I remember the time Clive Davis was fired. I had a large financial report going to him that day (with my name on it .. from me to him). We quickly just reissued the report to Irwin Segelstein. I then went on to work in CBS Record Market Research and had a wonderful 7 years under Jerry Shulman, Joan Griewank, Jack Craig and Paul Smith. My big mistake was moving to CBS Records International. Worse job of my career .. but I traveled to Europe a lot ... for no good reason.
The consensus of jazzbos was that it was the art hating ogre Clive Davis who spearheaded the purge so thanks for setting that record straight. But while it may not have been a day, and may not have been the worst day (since it wasn’t even a day). it still was a pretty shitty maneuver both for Columbia’s reputation and future revenue. As Gioia points out, the artists cut from the roster went off to thrive under more nurturing homes. And while Ornette Coleman never hit the sales numbers of, say, Molly Hatchet, whose back catalog is referenced more?
It was also a symbolic middle finger from the American record industry to jazz in general. A stance that is in effect more than ever. On the plus side it did open the flood gates to small independent, mostly European, labels to record and distribute gems that the majors wouldn’t touch back in 1973 and independent labels on both sides of the pond are too numerous to keep up with these days.
I remember the time Clive Davis was fired. I had a large financial report going to him that day (with my name on it .. from me to him). We quickly just reissued the report to Irwin Segelstein. I then went on to work in CBS Record Market Research and had a wonderful 7 years under Jerry Shulman, Joan Griewank, Jack Craig and Paul Smith. My big mistake was moving to CBS Records International. Worse job of my career .. but I traveled to Europe a lot ... for no good reason.
The consensus of jazzbos was that it was the art hating ogre Clive Davis who spearheaded the purge so thanks for setting that record straight. But while it may not have been a day, and may not have been the worst day (since it wasn’t even a day). it still was a pretty shitty maneuver both for Columbia’s reputation and future revenue. As Gioia points out, the artists cut from the roster went off to thrive under more nurturing homes. And while Ornette Coleman never hit the sales numbers of, say, Molly Hatchet, whose back catalog is referenced more?
It was also a symbolic middle finger from the American record industry to jazz in general. A stance that is in effect more than ever. On the plus side it did open the flood gates to small independent, mostly European, labels to record and distribute gems that the majors wouldn’t touch back in 1973 and independent labels on both sides of the pond are too numerous to keep up with these days.