Sony BMG Music Entertainment says that legendary record producer and hit maker Clive Davis is giving up his roles as head of the BMG division and control of its RCA Label Group for a new creative
post. Barry Weiss, the chief of the company's Zomba Label Group, will become chairman and CEO of the BMG Label Group, overseeing an array of artists such as Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and
OutKast.
The shakeup reflects new realities. The pop hits that Davis is known for delivering typically require the kind of expensive videos and marketing campaigns that labels are
reluctant to finance at a time when music sales have been sliding. The decision to promote Weiss underscores the idea that hits alone cannot save the industry. Weiss, 49, has a reputation for tightly
managing expenses, and being savvier than Davis, 72, about the digital revolution.
As part of the move, COO Tim Bowen is leaving the company, as is Davis' chief lieutenant, Charles
Goldstuck. Richard Sanders, now president for global market, with become head of international. Davis will continue to work with some acts and report directly to the Sony BMG CEO Rolf Schmidt-Holz.
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