• The New York Times, Friday, April 18, 2008 10:45 AM

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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