect, how long a career can last. If you begin with a young Aretha or Luther [Vandross] or Rod [Stewart], if they are only allowed to make records that fit into a dance tempo radio format, you can’t do that. I would welcome more diversity. No one’s trying to stem the tide of newness and freshness, but we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the opportunity to build new artists that have careers that will last 10, 20, 30 or 40 years.Conventional wisdom says the CD is dying, the album format is passe and the individual track you can download from iTunes is king. Do you buy into that line of thinking? This is certainly a very challenging and tough time for music based upon the transition to digital overall. We just have to make sure we don’t just convert to singles and abandon albums. We need the full panoply; we still need the great album artists, whether historically that’s been The Who or Pink Floyd or Bruce Springsteen.With some of the new artists like Arcade Fire and Mumford & Sons, I’m hopeful we’re not going to be that homogenized. It’s more difficult for the unique artist to break through today, (but) I have confidence the situation will right itself. I have overall confidence that music is playing a vital part in more lives than ever.Do you strive to keep upping the ante each year? Historically, I’ve always started my shows with a rock artist, whether we’re going back to the Foo Fighters or Velvet Revolver or Kings of Leon. I think it’s important to showcase the diversity of music and also salute and welcome new artists. In the past, we’ve put together Alicia and Aretha, Lou Reed and Rod Stewart, and last year we had Fergie and Slash doing a Guns ‘N’ Roses song. It’s the unexpected; it’s really sharing the music that I love. It is a healthy diversity that showcases great talent that lifts people out of their chairs all night long.That’s always been my criterion: You don’t slacken the pace. Every artist that performs, you want them to lift everyone up out of their chair. For 35 years, it seems to be working.Los Angeles Times/(MCT)
The star maker
Grammy Museum names theater for Clive Davis, industry legend who has knack for showcasing talent "that lifts people from their chairs."
There certainly is freshness. There is, and has been, the emergence of Lady Gaga. When you look and you see the great album Eminem did, there certainly have been some very strong records that have come out in the past year.What are the issues that concern you the most? We’ve got to make sure that music is not homogenized, that music does not exist only to fit into a radio format – which is just encouraging rhythm and tempo and discouraging artistry. We’ve got to be careful that we not just concentrate on having hit records but that we launch the careers of stars. That’s what the business has always been for me: equal parts discovery of new artists like Whitney or Alicia, but also showing, in effect, how long a career can last. If you begin with a young Aretha or Luther [Vandross] or Rod [Stewart], if they are only allowed to make records that fit into a dance tempo radio format, you can’t do that. I would welcome more diversity. No one’s trying to stem the tide of newness and freshness, but we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the opportunity to build new artists that have careers that will last 10, 20, 30 or 40 years.Conventional wisdom says the CD is dying, the album format is passe and the individual track you can download from iTunes is king. Do you buy into that line of thinking? This is certainly a very challenging and tough time for music based upon the transition to digital overall. We just have to make sure we don’t just convert to singles and abandon albums. We need the full panoply; we still need the great album artists, whether historically that’s been The Who or Pink Floyd or Bruce Springsteen.With some of the new artists like Arcade Fire and Mumford & Sons, I’m hopeful we’re not going to be that homogenized. It’s more difficult for the unique artist to break through today, (but) I have confidence the situation will right itself. I have overall confidence that music is playing a vital part in more lives than ever.Do you strive to keep upping the ante each year? Historically, I’ve always started my shows with a rock artist, whether we’re going back to the Foo Fighters or Velvet Revolver or Kings of Leon. I think it’s important to showcase the diversity of music and also salute and welcome new artists. In the past, we’ve put together Alicia and Aretha, Lou Reed and Rod Stewart, and last year we had Fergie and Slash doing a Guns ‘N’ Roses song. It’s the unexpected; it’s really sharing the music that I love. It is a healthy diversity that showcases great talent that lifts people out of their chairs all night long.That’s always been my criterion: You don’t slacken the pace. Every artist that performs, you want them to lift everyone up out of their chair. For 35 years, it seems to be working.Los Angeles Times/(MCT)