Clive Davis died at age 94. He rose to president of Columbia Records at 35, attended the Monterey Pop festival, and signed Janis Joplin after seeing her perform with Big Brother & The Holding Company. Davis later influenced her solo career and the posthumous release of her album Pearl.
“Tributes pour in to remember legacy of music legend Clive Davis who died at 94”
Read at CBS News →“Clive Davis helped launch or shape the careers of these music stars, across genres and decades”
Read at Associated Press →No right-leaning sources covered this
Davis's career illustrates gatekeeping power in a corporate industry that commodified 1960s counterculture talent.
“Structural imbalances and limited artist autonomy”
Davis rose through sharp business instincts and decisive talent selection that produced commercial success.
“Individual agency and market outcomes”
Davis relied on personal judgment and voluntary contracts to match artists with audiences.
“Entrepreneurial risk assessment without state intervention”
All three views overstate one executive's singular control while under-examining artist agency and corporate infrastructure.
“Shared myth of the executive auteur and selective sourcing”
Ratings by MBFC
Clive Davis, Record Executive Who Signed Janis Joplin, Dies at 94 You are here