Blake Lewis Tour Cut Short

Well, I wish him luck….

That’s too bad :( I hope whatever label/management he hooks up with next will be better suited.

Awww, couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.

I hope Blake will find some management that at least attempts to promote him. I don’t understand why they sign the runner-up if they have no intention of doing anything with that person. There is no stated prize for runner-up (as far as I have heard), so why not just let them go? Seems like the runner-up gets shafted a lot of the time. But, I digress. Good luck to Blake…I’d love to see his show if he ever comes anywhere near me.

That’s a blow to Blake, but I’m sure he’ll bounce back. I thought he had a new label, so maybe the deal fell through. The industry is tough. Hang in there, Blake.

I’d also love to see his show if he comes anywhere close. =)

This business can take a chunk out of you. I wish him well…..that being said maybe he can look to hiring a grammar teacher as well, ‘boughten’? Seriously though, I like Blake’s music. He has a few rough edges, but that’s life. I hate to read stuff like this.

Didn’t the boys at 19 Entertainment drop him earlier this year? Here is another casualty of the harsh industry known as show business. Although I was never a big fan of his music, I wish him well.

I feel so sorry for Blake. He is such a hard working guy and seems to love music and performing so much. I really enjoy Blake’s music. He just can’t seem to get a break. But I don’t understand. Why would they keep some dates and not others? Did they only keep the venues that sold well and canceled the ones that didn’t? If he is looking for a new label and new management, then why not cancel them all, since noone is really sponsoring them now are they? The music business really sucks. One minute you are in….and then you’re out.

Wow, Blake is really having some tough times. Who knows what’s going on but it would have been better to get the ducks in a row (new management) and then do a small tour. Cancelling half your dates is just a bad way to start.
Blake needs to take some time off and regroup. I don’t follow him but he doesn’t even look like the same guy that was on the Idol tour a short year ago.

I don’t love the man but I don’t hate him either like some…It’s difficult enough for anybody who’s trying to make a living these days. I feel for people who have the passion but can’t seem to make it happen…

“boughten”?

WTH is boughten? lol

Not a fan, but I feel bad for the guy. Some bad choices in terms of promotion and management and BAM he’s out of the running.

I still can’t get over the fact that “Know My Name” was never a single. Lupe could have been his Chris Brown. Sigh.

If I had a dollar for every spelling/grammatical error made by an Idol contestant, I’d be a rich woman! :-)

David Cook, word nerd that he is, isn’t perfect in his punctuation at least. We also, I would think, have all been guilty of using poor grammar and words that truly arent words when it suits our purposes….I know I could stand up and be counted for that.

Poor Blake. I hope things work out soon. But, I’ve gotta echo everyone else…. “Boughten”? For real? LOL. Heee. Well, I’ve always given him points for creativity.

I hope thoze that haff boughten there tickits kin git a refundment…maybe they can buy tickets to see Taylor Hicks in “Grease” instead…or maybe not.

LOL Sparkles! f yu cn rd ts msg yu cn gt a gd jb…….anyone remember those adds on subways and buses?

Bad grammar aside I actually have a soft spot for Blake and hope he bounces back.

This makes me very sad for Blake, especially since I was all ready to travel to NC to go see him with a friend, since there is no way in hell he’ll ever come to Toronto… And now my show’s been canceled. :(

“Boughten?” :doh_tb: Oh well…. not a fan of his music, and I’m usually pretty much a live and let live kinda person, but in this case…. perhaps this experience will serve as a valuable life lesson for him – and he can acquire a measure of humility and exhibit more respect for his Idol peers….. he’s young, so there’s still hope….

A scenario like this helps explain why Taylor isn’t turning down a guaranteed paycheck from “Grease”! Never hurts to put a few bucks in the bank.

Oh wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. not a fan of his music, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m usually pretty much a live and let live kinda person, but in this caseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. perhaps this experience will serve as a valuable life lesson for him – and he can acquire a measure of humility and exhibit more respect for his Idol peersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.. heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s young, so thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s still hopeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

Yes. I’m sure he is sitting in his house reflecting on all of this. And he will come to the conclusion … “If I only hadn’t called David boring and got along with Sanjaya. Then I would have done SO much better.” That is a valuable life lesson for him. *eyes roll*

Well, mac, it defnitely didn’t help him to badmouth other idol contestants. The fact is that the main starting point for sales of idol contestants’ music is American Idol fans. Why turn off a significant number of them by dissing other idols? Even people who weren’t fans of those particular contestants got turned off by the badmouthing and commented here and on other forums at the time.

Other than badmouthing other AI contestants, wasn’t Blake going around bitching about the whole AI franchise, and badmouthing his label after he was dropped? From a business sense, why 19M will keep such a client that is discrediting the other clients and AI itself? So, time for Blake to reflect on his big fat mouth if he hasn’t already.

What goes around comes around – so I hear…

Other than badmouthing other AI contestants, wasn’t Blake going around bitching about the whole AI franchise, and badmouthing his label after he was dropped? From a business sense, why 19M will keep such a client that is discrediting the other clients and AI itself?

Not really. He expressed some disappointment that the label dropped him, but badmouthing the entire AI franchise? Do you have a link for that? I never read such a thing.

And anyway, 19M isn’t dropping him. It appears that Blake is looking for new management. At least as of last night. I have a feeling he was letting off a little bit of steam in that bulletin and may have changed his mind already.

The things he said to various radio DJs changes nothing. He still wasn’t selling albums, he still would have been dropped.

I guess Kimberley Locke better watch out. Her label is about to drop her, because she called Jason Castro “Dumber than a box of rocks…”

Other than badmouthing other AI contestants, wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Blake going around bitching about the whole AI franchise, and badmouthing his label after he was dropped? From a business sense, why 19M will keep such a client that is discrediting the other clients and AI itself? So, time for Blake to reflect on his big fat mouth if he hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t already.

Yup, he badmouthed other AI contestants, AI the show, the people who worked on the show, other 19E clients, his record label, Clive Davis, fellow label mates, people he worked with on his album, other successful artists and producers, radio stations, a large segment of his fanbase (Cake fans, tweens, teens and anyone he didn’t deem “cool”), etc…

He basically walked around with the mentality that everyone sucks – except him. Everyone is at fault – except him. Well look where that got you, Blake!

I’m not surpised 19E dropped you. You’ve been a loose cannon with NO payoff for far too long.

He expressed some disappointment that the label dropped him, but badmouthing the entire AI franchise? Do you have a link for that? I never read such a thing.

How about every interview he has done? How AI didn’t allow him changing up “this is my now,” how the songwriters of that song sucks, how Nigel tried to mess with his song choices, how Clive chose Break Anotha against his wishes, Clive put songs he didn’t want in the album, etc.

How about every interview he has done? How AI didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t allow him changing up à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“this is my now,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  how the songwriters of that song sucks, how Nigel tried to mess with his song choices, how Clive chose Break Anotha against his wishes, Clive put songs he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want in the album, etc.

You can argue that Blake is telling tales out of school, but I wouldn’t call any of that “badmouthing”. He didn’t call Clive Davis an asshole. lol.

Frankly, I’m not surprised his tour was cut short. I was surprised it was even organized in the first place. How can an artist tour without an album to support? ADD has been dead in the water for quite awhile.

My point all along has been that there is no direct correlation between the things Blake has said in the press and his being dropped by Arista. ADD was already dead-stick-a-fork-in-it before any of this hoo ha exploded in the AI internet fan base. An artist who doesn’t sell albums gets dropped by his label. Period.

Clive was his executive producer of the album. When he accused Clive making bad decisions of selecting the wrong first single, I think that’s badmouthing.

If he doesn’t do all that, he’d be given a much longer time in the label. He was the quickest dropped AI alumni. He didn’t get much support in radio, but he got promoted in AI show and this year’s AI concert. Who knows what could happen if he is a nicer guy and people are willing to give him a try?

Blake probably could learn some lesson from the little guy he called boring. Many people think David was robbed, but he came out singing everybody’s praise. Whenever a Dj questions whether he is surprised he didn’t win, he begins to pimp Cook like there is no tomorrow. Sanjaya is a total class act when coming to AI and Simon, too. People root for nice guys. I think that is at least partly relevant on how successful a person can be in his career.

If he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do all that, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be given a much longer time in the label. He was the quickest dropped AI alumni. He didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get much support in radio, but he got promoted in AI show and this yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s AI concert. Who knows what could happen if he is a nicer guy and people are willing to give him a try?

Really? You know that for a fact? Who is your industry source? I’d love to talk to him. The US economy is currently in terrible shape. The record industry right now is in a tailspin. Labels are losing money left and right and are becoming more and more impatient with acts who underperform. The business people who run record labels could give a crap about giving nice guys a chance. They want to see results.

Archie will keep his recording contract if he sells records. If not, they’ll drop him too, no matter how nice he is.

ETA:

IIRC his first single sold like 10,000 in ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s first week. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d say his problems with a dwindling fanbase started even before his album came out.

This is my point. His problems started long before he called David Archuleta boring. He had problems right out of the gate. He wasn’t selling records. The things he said about Clive and the label were after they dropped him.

Didn’t he call This is My Now a piece of shit? Granted it was a piece of shit but some things you don’t say out loud. IIRC his first single sold like 10,000 in it’s first week. I’d say his problems with a dwindling fanbase started even before his album came out.

The true is that we can ´t be sure of his comments about AI, and Arista had something to do with him being dropped by 19M and Arista…I eill said that the biggest reason is the low album sells

Really? You know that for a fact? Who is your industry source? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d love to talk to him. The US economy is currently in terrible shape. The record industry right now is in a tailspin. Labels are losing money left and right and are becoming more and more impatient with acts who underperform. The business people who run record labels could give a crap about giving nice guys a chance. They want to see results.

Well you don’t know about the opposite either. All we do is speculating whether his mouth has anything or nothing to do with his quick drop from label. You know for sure it has NOTHING to do with it, when even media like Perez and People are publicizing his big fat mouth?

David will be dropped if he doesn’t sell. But see, he is a nice guy, people are more willing to root for him and buy his products. He can have a better chance in the business if he doesn’t burn bridges like Blake.

(I just realized my argument doesn’t make sense since Constantine is still getting gigs, but whatever. lol)

Well you don’t know about the opposite either. All we do is speculating whether his mouth has anything or nothing to do with his quick drop from label. You know for sure it has NOTHING to do with it, when even media like Perez and People are publicizing his big fat mouth?

I’m basing my opinions on how record labels behave generally. I’m not sure what Perez and People have to do with it.

David will be dropped if he doesn’t sell. But see, he is a nice guy, people are more willing to root for him and buy his products.

AI fans are more willing to buy his product because he’s nice. The wider world…those people who don’t care about AI are going to be a much tougher sell. And he’ll have to appeal to those people to survive.

Folks will buy his record if they like what they hear. So far so good for Archie, but he’s not going to be able to get by in the highly competitive music industry with his sweet personality. In fact, he’d probably be advised to toughen up a little.

Sometimes I wonder how much bad luck and failure in Blake’s career will be enough to satisfy those who have been, at some point of their lives, offended on others’ behalf by Blake :P Oy, the schadenfreude is thick in here sometimes.

Yes, it’s speculation, but I would think in a cutthroat business where there are only so many resources to spread among a limited number of participants, the participants who are hard to work with are going to be dropped fast. That’s just simple economics. If it takes X amount of effort to record/promote middling-talented Easy Guy and 3X amount of effort to record/promote middling-talented Difficult Guy, then the label, if forced to cut the roster, should take Easy Guy. More bang for your buck, if you will.

I guess I can’t even tell you for sure that Blake was hard to work with, but IMHO he generally came off poorly in the interviews he did. I could see a label giving him a little more time and a little more promotion if they could see him as an asset in the near future; however, poor CD sales plus poor attitude plus poor economy = Blake w/o a record deal.

While ultimately low album sales may have sealed Blake’s fate, IMO…. he did himself no favors in the PR department. For new artists, image and the public’s perception of who you are, and your presentation are important…. There are numerous radio interviews and print interviews Blake gave in which he come across as being less than grateful or respectful of AI, and his peers… The old “it’s not whatcha say but how you say it” thingee…. all artists benefit from having cross appeal in different fanbases, and his actions alienated many in other groups who probably would have been more than eager to support ADD… who knows what all the factors were…. Poor sales? negative PR? fanbase alienation? moon in the wrong phase? I don’t kick folks when they’re down, and we are a nation who likes comeback kids… so if he can manage to salvage something positive out of this, he’ll get my respect.

David will be dropped if he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sell. But see, he is a nice guy, people are more willing to root for him and buy his products.

Yeah, I look at all the “nice” artists out in the industry and just because of that, I buy all their albums! Right! I buy music because I “like” it. I try to support the Idols, but I only go so far. I have to sort of like their music. I think Archie is a “nice” guy, but in the long run, I don’t even know him. None of us really know any of these idols. I did not buy Archie’s single, because I did not like it. He could have solved world hunger and I still would not have bought it (or boughten it). It was an OK song, and I am glad others liked it, but it was not my taste. I also don’t listen to Archie in his interviews. They all sound alike; giggles, goshes, etc. I know his fans think that is endearing and good for them, but I don’t. Do I wish him ill will? No.

I think that Blake’s attitude and rude remarks turned a lot of people off, Idol fans and non-Idol fans. Most of the interviews that he gave did not make people (who were not already his fans) want to support him because he came off as whiny, unlikable and ungrateful. Plus, he did not sing well live on TV nor on the radio promo tour. IMO, he was his own worst enemy when it came to making friends and influencing people to buy his music.

Unlike some people, I don’t buy music of artists that I don’t like as people. I will buy music of artists that I like even if I don’t like the genre. If I decide to buy the CD, I don’t even have to hear one song from it because I will be buying it to support the artist.

I bought Bucky’s CD even though I don’t really care for country music. I will buy Archie’s CD even though I never voted for him and have not watched any of his solo performances on tour. In interviews, on the show and on tour he has been a class act and I want him to do well. Buying his CD is just my way of helping that happen. Not the case with Blake.

Too bad that Blake’s tour schedule was cut short. I’m sorry that his fans will be disappointed. Good luck to him.

Ehhh. The only Blake controversy was among the online Idol fanbase, and most of it was after his record dropped. Even if you ignore that, it would have only affected his sales for the first couple of weeks, since that’s when the idol fanbase makes the most impact. Nobody cares what he said. I doubt most of the world, even his record label, even know about half of it. Radio DJs didn’t say “I’m gonna play that new Blake single… oh wait, did you hear what he said about Sanjaya! Screw that”. LOL. And record executives have been called worse by their artists. Rock stars have been known to show up at label headquarters drunk and harassing the staff. But if they are bringing in the cash, they don’t get dropped.

But I do agree that it may affect his ability to have a small indie career going forward. Idol fans sure would come in handy right about now.

By all accounts, ADD is a darn decent album…. as gabam pointed out, there are lotsa intangibles and variables that influence music buying………. one can undermine and marginalize it to high heaven, but that “likeability” factor in an artist is a factor in moving his/her product…. I too am no big fan of country music, but I purchased CD’s by Carrie, Bucky and KLC because my perception of them was positive from watching them on the show, in interviews, etc., and it was no problem to purchase a CD to help them get a good start… many cd’s in my collection I’ve bought and STILL enjoy not because I love the genre – but something in the artists appeal, or “likeability” helped influence me to give them a shot….

I too am no big fan of country music, but I purchased CD’s by Carrie, Bucky and KLC because my perception of them was positive from watching them on the show, in interviews, etc., and it was no problem to purchase a CD to help them get a good start…

I think AI fans do this, because they become attached to the contestants as people. After weeks and weeks on TV people feel connected to them.

In the larger world, folks know very little about the personalities of the artists they buy music from. They hear a song, they like it. Maybe they buy the album. In this tough economy, maybe they only buy the artists whose music they really really like.

Getting your song played on the radio is more important than anything, imo.

Too often folks confuse the much smaller AI world with the record buying public at large. That’s why people are surprised when an artist who did well on AI doesn’t make it on the real world, or that an artist who came in 8th can have a decent career in music.

Once an artist graduates from AI, they begin competing with the big boys and girls. In order to succeed, they have to attract those casual fans who could care less about what X contestant says about Y. Really, the importance of the AI internet fan base is greatly exaggerated in my opinion.

I don ´t think that any of the posters here are happy abour Blake ´s falls from grace… but my first boss told us back when I started working:

If you are good at you work even if I don ´t like you, you will have a job…

(At this point I most said that even when I don ´t work in that place now, she is one of my most dearest pearson…)

Maybe is only her but in the end what it ´s matter is how much money you make for your company, wheater you are an artist or a simple bussines man… I don ´t think people like Eminen or Amy Winehouse (sp) are easy to work to but since they sells millions who cares…

Yes I like Archie, Cook, Brooke, Jason… but in the end they can ´t make a living in the record bussines if only fans of AI buy their albums, even from other database, they need to get out of the bubble and maybe all of them will be able to do it…

The truth if thay I ´ve started to think that being an Idol if worst that being a simple record artist… fans expect you to be good and nice to the fans, role model and likeable… If Blake were a simple artist we wouldn ´t be linking his downfall to being an “ass”… I don ´t see people hating Eminen or ever stop buying his album for hating Cristina Aguilera or Nsync… Fans don ´t get mad at Maryah Carey or Justin Timberlake for not going out of the venue before a concert to sign stuff…

We live in a sad world…

I agree that a lot of this stuff has nothing to do with any negative comments Blake has made about Sanjaya and David. Aside from some angry Fanjayas and Archies, no one else really cares much about that. However, you just don’t badmouth the people that gave you your big break before your career even has a chance to get going. He trashed the coronation song and the songwriters in the press. It’s O.K. if we say the song is shit, but it’s probably not a good idea for an Idol finalist to say that publicly. He also said that he never wanted to win AI and was happy that he lost, and gave the impression that he was too good for the show. He said these things right around the time of his album release-this stuff didn’t come out after the album had already flopped. He was complaining about Clive and Break Anotha long before he got dropped. Probably not the best idea to risk alienating the people that gave you a golden opportunity, especially someone like Clive who has shown in the past that he can be vindictive and pull the plug on supporting any artist who doesn’t tow the line. I don’t know if that’s what happened with Blake and A.D.D., but I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the case.

I’m not celebrating the fact that his career is faltering right now, but I don’t have much sympathy for him because he brought a lot of this on himself.

But I do agree that it may affect his ability to have a small indie career going forward. Idol fans sure would come in handy right about now.

BINGO! I do think the MAIN reason Blake got dropped was because his sales sucked. But I also think his unlikable personality and difficult behavior contributed to it happening so quickly.

With that said, moving forward, unless Blake buys a clue and learns from his mistakes, he’s going to be hard pressed to find people willing to give him a second chance. That’s where being likable and easy to work would come in handy right about now.

His reputation is in the gutter right now.

He was complaining about Clive and Break Anotha long before he got dropped. Probably not the best idea to risk alienating the people that gave you a golden opportunity, especially someone like Clive who has shown in the past that he can be vindictive and pull the plug on supporting any artist who doesn’t tow the line.

Actually, now that I think about it, he started complaining about Clive and Break Anotha around the time he was promoting his second single. Actually, most of the negative stuff he said in the press was during the time he was promoting “How Many Words.” By that time, you could stick a fork in ADD. It was already done.

Blake was selling something; America wasn’t buying. But I think it had more to do with the music and his performances on the various talk shows than anything he had to say in the press about his peers or his minders.

especially someone like Clive who has shown in the past that he can be vindictive and pull the plug on supporting any artist who doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t tow the line.

Exactly. Look how badly he treated Kelly Clarkson when she didn’t tow the line when it came to the direction of “My December”. And SHE was a multi-platinum selling artist.

One more thing. While I’m being a complete post whore today, why not?

I met Blake several times and found him to be, a bit cocky? Sure. A little bit of a swaggert? Yeah. But still, overall a pretty nice guy–energetic and fun to talk to. He was obviously close to many of his castmates–I met all of them backstage last year during the Idol tour–Gina, Chris and Haley in particular. But Chris S and Phil seemed really fond of him too. I met his family, and those folks are even nicer.

I met Constantine several times, and man that guy IS a total narcissistic a-hole. Not only was he rude and condescending to me, but I felt a bad vibe all the way around. And yes, this guy, who is a total jerk continues to make a living. So much for nice guys finishing first.

The last thing I’d like to mention is the idea of Blake being hard to get along with. Who knows? I heard tons of rumors about Taylor–a guy who measures his words to the press–being a pill to work with behind the scenes, but never heard anything like that about Blake. Maybe he was, but I’ve never heard that or read it anywhere.

Being opinionated and speaking without a filter doesn’t necessarily make a person hard to get a long with.

It’s true that the negative comments probably didn’t affect ADD sales much. That deal was sealed before most of the negativity surfaced, and I’m sure the negativity was in large part due to Blake’s frustration with his sales and the lack of support by his management/label. But I still think it was a mistake to air those feelings publicly, and I hope he learns from that for the future.

I also didn’t understand why he was touring now for an album that dropped so long ago. Didn’t make sense to me.

Forget about Idol fans, if Blake had been better on TV, on the radio and in interviews, the general public may have liked him and bought his music. He alienated non Idol fans also, so not many of them bought his music.

The general public who saw him performing poorly live on TV and heard him sing poorly on the radio shows and heard and/or read him being a jerk in interviews were not inspired to buy his music.

There have been artists that I had never heard of until I saw them on TV or listened to them doing radio interviews but then became interested in them and checked them out. They had something that made me like them and want to hear more from them and read more about them. I then bought their music.

One group I had not heard of until I was home sick one day and saw them on Good Morning America. Of course they were talented, but they were funny, nice, grateful and seem to be having the time of their lives doing what they loved. I became a fan that day and have since bought just about everything that they’ve put out, before and after I saw them that day. Eight years later, I’m still a fan.

IMO, seeing Blake poorly perform his singles live on TV and hearing/reading his interviews killed most of the general public’s interest in him and in his CD. Hence, he was dropped.

There are nice guys and assholes in the music industry, and they both seem to have success. I really don’t think the fact that Blake is or is not a nice guy has anything to do with his success (or lack thereof) in the music industry.

But for the record, Blake is a nice guy. I’ve met him, we chatted, he’s fun and engaging and generally nice.

It’s a fact the music industry is not doing well at all. That’s Blake problem #1. His #2 problem, in my opinion is that his music doesn’t appeal to a vast crowd. I love ADD, and I’m usually not into that kind of music. But I love ADD nonetheless. Many out there won’t even listen to his album because it is categorized into hip hop/pop/electro/whatever. And while I love ADD, I too agree it’s not for everyone. So the fact that the kind of music he favors and put out on ADD does not appeal to a large crowd is a problem for record sale, for sure. Couple that with the severe lack of promo, and yeah, ADD was done and over with almost before it even came out.

Blake needs to find a good team that will be willing to work for and with him to promote the hell out of whatever he’s putting out. I don’t think Blake needs to filter what he says – sure he might offend some people, but the fact that he is honest and speaks his mind also appeals to many, so to me it’s a trade-off. It certainly wouldn’t hurt if he produced music that would appeal to a larger mass – look how well he did on the dance charts – but at the same time, he needs to put out music that he’ll be happy with. So that’s a difficult balance to achieve.

Note only the SUCCESSFULL assholes tend to stick around. If you’re making people money and winning awards, people will put up with just about anything.

**although that still doesn’t explain why Constantine has been able to hang on for so long on the fringes of the entertainment biz. He must have some serious dirt on some people. :op

**although that still doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t explain why Constantine has been able to hang on for so long on the fringes of the entertainment biz. He must have some serious dirt on some people. :op

LOL

I feel sorry for Blake so I’m not taking pleasure in his pain. I never “got him” on Idol and never got his “80′s music” either so I can’t say I’m surprised he didn’t sell more. However, he seemed to have a big fan base his year and did well on the tour. I just think alot of that fan base was for the “cute guy” on Idol.

He did too many things to turn off the fans of the “cute guy” including talking about eating his boogers. I guess he went for “edgy and yes, I think it hurt his career. I wish him well because he seems in a lousy place right now.

Well, as much as I like Blake, I never really thought he was the “cute” guy (that was Brandon Rogers). I do like his music. I do see that he’s made some public relations errors, but by no means is that why he’s struggling right now. His music didn’t connect. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, nor does it mean it’s good. It’s all subjective. I liked it. :)

It’s a tough business, and I look forward to the next phase of his career. I like that he’s honest, a hard worker, and I happen to enjoy his music. He’ll land on his feet, I think.

If being a nice guy and enjoying universal good will in the Idol world sold records, Ace would have done better. No? I also enjoy Ace’s album quite a bit. Sadly, I think both he and Blake are a bit too retro for current tastes.

ETA: So, all y’all who like to buy albums based on “niceness” I suggest you check out Ace’s and put your money where it counts! Heh. :P

I guess I’m one of those who doesn’t really “get” Blake’s music. I think in the case of Ace, he just waited way too long to get an album out, and all but his most hardcore fans forgot about him and moved on.

So selling records for being “nice” has a time limit. Gotcha!

Or maybe it’s not a factor at all.

Definitely a time limit on the “nice and hunky but boring” factor.

Well, if the argument that being “nice and hunky but boring” has a time limit, then I’m guessing the argument that “nice” trumps all for the AI record buying public doesn’t hold. So, Blake’s “niceness” or lack thereof shouldn’t be an issue and probably had nothing to do with his sales.

Ace seems to be a doll but nothing special as a vocalist and waiting two years didn’t help. People still like him though and being in Grease seems like a good deal. Overall I think being “nice” has helped his career. Would Ace be in a better place if he acted like an ass? People passed on Blake and his music. I don’t think just being “nice” would have sold any records but acting like a jerk didn’t help either.

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2008/09/16/american-idol-man-curse-strikes-again-blake-lewis-cut-loose/

MTV article author can hardly contain his/her disdain for Blake. Had Blake be a nice guy, maybe these writers could cut this pathetic guy some slack.

I ventured into Rickey’s and there are 5 replies in total to Blake’s news. And people are happy that Karma finds Blake again.

Being nice cannot get you everything. But if Blake still thinks there is no relation between being a tool and his fail, some pattern is probably going to continue.

MTV article author can hardly contain his/her disdain for Blake. Had Blake be a nice guy, maybe these writers could cut this pathetic guy some slack.

Nah.

I could find a ton of articles like that about lots of Idols, “nice” or no. Just being an Idol is a set up for ridicule. It’s too easy. Notice other Idols who lost their record deals are included in the article and and are targets of the writer’s sarcasm as well.

I’d bet my house that the writer has no idea about the BIG internet brouhaha over Blake Lewis and the terrible, terrible things he’s said in interviews.

He found an easy opportunity for snark (an Idol losing his record contract), and ran with it.

Bo Bice is included in that article, and he’s an interesting example – An Idol who is as nice as pie and lost his record contract after a year–despite his album going gold. I’m not going to recount the story here, but 19 totally screwed that guy over. And such a nice guy. It was sad.

So, Blakeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“nicenessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  or lack thereof shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be an issue and probably had nothing to do with his sales.

People buy things for different reasons. I just bought a set of dishes because I thought they looked nice. Somebody else might buy dishes because of their high quality. Some other people might buy dishes because they are cheap. Some other people might buy dishes because they saw them in a movie. Which group of people used the correct criteria for purchasing dishes? They all did. They bought dishes. So long as the function and meet our needs, who cares why somebody bought them?

Some people on this board have expressed that they have purchased CDs because they had a positive impression on somebody. I presume that it makes them feel good that they did this and helps them to enjoy the CD. More power to them. That’s one sale. That’s sales.

I can see arguing that one sale isn’t significant, but a sale is a sale. I don’t think all Artists go on the View just so they can meet Elizabeth and the gang. They go because they want to move units. They go because they want people to become interested in their product. Same with all those radio interviews. If you come off as a complete a$$ and your performance isn’t up to par, you will turn off some of those potential customers. Granted, some people will think you are cool for being an a$$ and that might get you some customers. It’s a balancing act. All I can say is that I have spent the last year watching fans drift away from Blake for one thing or another (e.g. he lost a lot of fans on the general pop music boards for what were perceived to be anti-gay comments). The Internet community is small, but losing those devoted fans doesn’t help and it certainly won’t help in the future.

People say they have not purchased his music because of the way he acts. I see no reason to doubt their claims. People have varied reasons for purchasing CDs and there is no “right criteria” in my mind. So long as they enjoy their purchases for whatever reason, they have used their own “right criteria” IMO. Otherwise, everybody would be buying the same CDs and this world would be a boring world.

I bought Ace’s CD too…. :bye_tb: He may not have been considered the best singer in his season, but for me he was pleasant enough…. I hope he finds his niche in the industry, and achieves a measure of personal and commercial success….

I ventured into Rickeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and there are 5 replies in total to Blakeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s news. And people are happy that Karma finds Blake again.

I wouldn ´t take fans at Rickey as a reference… after all they are more passionate that normal fans… I wasn ´t a fan of Blake ´s music style, because is had an old feel to it in my opinion… to electronic or whatever… it wans ´t the kind of music that will get popular… I think in a previous related Blake post someone point out that his song where being play in discos…

I seriously don ´t think that being a “bad” guy had anything to do with him not selling…I mean I don ´t think Sanyaya (sp) and Archie ´s fanbase are strong enough to hurt another contestat…

I am not familiar with Bo, but he was invited back to perform this season. I don’t know whether there is real beef between him and 19 if they ask him back. Eliiot was in the show this season twice. It seems the idol people genuinely love him despite he is not signed with them. The idol performances gave him a bump in his career.

Can’t say that Blake is going to be invited back next season, though.

I think Blake got caught in a negative publicity snowball partially of his own making, but I also think the label signed him at a time when there was a lot of behind the scenes shake ups and he was a casualty of the Clive demotion. He might have initially had Clive’s support when he was signed, but in the long run it didn’t seem to mean much and I don’t think the label had much interest in promoting his CD. So, you have a single that has to thrive without label support and the huge push to radio that comes with label support. He would have needed a big grass roots swelling of support to succeed, and that never happened for a few reasons. Break Another wasn’t ear wormy or gimmicky enough to catch on, and it’s not a song that lends itself well to live performances. And then his live performances showed a lot of vocal stress and he sounded different than he did on AI. Then there was the weird bandana wardrobe stage he was going through, the fact that his face looked puffy at the time (I was wondering if he was taking steroid treatments for vocal chords problems). Then there was his personality shift from cuddly funny AI Blake to the guy that was relieved that he didn’t have to think about TV censors any longer, and that guy was obviously feeling the stress from the lack of label support. He reacted by venting and talking way too freely, and a lot of the goodwill he had built up with his AI fanbase slipped away. Then of course the fact that his album didn’t sell huge out of the gate attached a Guarini-esque stigma to his name. His label dropped him, which didn’t help the public perception. Snowball effect, it all just added up. As for his actual music, I do think his album is underrated. I like a few of the songs quite a bit, I like 80s influences and I like electronic music. But I like his pre-AI music a little better. Taking the experimental artist out of Blake and trying to fit him into a cute pop guy Timberlake box wasn’t what I had anticipated. I always thought Blake would have been better served being marketed as a niche artist right out of the gate. It would have suited him better musically, and he would have had lower expectations. The remixes of HMW are better than the original, and the song seemed to have more success in the club scene and on the dance charts than in the mainstream.

All that said, I think if Know My Name was the first single, and it had a huge radio push and decent video, similar to Tattoo, that Blake’s career might have turned out differently. Maybe.

I don’t know whether there is real beef between him and 19 if they ask him back.

The beef was with Clive and the record label, not 19, as 19M was not and is not Bo’s management. He’s managed by some peeps out of Nashville, who obviously did a great thing negotiating a guest spot for him on Idol.

ETA: BTW, Sooo many AI fans hate Clive Davis and it starts all the way back with Clay Aiken. It’s a long story. :).

sunchick, I agree there were a LOT of factors contributing to Blake’s problems with sales. One you forgot to mention was the terrible album cover. If I were a casual AI viewer who liked him on the show and I saw that at Target, I’m not sure that I would have been compelled to give it a try.

I ventured into Rickeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and there are 5 replies in total to Blakeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s news. And people are happy that Karma finds Blake again.

Not sure what the point of this statement is. Anyone that is a Blake fan totally ignores Rickey’s site, because every Blake thread just turns into a Blake bashfest. There is no productive discussion. The site is mostly dominated by Archie fans and a few leftover Sanjaya fans. So all they do is bash Blake for his anti Archie and anti Sanjaya statements. I also don’t hold much value on comments (5) from people that are “Happy” about another person’s misfortune.

There is no productive discussion. The site is mostly dominated by Archie fans and a few leftover Sanjaya fans. So all they do is bash Blake for his anti Archie and anti Sanjaya statements. I also donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hold much value on comments (5) from people that are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Happyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  about another personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s misfortune.

Actually a lot of archies had said that they bought Blake ´s album… Blake anti Archie comments make noise but so did, Gina ´s and Hayley, in TMZ, and Constantine were totally more insulting than those made by Blake… I don ´t think much of Archie ´s fans even know about this cut in Blake ´s tour,or that there was a tour… if you visit fanbase forums nobody had mention the issue…

People say they have not purchased his music because of the way he acts. I see no reason to doubt their claims. People have varied reasons for purchasing CDs and there is no à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“right criteriaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in my mind. So long as they enjoy their purchases for whatever reason, they have used their own à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“right criteriaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  IMO. Otherwise, everybody would be buying the same CDs and this world would be a boring world.

I agree with you that maybe some buy records because they think people are “nice” or don’t because the perceive them as “assholes.” I wasn’t trying to invalidate any of that. However, my point was that I doubt Blake’s likeability factor affected his sales in any significant way. I think the likeability factor only goes so far.

I seriously doubt the Idol fans who were turned off by him would have made a huge difference. Just like fans buying multiple copies will not change things. Blake needed to appeal to the mainstream, and he didn’t. The music didn’t appeal to the masses. That doesn’t make it bad. You can argue it was lack of support or whatever, but I don’t think it was his personality. Most people don’t even know anything about his radio interviews.

Oh pj that’s so true. The artwork was decent but when you add that picture to it….ugg. Honestly, the album cover was the thing that initially tipped me off that the label support might not be very strong. There’s no way an R&D person worth their salt allows an artist to run with that cover. They just kind of pushed him into the big ol pool of public opinion and let him sink or swim on his own, really. Too bad all the way around.

Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s no way an R&D person worth their salt allows an artist to run with that cover. They just kind of pushed him into the big ol pool of public opinion and let him sink or swim on his own, really.

sunchick I very much agree with you here, and with what you posted earlier. The same thing happened with his video. They could have made a video on a low budget and still came out okay. Look at Coldplays Speed of Light video, or Jessie; can’t think of his last name…touring with Jordin, his video was produced by the same guy. Though that video…a whole different topic. He and Jordin started with a very small fan base after idol…Jive took what little she had and built on it. Blake for all the reasons mentioned above, was not able to. I do think the majority of his fans bought his CD, there just wasn’t that many. You can go off of the response of the tour…which he did seem to get the best of, but not that many people went to the tour to begin with. Blake’s problem was like pj stated above that he didn’t appeal to the masses. Not the first idol for that to happen to and surely not the last.

There is no productive discussion. The site is mostly dominated by Archie fans and a few leftover Sanjaya fans. So all they do is bash Blake for his anti Archie and anti Sanjaya statements.

If this is true, there should be hundreds of comments there hating Blake. But there are 6 in total. Rickey’s is dominated by fans from every idol and general idol fans. There is a negative indifference towards Blake across idol boards. And when did fanjayas become the “leftovers?”

You can say idol fanbase is not that important in getting a success career, but there are 25 million audience for the show. Alienating every possible fanbase like Blake did is not going to get him anywhere.

About the album cover and music video, I remember they are Blake’s own idea since he have the artistic control. So now the label is to blame for his own idea?