Brian Damage
06-27-2007, 09:03 PM
NEW YORK - Following a multiplatinum, Grammy-winning album can be a daunting task for any artist. Kelly Clarkson's path to releasing her latest CD, "My December," has been especially torturous.
First there was word that record mogul Clive Davis, who overseas her record label, RCA, didn't like the direction of the upcoming album. Then reports buzzed about a feud between the two over control of it. Her first single, "Never Again," had a respectable but unremarkable run on the charts. Soon, her manager was gone and she canceled her upcoming tour due to slow ticket sales.
While Clarkson has gotten plenty of publicity, it's doubtful it's the kind of media campaign the 25-year-old intended. But industry watchers say its doubtful, too, that the turmoil will lead to the industry's dreaded f-word — flop.
Sean Ross, who tracks the radio industry for Edison Media Research, said that so far the only problem Clarkson's faced is not achieving a No. 1 single out of the gate.
"It's sort of extraordinary to me that this much judgment has been passed before everyone has heard the album, which I think to some extent is going to color how people see the album," he said.
"It could affect sales a little bit in the first few weeks and when the record first comes out," said M. Tye Comer, editorial director for AOL Music, which this week premiered a live performance by Clarkson on its site. "(But) I think at the end of the day she's going to come out on top."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19463673/
First there was word that record mogul Clive Davis, who overseas her record label, RCA, didn't like the direction of the upcoming album. Then reports buzzed about a feud between the two over control of it. Her first single, "Never Again," had a respectable but unremarkable run on the charts. Soon, her manager was gone and she canceled her upcoming tour due to slow ticket sales.
While Clarkson has gotten plenty of publicity, it's doubtful it's the kind of media campaign the 25-year-old intended. But industry watchers say its doubtful, too, that the turmoil will lead to the industry's dreaded f-word — flop.
Sean Ross, who tracks the radio industry for Edison Media Research, said that so far the only problem Clarkson's faced is not achieving a No. 1 single out of the gate.
"It's sort of extraordinary to me that this much judgment has been passed before everyone has heard the album, which I think to some extent is going to color how people see the album," he said.
"It could affect sales a little bit in the first few weeks and when the record first comes out," said M. Tye Comer, editorial director for AOL Music, which this week premiered a live performance by Clarkson on its site. "(But) I think at the end of the day she's going to come out on top."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19463673/