The Three-Legged Stool: Lessons from Clive Davis

Schulhof, founder and CEO of the MUSQ Global Music Industry ETF, grew up within Davis’s orbit, eventually collaborating with him a decade ago to co-produce the Netflix documentary The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Beyond the hits, Schulhof recalls a man whose legal training fueled a relentless attention to detail. Whether navigating the complexities of music publishing or ensuring the documentary captured the full history of every artist, Davis demanded precision that bordered on the obsessive.

Davis’s resilience was perhaps most visible during his 2012 pre-Grammy party. Despite the sudden death of Whitney Houston that same day, Davis chose to proceed with the event, an act Schulhof describes as a profound, if traumatic, display of professional endurance. Davis, who passed away at 94, leaves behind a legacy defined by a nearly 70-year career. His approach—trusting one’s gut, refining one’s taste, and valuing the work ethic above all else—remains the blueprint for those who worked in his shadow.