Ann Powers on Kelly Clarkson controversy: "even our most popular artists don't have that much freedom once they're ensconced in the game"

At least the dust-up is about the work itself

It isn't about the work itself. It's about selling the work.

The Clarkson affair reminds us that even our most popular artists don't have that much freedom once they're ensconced in the game. Mavericks such as Kanye West and the White Stripes are rare. Most big sellers dutifully (or reluctantly) play along, approximating whatever worked last time to claw their way back onto the charts. It's hard to blame artists for this; look at the viciousness that has greeted commercial less-than-successes such as Liz Phair.

Actually, popular artists have MORE freedom once they have emerged a winner in the game. Mavericks are everywhere (and since when are the White Stripes mavericks?) The viciousness that greeted Phair was from her whoredom when her previous success relied on everything but.

This mess also, frankly, reeks of sexism. Casting Clarkson as a deluded ingenue and Davis as a father figure gone ballistic — not to mention the inevitable speculation about her weight — conceals other relevant issues.

And of course. When your argument is weak, you can always pull out the sexism card. Nevermind the fact that Clarkson is arguably making a departure from her formula and the marketing arm of her career doesn't like it--is Chris Gaines in da house? Not to mention the fact that the context of Clive's career is pretty much totally ignored in Power's argument.

In the meantime, Clarkson single isn't doing all that hot at radio, her most important market. Maybe that's a function of marketing dollars but word is that programmers aren't digging her sound. I suppose since, you know, she's KELLY CLARKSON, programmers should just "take risks" and pimp her single mercilessly anyhow.

I like Ann Powers a lot, but she's grasping for straws.

I'm just irritated that so many music reviewers are using the controversy as an excuse to ignore or gloss over the music on the album. I still haven't heard that many reasonable musical arguments for its terribleness (think it's pretty great myself) that don't mention how poorly it will sell (has sold? Don't know the figures). Can't think of another album where this logic has been used: "it's bad, and if you don't believe me, just ASK THE AMERICAN PUBLIC!" -- which, for the record is as stupid an argument as "it's good, and if you don't believe me etc." (the mythical "poptimist argument").

"My December" is unlistenable in the sense that nobody can really hear it.

I dunno. This is like the people who proudly proclaim that they refuse to talk about Paris Hilton for the umpteenth time -- if your argument is that people should listen to the damn thing, ignore (most of) the controversy and just write about it! Not to say I haven't done grousing about the reception myself, but wouldn't as the premise for a music review (which admittedly Powers isn't writing). There might be an element of sexism to the whole thing (esp. Sanneh's weird Clive-as-God comment in his NYT review...) but not really in the way she's describing it.

Clive's M.O. hasn't changed in decades, and unless Powers is indicting the entire entertainment industry on charges of sexism, trotting out the sexism card doesn't do anything for her argument. Clive isn't fighting Clarkson because she's a woman, he's doing it because he doesn't think his investment will pay off.

MIKE WATT = BILLBOARD POISON

The problem with this article is that it subtly reeks of Powers maybe deep down not actually liking Clarkson and the fact that she's so popular and yet it disingenuously pretends to take her side.

Also I got really annoyed by the way she put quotes around "professional songwriters"

Clive isn't fighting Clarkson because she's a woman, he's doing it because he doesn't think his investment will pay off.

Trying to sorta give Powers the benefit of the doubt here, but this is pretty much dead on. It's also an argument I've been making about this particular album -- it seems kind of arbitrary (though admittedly understandable and obviously an exceptional case) to pin all this crazy baggage to Kelly. As I said elsewhere, maybe on Rolling Teenpop, I just wish I could read a few more reviews that praised the thing modestly for its good rock tracks, even if admitting it didn't have a "hit" on it or whatever, and didn't get so hysterical about the drama. (I'd like to see no mention of "blockbuster potential" in any review for anything ever, but that's never going to happen.)

I guess it's sort of the equivalent of the "horserace" coverage of politics

Er, the argument I've been making, rather, is that criticism leveled at Kelly could hold for countless other artists but usually isn't, and people seem to be picking on her selectively, even if there are obvious reasons for this. Still makes for a lot of dumb writing. xpost

Is the "narrative" here too compelling to ignore? It makes for great newspaper copy. I'm not at all accusing Ann of sensationalism, but "American Idol" + "Since U Been Gone" + Clive Davis duel + songwriting credits = a more interesting subject for daily newspaper readers than Ashlee or Hilary.

i didn't even know there was a controversy! where have i been? isn't her album selling pretty good anyway? without hits.

ITEM: Hilary Duff goes to bed, wakes up.

ITEM: Ashlee Simpson spills coffee on clothes, changes outfit

The viciousness that greeted Phair was from her whoredom when her previous success relied on everything but.

you fuck like a volcano, don.

The problem with this article is that it subtly reeks of Powers

Shit, Hurtin', that's all you needed to say! Ann Powers = not really that smart or interesting.

I'm with Scott on not knowing a damn thing about this. Someone link an older article maybe.

ITEM: New Clarkston album still outselling popular mavericks White Stripes

What a non-story.

i think ann is plenty smart. and i don't have any real problem with what she wrote. makes sense. i don't get the "departure from the formula" thing though based on the first single which kinda sounds her last two huge singles. guess i gotta hear the whole album. i kinda want to hear the whole album anyway!

Don, since when does radio = KC's "most important market" when her last album sold five million copies? With FM listenership dropping, the connection between airplay and sales is dwindling.

Yeah; who the fuck cares whether "programmers" are digging her sound? Everyone knows who Kelly Clarkson is, and anyone that wants to can hear her music. What is this thread about anyway?

some dumb uppity broad.

No, I get it; it's about sexism.

I mean, is indicting the entire music industry on charges of sexism really that far fetched? The little girls may understand, but they aren't running record companies or ringtone companies or radio stations whatever other irrelevant corporate entities this thread is about.

not enough little girls told daddy and mommy they wanted this CD?

the moral is GEORGE MICHAEL WAS RIGHT.

about what

about EVERYTHING.

But the way it's playing out in the hype-dominated, expert-laden, power-obsessed culture of celebrity says something truly depressing about the limits of pop as art, and as democratic expression.

Some day people will talk about My December with the same hushed tones they currently use for Extraordinary Machine.

P.S. Consider Joan Osbourne.

Or Paula Cole, even Sheryl Crow.

not enough little girls told daddy and mommy they wanted this CD?

Unlike daddy and mommy, they probably aren't stupid enough to buy CDs.

I just noticed that the album being discussed here is currently Billboard's #1 "Digital Album", whatever that means.

it means the little girls are downloading it from pay sites

a non-story.

OTM. Didn't Tom Petty write a song with the words "i don't hear a single" in it? That's rhetorical.

aw man and I was all ready to tell you the title

so who is this msyetrious "we" -- the pop audience or the media?

choice b I'd say

the equivalent of the "horserace" coverage of politics

yeah, and about as informative and relevant to most pop listeners' concerns i.e. not very.

Don, since when does radio = KC's "most important market" when her last album sold five million copies? With FM listenership dropping, the connection between airplay and sales is dwindling.

It's dwindling but still the most important market for a multiplatinum artist. Name one artist that's gone multiplatinum in the past five years without a radio hit. Sorry, but that's KC's established market and if Clive is going to blow millions in marketing dollars, he's not going to ignore that.

Also, I think Powers IS making a thin indictment of sexism in the music business in this article. It's just that it comes across as a bit convenient (it's certainly not a lens she applies with consistency) and ignores the fact that KC's situation is entirely common.

"pop as democratic expression" = writer, please kill yourself

Popularity is hip right now.

Gawd, Ann Power's writing has always bugged me, and now she's the lead writer for the L.A. Times.

Does that make me sexist if I enjoy reading the writing of her husband, Eric Weisbard, more?

it makes you sexist for thinking about it that much.

While I never read her "I was a cool Bohemian" book I did read a few postings on her "I am the first bohemian to become a parent" blog before I finally gave up on her prose.

for a nonstory the Clarkson thing sure has been written about TO DEATH (nb I haven't read Ann's thing yet, just the new Blender cover)

It's pretty funny how "OMG RELEASE DATE MOVED" and "ARTIST WHO'S HAD #1 HITS ONLY JUST BARELY SCRAPES THE TOP 10 WITH NEW SINGLE" are genuine 'angles' for the music media now.

the music media has found its level.

x-post

I think it is a story (artist battling with record exec) it is just not a new one(whomever at Motown vs Gordy; Graham Parker's Mercury Poisoning). And yea, it sounds juicier than noting that she's still selling a fair amount and getting video coverage as well. That is standard media practice. Maybe that makes it a non-story for the knowledgeable, or maybe editors think it is more interesting than doing a simple celeb take on Clarkson or a music critic take on whether Kelly's attempt to do Patty Griffin lyrics with Pat Benatar style vocals (both are supposedly Clarkson heros) is as interesting as Kelly Clarkson singing songs written by or with the songwriting teams from the last cd.

ha ha "music media"

media, press, whatever, you know what I mean.

The hooks are mediocre and the choruses are immediately forgettable. It's a dull and dreary album. Plenty of reviewers say the same thing I am, without any mention of how it will sell. It's just not a very good album.

It's pretty funny how "OMG RELEASE DATE MOVED" and "ARTIST WHO'S HAD #1 HITS ONLY JUST BARELY SCRAPES THE TOP 10 WITH NEW SINGLE" are genuine 'angles' for the music media now.

and the movie media. and the books media. and the tv media. and the politics media. and the business media. and the sports media. and...

Yeah, every corner of the press has become very inside baseball these days, no biggie. I just meant specifically the obsession with release dates becoming really central in the music press. The fallout and speculation after 50 Cent pushed his album back from June to September was huuuuge, and I don't know if that kind of thing would've made nearly as many headlines a few years ago, it would've just been kind of a blip on the radar and then everyone says OK, I guess we'll just wait until then to hear the album.

i think a delay like that would have made news five or 10 years ago (i worked at one of the internet organizations that was in fact making news out of that kind of thing), but maybe not 20 years ago. and just the same, the fact that the red sox DIDN'T trade for mark buehrle wouldn't have provided any national coverage at all 20 years ago, but today it's big news. same kinda thing.

there's so much competition for eyeballs and the news cycle is so much shorter and immediate, not to mention that there is a much more robust publicity machine...the music industry is simply following film/television's lead by focusing on release dates. And why not; the music biz (or at least in the platinum arena) is obsessed with blockbusters and the major labels all treat release dates like the studios due. If you don't soar immediately, marketing budgets start getting cut and resources get devoted to something else.

from today's billboard
" Kelly Clarkson's RCA set "My December" follows suit, falling 2-3 with 113,000 (-61%)."

not that i care about ms. clarkson, but falling 2-3 does not seem "flop-like" to me, and 61% sales decline is pretty standard these days. that anyone can move 300,000 or so units in 2 weeks is amazing at this point in the death throes of conventional record sales

Waitwaitwait... "this was its last eligible week on the chart"?? What, is there a limit on how long albums can be in the Billboard chart now?

Looks like after 2 years (the 104 weeks), the record stops being eligible for the current Top 200 chart. Billboard still tracks gold / platinum benchmarks on another chart, tho (the Catalog chart, I think).

Yeah, there's all these bylaws in place to keep 'catalogue' titles off the chart, otherwise perennial sellers like Dark Side of the Moon would constantly be charting above new releases. Personally, I think it'd be more interesting/honest to just include that stuff in the top 200.

The Clarkson affair

finally got around to reading this. ann totally missed a good line, when she used the above, becuz she could have said "the kelly affair" and had a good joke. and if you don't know what i'm talking about you haven't seen the best fictional rock movie of all time.

"The thing that's new/different about Kelly's album, Matt, is that it was designated a "flop" months before it was even released and the public had a chance to decide."

Nope. The first single bombed, and that's when the flop speculation (quite rightly) started. When it was just a Clive vs. Kelly debate, there was no presumption that the album was going to bomb.

Mtv kept playing the video of the first single for awhile, despite it falling off of the Billboard singles chart.

Bob Lefsetz weighs in:

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2007/07/23/the-kelly-clarkson-apology/

God that guy is such a douche.

he may be a douche but there's something kind of sad watching Clarkson bend over and take it like a good little indentured servant.

somehow your choice of words made me feel something other than sad.

yeah now it's a little past "unfortunate choice of words"

also, this is probably my favorite #1 or #2 or #3 album of the year so far

Sorry about that Alex...I was trying to use words that were descriptive yet gender-neutral. Maybe what makes me saddest is how desperate Clarkson is to remain famous.

hey, Dimension's the one who said your wording was unfortunate, I meant it was strangely arousing.

I don't see the new message as anything more than smart (and megaobvious) diplomacy, really. Nothing in the "apology" that suggests...um, an apology. Really she's just saying "thanks for letting me put out the record I wanted to put out, we're still cool, right?"

Yeah, hovering around #3 on my list, but I also haven't heard a bunch of albums. (Just came across a figure saying it's sold 700,000 so far, FWIW.)

it's at about #13 for me, but I like it, it just hasn't really grabbed me or prompted many repeat listens.

Smart diplomacy = begging for forgiveness from your master.

oh stop it

He just means that she's getting down on her knees and submitting.

You know, like in the entirely metaphorical French maid costume, so to speak

Was this whole scandal a YHF guerilla marketing attempt gone wrong? That maybe they skewed too indie, and nobody was buying in all senses of the word? Is it just because 'Never Again' isn't a v. good song?

'Never Again" is a great song, and your theory is kind of batshit. "We're going to tell everyone this album sucks to help it sell", isn't quite the most plausible thing, now.

but isn't there more to it than that? stodgy old industry guy vs. pop idol?

might it have worked perhaps if her album had been orphaned and then repurchased?

what are our thoughts on All I Ever Wanted? I really liked it and I wasn't a big fan of My December. Some were disappointed that Kelly wrote less tracks, I couldn't give a fuck -- they're good songs, and I like her vocal style.

she's so amazing: http://www.whosay.com/kellyclarkson/content/515466?wsref=tw&code=GLO5cY7

Clive Davis is the dogshit on the bottom of music's shoe.

Co-sign.

Clive responds (claims he factchecked with 5 people everything he said in the book!)

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-clive-davis-book-kelly-clarkson-soundtrack-of-my-life-20130220,0,1605427.story

but clive did not check with me!

You can't fact check ugly, Clive.

five people who were around the whole time? so his assistants and yes-men basically?

ppl who want to work in this town again, iirc

"i got that story right, didn't i, Turtle?"

five people who were around the whole time? so his assistants and yes-men basically?

the four hunks who carry his throne and the wispy guy who dances in front of them, throwing pedals

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsman/2015/02/20/387783771/a-conflict-of-interest-at-npr-music

Interesting. All of the conflicts should have been disclosed I think.

ethics in music blog journalism

so is My December a flop or

I don't understand the problem here. Powers didn't write the piece and she didn't commission it, so what's the issue?

too many notes

xp I think the NPR ombudsman quickly dismisses the complaint with the same point--the letter writer is mistaken in his belief that Powers runs NPR's music page--before moving on to a more legitimate journalism ethics question.

Powers is not in charge or involved, but since they're married there is the perception from some that there could be something unethical, therefore they should have just noted that Weisbard is married to Powers

Plus all the issues re Amazon and stuff

i'm reading that book right now :X supporting npr corruption

Why is this on Clarkson's thread? Thought this might be about her saying she can't get anybody to sing with her except country singers and John Legend."I am going to keep John Legend." And/or her tweet on VMA awards "two words #pitchystrippers."

Oh because started re Powers on KC I see, so every time Powers' name comes up, posted here? zzzzzz