More Kelly Clarkson album drama - Maybe Clive is the evil one....

May 30, 2007 -- NOTE to music industry legend Clive Davis: Stop trashing Kelly Clarkson - you are making yourself look bad.

"Clive is furious because Kelly has assumed total artistic control over her new album and refuses his suggestions," according to an insider at Sony BMG, the parent of Clarkson's label, RCA.

Davis, who runs Sony BMG, slammed Clarkson at a company retreat in April, saying she can't produce hits.

And music industry insiders were dumbfounded when Davis took the stage during the "American Idol" finale to plug Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee's new singles, but failed to mention Clarkson's third album, "My December," which debuts in June. Instead, Davis promoted the songwriters for one of Clarkson's hits, "Since U Been Gone."

Our insider said, "She wrote all of the second album herself - including the hits 'Because of You,' 'Behind These Hazel Eyes' and 'Walk Away.' Clive hated 'Because of You' so much, he would routinely mock it in meetings. It was one of her most successful singles."

Clarkson is not only one of Sony BMG's most profitable artists, having sold close to 15 million albums - she is also not a diva.

She hasn't demanded to renegotiate her deal with the label, our source said, even though "she only gets like $250,000 an album when she could get millions. She refuses to take more money because she wants artistic control. And she has always turned out to be right. If Clive had had his way, she wouldn't have sold nearly as many albums as she did.

"We are appalled he is picking apart one of our own acts - and one that we all love."

The source added, "Kelly wanted to make a deeply personal record. Here's an artist who didn't demand more money, who handed in her record on time in January, after making him millions, and now he rips her? The music business is collapsing, and this is why. They won't let people put out their real music. This is about his huge ego."

But a Davis pal said, "Clive gave her 'Hazel Eyes' and 'Walk Away' and he gave her the production company to help make 'Because of You' a hit. We pay millions for the albums. This is incorrect."

Clarkson's rep didn't return calls, and Davis' rep declined comment.