Davis's US J Records pledges to give A&R operations a UK flavour.

Clive Davis is vowing to give his new label J Records a UK A&R focus with the promise of at least four visits to the UK every year.

The veteran record executive gave the first full insight into the label to BMG's UK staff last Tuesday as part of a day-long presentation of new music being staged by the major. Among the new material he unveiled were tracks by development acts including O-Town and Alicia Keys and new recordings by established artists signed to the label including Busta Rhymes and Luther Vandross.

Even ahead of putting out its first UK release -- O-Town's Liquid Dreams on April 16 -- J Records already has some UK input with London-based AKA among the 26-strong roster and British songwriter Steve Mac working with O-Town. "We're going to be coming over here a minimum of four times a year," says Davis. "Every two months is the plan and we've got a great relationship with Steve Mac, producer of O-Town's All Or Nothing."

Davis claimed at the presentation at west London's Conrad Hotel that his label had been given four times the initial funding -- $150m -- of any other start-up label, which had allowed it to put in place its own promotions staff throughout the US. He added that 80-85% of Arista's senior management team, among them senior A&R director Peter Edge, had moved across with him to J Records. "The same A&R team that had been at my side all came on board, so we knew we had something special," he said.

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