CNN新闻英语第 88 课：J Records CEO Davis 活到老，拼到老

Anchor 主播
So what do Janis Joplin, Barry Mannilow, Luther Vandrous and Alicia Keys have in common? Well they've all got boost from the golden ear and the golden rolled disc of legendary hit-maker Clive Davis. After more than 35 years in the business, he's finally got his own label:J records, a joint-venture with the German media company Bertlesman. 詹尼斯·乔普林、巴里·马尼露、卢瑟·汪达卢和艾莉西亚·凯斯有什么共同之处？他们都是传奇人物、金牌制作人克利夫·戴维斯的金耳朵和镀金唱片的受益者。在这个行当里干了35年之后，戴维斯最终拥有了属于自己的商标：与德国贝塔斯曼传媒公司合资的J唱片公司。

As the rest of the industry struggles with rising costs, slumping CD sales and the threat of new technology, the new label is blossoming under Davis' Midas touch. So we went to J Records to see why business there is so good. 当其他的唱片业者还在为费用上涨、唱片销售量下降以及新科技的威胁而苦苦挣扎的时候，这家新公司却在克利夫·戴维斯点石成金的手下茁壮成长。那么，我们就到J唱片公司去看看它的生意为什么会如此之好。

Reporter 记者
At just 21, Alicia Keys is one of today's hottest recording talents. A platinum selling sensation, who swept this year's Grammy, winning 5 awards, including "best new artist". 年仅21岁的艾莉西亚·凯斯是目前最火爆的天才巨星之一。唱片销量达到白金，获得了今年格莱美5项大奖，包括最佳新艺人奖。

Alicia Keys 艾莉西亚·凯斯
Mr. Clive Davis. I don't even have to say any more. 克利夫·戴维斯先生。我还能说些什么呢。

Reporter 记者
Legendary Clive Davis, Chairman and CEO of J records, has done it again, backing a talented artist, sending her straight up to the top of the charts, and delivering profits to the bottom line. The singer and the label may be new, but after 36 years of triumph, Davis says the essence of the business is much the same...
作为J唱片公司的总裁兼首席执行官，神奇的克利夫·戴维斯再造辉煌，扶持一位有天分的艺人，把她一直送上排行榜的首位，并给公司带来利润。这位歌手和唱片公司也许是新面孔，但经过36年的成功之后，戴维斯认为实际的商业操作其实大同小异。

Clive Davis 克利夫·戴维斯
I've been in 3 companies all my life. I grew up at Columbia Records. I spent 25 years founding Arista and now with J. So that the common thread is to surround myself with those that share my love of music, my passion for music, and so the fact we're here 12-15 hours a day is not a chore, because we frankly love what we do.
我一生中曾就职于3家公司。我是在哥伦比亚唱片公司成长起来的。我用25年时间创建了Arista和现在的J唱片公司。我的周围都是志同道合的人，我们在一起分享对音乐的热爱，享受音乐的激情，因此我们在这儿一天干12至15个小时都不觉得累，因为我们深爱着所做的一切。

Reporter 记者
Just two years ago, he was putting in marathon days at Arista. When executives at its parent company, Bertlesman, decided to make a change of the top, replacing the 67-year-old Davis with a younger executive. Davis agreed to step aside, but on his own terms, he wanted his own label. He walked away with 150 million dollars to launch the company, nearly 90% of his senior management team, and ten of Arista's artists, five of whom were platinum or multi-platinum. 就在两年前，他还在Arista度日如年。母公司贝塔斯曼的经理们决定对高层进行改组，年满67岁的戴维斯由一个年轻经理接替。戴维斯同意下台，但是必须满足他的条件，即拥有自己的品牌。他带走了1.5亿美元以成立新公司，还有他原班人马中的九成高级管理层和10位Arista旗下的艺人，其中5人拥有单项或多项白金唱片销量。

Reporter 记者
In short, everything he needed to create what he calls " an instant major. And a sign, Davis says that the top may want him out of the way, but knew he can still deliver hits. Davis may be tapping his toes 20 something beat, but he's turning 70 next year. So is he ready to turn J Records over
to a younger generation? He says he'll stay as long as he's turning out hits. When that stops, when it's clear his creative powers have peaked. then, he told us, he'd bow out gracefully. 简而言之，他要创造一个所谓的" 大基调"。戴维斯说尽管高层们知道他仍是有创造力的，但还是想让他出局。他能用脚尖在一个音节中打20 个节奏，但是他毕竟明年就要满70岁了。他会把J唱片公司交给年轻人吗？他表示，只要还能出金曲唱片， 他就会一直呆下去。如果做不到这点，很明显他的创造力也就到头了。到那时候，他说他会很体面地从容引退。