Trouble in Idol paradise

It's time I comment on the whole Kelly Clarkson/Clive Davis spat. I don't have anything particularly revealing to say, but I think it's interesting how it's playing out.

Clive, of course, is the legendary record exec who said Kelly's new album didn't have any hits and insisted she "fix" it by cutting some of the songs she wrote and recording new ones. He publicly humiliated her by playing some of the new material at a private record company meeting, and explaining how they were all crap. She refused to change the songs and got her way, and now her album and the first single, "Never Again," are tanking. (http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1637584,00.html)

Clive has been proven right, but is that a good thing? Shouldn't an artist get to make their own artistic decisions? Should the bottom line always be the most important thing, or should record companies allow their artists to make their own mistakes as they grow and develop their own careers?

I tend to side with the artist, so I hope Kelly's album rebounds, but I'm not holding out hope.

Here's an interesting commentary on the situation:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003777734_clarksoncomment.html