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Victoria Banks Reflects On Her Survival...And Success

I feel a bit like a survivor who is holding on somehow despite the odds. When I signed my first deal in 1998, royalty streams were alive and well.

Victoria Banks Reflects On Her Survival...And Success

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I feel a bit like a survivor who is holding on somehow despite the odds. When I signed my first deal in 1998, royalty streams were alive and well. I have seen the decline of record sales and the rise of streaming basically obliterate all other income streams except radio play for commercial songwriters.


There are now only 400 people doing what I do professionally in Nashville when there were 4000 twenty years ago.

I’ve also had to deal with the lack of radio play for female artists in the country genre. Even though I naturally gravitate toward writing from a female perspective, I have had to learn to focus primarily on writing with and for male artists in order to stay marketable.

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--- Victoria Banks, Songwriters Association of Canada

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Clive Davis speaks during the 68th GRAMMY Awards Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Avery Lipman & Monte Lipman on Jan. 31, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Clive Davis speaks during the 68th GRAMMY Awards Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Avery Lipman & Monte Lipman on Jan. 31, 2026, in Los Angeles.

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Clive Davis, Legendary Music Executive, Dies at 94

Davis was responsible for launching stars like Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow and Alicia Keys to superstardom.

Clive Davis, the legendary music executive who shepherded the careers of such stars as Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow and Alicia Keys, died on Monday (June 22) at his home in New York from age-related illness. He was 94.

Davis rose to prominence while serving as president of Columbia Records from 1967 to 1973, before founding his own label, Arista, where he signed Manilow and stars including Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith and Dionne Warwick, among many others. In 2000, he founded J Records, which was responsible for launching acts including Keys and Maroon 5 to superstardom.

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