Scott Borchetta, president and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group, and new in-house mentor of American Idol 14, joined the show during Hollywood Week.
That pivotal week of the competition, when singers are whittled down to 30 or so, was Borchetta’s first opportunity to work with the contestants and judges. Initially, the mogul told The Tennessean in a recent interview, he was “curious” about how the panel–which includes Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr.–would receive him.
“It’s been a great time,” Borchetta said. “Keith, Harry Connick Jr, and J-Lo have accepted me right into the music conversation. I’ve been really impressed with how the three of them work together. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Borchetta called the new season of American Idol “really exciting.” The show is dedicated to developing new talent–something he and his Big Machine Label Group staff do every day.
“We work so hard to get those television moments,” he said. “If we can take that moment and work backwards from that, I think we have a huge opportunity to break an artist off the show in a big way.”
“It’s straight up the best artist wins,” he continued. “We’ve got to be really smart about it, and at the end of the day, America votes. We have to make sure the best artists are presented in a way that will get them the votes. That’s going to be an interesting part of the psychology going into the show. It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.”
It appears that Borchetta is ready to pull out the stops when it comes to manipulating America to get the result that he wants. Interesting. America usually has its way, despite any and all machinations of The Powers That Be. It’s going to be fun watching the newbie attempt to pull voters’ strings. Good luck with that! In the meantime, I’m gonna go grab some popcorn. Heh.
Borchetta is set to partner with 19 Entertainment and Universal Music Group to oversee the launch of the winner’s career, including signing the person to his Big Machine Label roster. The Idol champ will take a place next to stars such as Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line and Tim McGraw.
“The entire label group will be invested,” said Borchetta in a recent statement, “and we look forward to bringing our energy, focus and know-how to help develop this young talent at the highest levels.”
American Idol 14 premiers on FOX Wednesday January 7.
Read More:
Scott Borchetta Calls American Idol “Great A&R Opportunity”
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