Clive Correction
He does have a website.
But it doesn’t show up on the first page of Google, the only one that counts.
Actually, I went all the way to page 14 of Google and I still didn’t find it, even though I did see the link for the Clive Davis Institute at NYU on page 7.
In other words, his publisher, Simon & Schuster, is completely clueless when it comes to SEO, otherwise known as Search Engine Optimization.
You see Clive obviously just launched this site, and therefore it hasn’t had time to float up to page 1, there aren’t enough links. Then again, we all know how Google works, and seemingly all the old farts are clueless.
Yes, a bunch of the pages of Google are filled up with news reports of his coming out.
Then again, is this where this kind of news is broken anymore? Don’t you come out on Twitter, announce big news there yourself?
But I already said that.
Clive thinks he’s selling a record. He saved all his publicity for the launch to have a big first sales week to impress everybody in NYC. But the big hit book of the year was “Gone Girl,” which started off slowly and is still up in the Top Five, number two on most lists, nearly a year later.
Oh, when will the old folks learn.
It’s not about publicity, it’s about the book itself, what’s inside the covers.
And I can’t tell you what’s there, because I only got my copy today.
But all the buzz is bad. It’s hagiography.
And that worked in the 1970s, when Clive had his first book. But if you’re not willing to tell the truth today, people move on.
First and foremost, is the book readable? As in well-written.
Second, are the stories interesting?
Too many of these celebrity tomes are self-serving. For fans only. I’ve yet to find one person who thought the Neil Young book was any good.
Then again, people still testify about the Andre Agassi book. Because he said what was truly inside. And utilized a grade A ghostwriter, who didn’t pen celebrity bios for a living and refused to take credit.
This is all just a tempest in a teapot. We’re not going to be talking about this next week, never mind tomorrow.
But music, when done right, survives.
And, unfortunately, too much of the crap that Clive put out on Arista isn’t worth listening to today, and isn’t. Played your Kenny G records recently?
And I think Mr. Gorelick has been unfairly maligned. He’s got a sense of humor about himself. Unlike his mentor.
But now, more than ever, it comes down to what’s in the grooves.
Give Clive credit, he realized one thing, it’s best if you’re a great singer. Too many of today’s wannabes croak like frogs, and wonder why no one is interested.
But a good voice is rarely enough, not since the Beatles, who could both sing and write.
Writing… Do you have something to say?
Your first song is not good.
Nor is your first book.
Want to be a great writer?
Then start writing today and don’t ever stop.
Ditto if you want to be a great songwriter.
But no one wants to work off the grid anymore. No one wants to pay their dues. They want traction, they want to see results.
Do you think anybody in London cared about the Beatles when they were playing in Hamburg? Meanwhile, it may sound exotic to Americans, but Hamburg was a hole.
But I’ll own my mistake. Clive does have a website. And a Facebook page too!
But there’s no reason to go there. They’re static billboards. Akin to what you see on construction sites. Online homes are ever-changing, ever-fresh. If you’re not populating your online home, you might as well kill it.
Unlike Kelly Clarkson. Who’s posting constantly, putting cover clips on YouTube. Keeping her fans happy.
That’s how you do it. You engage constantly.
And ignore the haters.
Then again, I’m not sure Clive Davis KNEW he had haters!
P.S. Google Kelly Clarkson. Her website is the very first link on the very first page, right below the news. Next comes her Wikipedia page. Google Clive Davis… His Wikipedia page is the very first link, his website is nowhere to be found.
