Clive Davis Quotes

100 Clive Davis Quotes

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I’m not into one hit wonders.
Clive Davis

I’m well aware of the pitfalls of creative intrusion.
Clive Davis

I did not develop my ear, I discovered I had an ear and it was an accident. I was a lawyer…
Clive Davis

I’m as much into the discovery of the new artist you mentioned or the extending of the career of a great artist…
Clive Davis

The key ingredient is can they be a headliner?
Clive Davis

[On the work ethic of those who work with him] The idea that if you have 12-16 hour days… that whatever has to be done, to get the job done is what you’ve got to do.
Clive Davis

[At age 63 in 1996] I put in more hours now than I’ve ever put in.
Clive Davis

[In 1978 on seeing live performances and auditions] I go see anybody who’s creating a stir.
Clive Davis

[On people wanting advice in the music industry] If you love music, stick to it. If you have any ideas that it doesn’t require enormous work, stay away.
Clive Davis

You don’t participate in the foundation and naming of a company and not want it to succeed.
Clive Davis

I don’t read music…
Clive Davis

I don’t listen to a song without also studying the lyrics.
Clive Davis

Does the melody stay with you, can you hum it back after you hear it? Is it memorable?
Clive Davis

The press is pretty much controlled by rock critics.
Clive Davis

[On rock critics] They say how are you going to change society the way that Dylan did?
Clive Davis

[In 2000 on BMG’s retirement age of 60] Though I regret the imposition of the Bertelsmann retirement-age policy, it’s time now to turn a new and vital chapter in this fast-changing world of music.
Clive Davis

I’ve learned that you’ve got to individually control your life and you can’t be subject to the whim of a corporation.
Clive Davis

[On Arista in 1978] In three and a half years we have come from nothing to the point where we’re the sixth largest record company in the U.S. We have 32 artists whose last albums sold in excess of 100,000 units.
Clive Davis

[In 1978 on Arista] We’ve gone from zero to $12 million our first year, $23 million our second year, $36 million our third year and we’ve just completed a year where it’s now $70 million.
Clive Davis

[On one of Barry Manilow’s concerts] I’m disappointed there was so much security: the audience couldn’t move.
Clive Davis

[In 1978 on Saturday Night Live making a hit comedy record] The first sold 200,000 copies, but with all the writers and performers involved, everyone made very little.
Clive Davis

[On an Arista employee calling an artist direct rather than following protocol and ringing his manager] She has no right to call artists at home. You deal with managers, especially with major stars, you never deal with artists directly… managers get threatened by that.
Clive Davis

[In 1978 on comparing his working style at Arista with when he was at Columbia] I work 12-15 hours a day, which is slightly more than before because I do some studio work at night. I’m a little more involved in the creative than I was.
Clive Davis

At times of stress or trouble you turn to your family first, and I want my kids to feel that way too.
Clive Davis

I sensed change…
Clive Davis

I went through school on scholarships. I had school and summer jobs.
Clive Davis

[On what is his ‘thing’?] My thing. I just do it. It’s too pedestrian to try and define. I’m not out to – it’s not appropriate.
Clive Davis

I only submit what I consider singles, because artists can come up with their own album cuts. I might listen to a thousand songs to suggest half a dozen.
Clive Davis

You can have hit records but there is also something called star appeal…
Clive Davis

What we have at Arista – whether it be the Grateful Dead, Carly Simon, Annie Lenox, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, or Whitney Houston – are artists with long-term careers. It’s not a matter of doing a hit record with this or that artist and then finding out there’s no one to fill Radio City Music Hall.
Clive Davis

[In 1996 on Whitney Houston] Whitney has range, studding beauty, depth. She reaches into words and brings to them a whole new level of understanding.
Clive Davis

Critics – rock critics – feel that if you don’t write your own material, you’re just an entertainer, and you’re not as good as a socially conscious singer/songwriter or rebellious rock artist. That’s mixing apples and oranges.
Clive Davis

Music is a competitive industry. And like the film industry, you end up knowing your competitors.
Clive Davis

Label deals should do things that you can’t do yourself.
Clive Davis

Every record doesn’t have to be a home run, but if you think a record can only sell 100,000 copies, then only spend $50,000 making it.
Clive Davis

Because an artist is musically talented doesn’t mean that they’re the most knowledgeable in every area.
Clive Davis

I am blessed to be doing exactly what I want. I’m grateful that I’ve done well. The challenge is to still do it.
Clive Davis

You try something different with every new artist, with every new kind of music. The challenge for me is to start a country label from scratch, to extend into cutting-edge hip hop or rap through my joint ventures – to find new artists.
Clive Davis

History doesn’t repeat. It’s not automatic. The challenge is to keep doing it. To keep doing it well.
Clive Davis

I’ve never done business with… a number of artists who’ve come to my grammy parties over the years. But we are all one community.
Clive Davis

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