Update:   Radaronline.com talked to a publicist who thinks RCA dropped Clay because he came out.   That’s ridiculous.   I would imagine RCA dropped him because he failed to sell records.   Rumors about Clay being dropped from RCA have circulated for MONTHS now.

I mentioned the fact that he was no longer on RCA’s roster back in November.   This shiz is OLD NEWS.   It’s going to be fun (ridiculous) to watch the gossip maw run with this one…

Oh geez. Since Perez Hilton just picked this up, it’s probably going to be everywhere.

But, it should come as no surprise to Idol watchers that Clay Aiken is more than likely going to be dropped by RCA.

It appears that his fans are spreading the word–I got an email yesterday from someone who kindly outlined the Clay Aiken-is-about-to-be-dumped-from-RCA talking points for me:

  • On RCA’s website Clay has now been demoted to the same degree as other previously dropped idols (Blake Lewis, Katherine MacPhee,etc.) including the deletion of all his press material.
  • Clay’s RCA artist page and message board (ClayAiken.com) has now been deleted and the URL redirected to the non RCA owned fanclub (clayonline.com).
  • In recent RCA Grammy oriented press materials, Clay is now left off the standard listing of their artists that closes every release.
  • Finally, at the recent huge Disney World opening for the American Idol Experience, Clay was conspicuously absent.

The first items probably mean something–the first two, in fact (as mentioned in comments) were done months ago.   Clay not attending the Disney thing means nothing–only Cook and Underwood are still fully under the 19 umbrella–that didn’t stop the other Idol winners from attending.

Clay’s first album, Measure of a Man went double platinum, while his latest album, On My Way Here, didn’t even go Gold, so it won’t be a surprise if and when RCA finally drops him…

 
  • oceana

    I don’t know if the Christmas cd was a bad idea in terms of career, but I know that Clay is really, really into Christmas and it was his idea to do a Christmas tour every year for about 4 years. He loved it and said it was his favorite thing to do. His Christmas cd was probably his best cd ever.

    Maybe Clay needs big songs like Christmas carols. Maybe he will find his niche doing musical theater, and singing those big stage songs. I would love to see him do a musical that allowed him to really belt it out.

  • Trina

    When it comes right down to it I doubt every single problem he encountered rests solely on RCA’s shoulders. Clay sang a medley of TV songs on tour one year and mocked the song Sexyback. I highly doubt RCA had a hand in such (IMO) stupidity.

    Did he not tow the RCA line?

    Maybe he should have? Sometimes if you play nice with these labels it works out better for you. Unless you’re an established superstar you gotta make some sacrifices. As it’s been said numerous times here, yep Kelly learned her lesson and is doing what RCA wants now. I’d say it’s paying off for her.

  • Sue123

    I’m not sure of the Christmas album was a bad idea – it sold well and is a very solid CD (if you like Christmas music, which isn’t my personal favorite).

    I think the bad idea was waiting three years for another “mainstream” CD and then to have that CD be mostly covers was not the best decision RCA could have made (my opinion only).

    I also agree that RCA’s decisions when it comes to singles has been less than stellar. I agree that Without You has been played to death. For On My Way Here, I understand the Ryan Tedder connection, but honestly it was one of the weaker songs on the CD (again, my opinion only). I also remember Clay saying that Ashes would probably be the first single, so I was surprised (and disappointed) when it was On My Way Here. Again, not the best decision.

    I have no problem with Clay & RCA parting ways. I don’t think RCA ever really knew what to do with him or how to promote him. I don’t believe that any artist has to become a completely different person in order to have a career and I admire Clay for not doing things or singing things that made him uncomfortable. Did it affect his career? It probably did – but, if this is truly the end of his recording career, at least he can hold his head high and say “I Did it My Way”.

  • chachi66

    ?? I’m not making the connection between Clay’s song choices during a tour and his problems with RCA. LOL, he sounded great singing Sexyback. Maybe he should work with Timbaland!

    I think doing ATDW was Clay towing the line. We have no idea if the label was opposed to OMWH or not. They could of been fine with him recording it. They told Clay they liked several of the songs and thought it would do well on radio. What happened from that point on and why it didn’t pan out, we don’t know. Yet.

    It will be very interesting to see what happens now. Personally, I am much more interested in hearing what kind of music Clay wants to produce regardless of whether it is considered commercial or not.

  • Trina

    ?? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not making the connection between Clayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s song choices during a tour and his problems with RCA. LOL, he sounded great singing Sexyback. Maybe he should work with Timbaland!

    My point is Clay is capable of making bad/stupid decisions, so we don’t know if he made bad choices when it came down to dealing with RCA. For ME some of his choices he made in concert makes me think his taste isn’t all that great so that very well could be connected to dealing with RCA. Who’s to say they didn’t offer him good radio friendly songs and he turned them down? There’s a lot unknown and I just don’t think it’s fair to blame RCA for everything.

  • oceana

    That is interesting, because I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t impressed with Rodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s American songbook CDà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, but a lot of people did like them and he he had great sales. I have never listened to his last cover album. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll have to give it a listen.

    Yeah, I like his songbook cds too, but it’s his last cover cd, “Still the Same,” I was referring to. I really like it. It’s mellow. I couldn’t find it on itunes, but it’s on Amazon. Songs include: Fooled Around and Fell in Love (Elvin Bishop), Father & Son (Cat Stevens), I’ll Stand by You (the Pretenders), It’s a Heartache (Bonnie Tyler), The Best of My Love, Day After Day (Badfinger), If Not for You (Dylan), Love Hurts (Nazareth), Crazy Love, and others. Not everyone’s cup of tea but I like his easy-going interpretation. But then he’s a rocker singing rock songs. Clay’s of a different genre.

    Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s interesting the the label chose the single that they did. Originally Clay indicated that he thought Ashes would be the first single, and in IMHO, I think it would of been a far better choice than OMWH. I have never been able to figure out why the label went with OMWH.

    I agree with ya there. Ashes or Falling would have been way better. (I don’t know why they chose LO for David Cook’s first single either, when it’s by far not the best song on the cd, but fortunately it hasn’t hurt him and is doing well on the charts and sales, thank goodness.) I sometimes wonder at the first singles that RCA chooses for its artists. It’s ironic that Clive didn’t want “Because of You” on Kelly’s 2nd cd but she insisted and ended up winning a songwriter’s award with it. I would have liked to see what could have happened if Clay’s single had been a different choice. It could only have helped.

  • KrazeeK120

    It seems to me like it would be hard to carry on a Broadway career and a recording career at the same time. It didn’t appear that he was putting as much effort into promoting his recorded music as he used to. But that’s just me.

    MJ, I <3 you!

    And can someone tell me what YMMV is? I see it all the time and have tried to figure it out but can’t. Thanks.

  • chachi66

    Hmm. I don’t know that I personally blame RCA for everything. I think that they are the ones in control though. They hold the purse strings. They are the ones who decided that Clay shelve the album he worked for so long on and bang out a cover CD. They made the odd choices for singles. And they most certainly bear the responsibility for any decisions about how much they invest in promoting a project. So, yeah, I think they bear the biggest percentage of responsibility when an artist like Clay stalls in their career.

    I still don’t see how Clay’s song choices in concert reflects on his decision making. I saw that concert and those parts worked well for me and the rest of the audience. You may not of liked it, but I thought it was fun! Everyone has different tastes in music. It is purely subjective, therefore difficult to categorize as a “mistake” or “bad/stupid decision”. Clay has performed a wide variety of genre’s in concert, so I doubt the TV theme song medley or mocking Sexyback is any real reflection on his personal taste in music. With that criteria, you could just as well say his taste in music was R&B/Country/Pop/Rock/etc…

  • oceana

    The tv medley, and his mocking of When Doves Cry, and his parody of Like a Virgin, and other questionable choices he made on his tours, did affect the way he was perceived by a larger audience. These performances were on youtube and were talked about on blogs. He didn’t portray himself as an artist to be taken seriously. This contributed to his lack of artistic credibility in the business. His performances reflect his tastes and his choices. To most people, they were tacky and amateurish choices. He didn’t do himself any favors on those tours sometimes.

    YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary. In other words, you might have a different opinion.

  • abbysee

    What a real barn burner this has been. Too bad I missed most of it.

    The deal is he was dropped, and it was no surprise. He wasn’t selling enough units, neither was he getting any critical acclaim. If you can’t score either one of these you get dropped.

    IMHO, Clay isn’t an artist. He had no real musical identity. He could have been marketed like Buble or Groban, but once again imho he doesn’t have the cool of Buble, or the nuance or artistry of Groban. Having a good voice is really not enough. What always struck me as strange about him is that he really isn’t a student of music like most of idols winners and runners up. Kelly knows music, Carrie knows music, Ruben knows music, David Cook knows music, hell David Archuleta knows music. They studied different artists, different genres. When you hear Clay talk about music or singing he never seems inspired by anything he did, or anything he’s heard from others.

    I remember him saying that he does not really pay attention to the lyrics and sometimes during a concert he really wasn’t thinking about connecting with the audience, but whether someone in the front seat had something in their nose. I am sure that he was probably joking, but it just sorta made me think, hmmmm. Maybe this isn’t his passion. It certainly never seemed like it to me.

    As for promotion. Give me a damn break. Every cd he released he’s gotten pretty darn good promotion. From Tyra to Jimmy Kimmel to GMA. Some others I am sure would kill for the same airtime he got. His music just wasn’t viable and therefore they decided to pull the plug.

    I am not going to blame his fans, radio, RCA, his sexuality, the haters, or anyone else for this. I blame him. Of all the people who came off this show I think he had the biggest opportunity, the biggest forum, and he blew it.

    From the bad cover cds, the shameful mistreatment of Kelly Ripa when he was a guest on HER show, and all of his other weird behavior of late. The plane fiasco, the horrible Christmas play and cheesy concerts. He had a chance and it was decisons that he made. The blame is mostly on him.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    KK- YMMV= your mileage may vary. In other words, different strokes for different folks and all that.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    I am not going to blame his fans, radio, RCA, his sexuality, the haters, or anyone else for this. I blame him. Of all the people who came off this show I think he had the biggest opportunity, the biggest forum, and he blew it.

    Well, I didn’t watch his season. I did tune into the finale because of all the hype. I remember he was on the cover of Rolling Stone (I used to subscribe).

    I’m not sure he blew it. He seems like someone who has been struggling in the spotlight to find his niche, personally and professionally. It seems he’s right where he needs to be. If he has no musical curiosity beyond a modern-day Barry Mannilow-esque existence, then he’s not going to be a major label recording artist. He seems to be popular on the stage. No shame in that.

  • Niall

    IMHO, Clay isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t an artist. He had no real musical identity. He could have been marketed like Buble or Groban, but once again imho he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have the cool of Buble, or the nuance or artistry of Groban. Having a good voice is really not enough. What always struck me as strange about him is that he really isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a student of music like most of idols winners and runners up. Kelly knows music, Carrie knows music, Ruben knows music, David Cook knows music, hell David Archuleta knows music. They studied different artists, different genres. When you hear Clay talk about music or singing he never seems inspired by anything he did, or anything heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s heard from others.

    I remember him saying that he does not really pay attention to the lyrics and sometimes during a concert he really wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t thinking about connecting with the audience, but whether someone in the front seat had something in their nose. I am sure that he was probably joking, but it just sorta made me think, hmmmm. Maybe this isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t his passion. It certainly never seemed like it to me.

    ITA. He’s a karaoke singer with (or who had) a good voice. He likes doing covers. He recently told fans in NYC that 1)ATDW was his favorite cd ever and 2)he said he’d love to do American Idol over and over again. He isn’t an “artist,” he’s a guy who sings and that’s about it. Nothing wrong with that but he’s far from being Josh Groban or Michael Buble.

  • chachi66

    The tv medley, and his mocking of When Doves Cry, and his parody of Like a Virgin, and other questionable choices he made on his tours, did affect the way he was perceived by a larger audience. These performances were on youtube and were talked about on blogs. He didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t portray himself as an artist to be taken seriously. This contributed to his lack of artistic credibility in the business. His performances reflect his tastes and his choices. To most people, they were tacky and amateurish choices. He didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do himself any favors on those tours sometimes.

    Really? My perceptions are really different. He certainly had fun with When Doves Cry, buy I never got the sense that he was mocking it. And his vocal performance on that song was spectacular! And it never occurred to me that having a sense of humor about himself, his music and people’s perceptions about him reflected on his artistic ability. Musicians do that all the time without people thinking that it damages the artist’s credibility. I guess Alanis Morrisette’s artistic credibility is totally shot since she made a video totally mocking “My Humps”.

    What always struck me as strange about him is that he really isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a student of music like most of idols winners and runners up. Kelly knows music, Carrie knows music, Ruben knows music, David Cook knows music, hell David Archuleta knows music. They studied different artists, different genres.

    I think that is a misperception about Clay. He has a lifelong musical background in choir, musical theater, performance and even working with a band. He has a much broader knowledge of music than say Carrie Underwood, who was at quite a loss for several of the genre’s during her stint on Idol. Just because Clay doesn’t wax poetic about his musical inspirations doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them or doesn’t have any musical knowledge. He is quite proficient in several genres.

  • abbysee

    I guess Alanis Morrisetteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s artistic credibility is totally shot since she made a video totally mocking à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My Humpsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

    Where is Clay’s artistic statement. Has he truly made one?

    He is quite proficient in several genres.

    Seriously?

    He has a lifelong musical background in choir, musical theater, performance and even working with a band.

    I can say the same thing about myself. It’s not that selective. Choir, check. Musical theatre, check. Working with a band, check. Book me a hall, I am ready to tour!

    Pj, when I say he blew it I don’t mean his career is over. I think he can milk it for another few years actually. I just think that they days of him having promise as a recording artist are over, and that is his fault.

    People blame the covers, but if they were done well, and if the songs selected were better, he could have made a better argument for himself. Instead they were uninspired, ill chosen, and frankly some were even badly sung. That mainly falls on him. Choosing the wrong EP was on him as well. He wasn’t as hamstrung as many like to claim.

  • SL

    Eh, Aiken may not have the perceived ‘cool’ of Buble (I’ve always thought Buble’s music was for grannies, maybe not?), or the operatic chops of Groban, but I can still see his potential appeal to that niche market. He’s good enough. He’s not an artist, but he doesn’t have to be. He’s a vocalist through and through. I can see him doing well under David Foster’s guidance.

  • Niall

    Has David Foster said publicly that he plans to work with him? He seems far more interested in Josh, Katharine McPhee, Michael Johns, and that young girl he’s mentoring. He doesn’t seem terribly anxious to work with Clay.

  • Trina

    ITA. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a karaoke singer with (or who had) a good voice. He likes doing covers. He recently told fans in NYC that 1)ATDW was his favorite cd ever and

    Well there ya go. If a covers CD is his most favorite thing heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s done that says a lot. For years ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s always been said in the Clay fandom he can sing anything, that he can sing the phonebook, etc. Sure if you have a good voice you can make anything sound good, but it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean you should sing anything.

    What always struck me as strange about him is that he really isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a student of music like most of idols winners and runners up. Kelly knows music, Carrie knows music, Ruben knows music, David Cook knows music, hell David Archuleta knows music. They studied different artists, different genres.

    Agreed. And I suspect all those people would quit singing before they were caught dead singing the theme to Growing Pains in concert. It doesn’t matter how good a vocal performance is. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got a good voice so singing the song well is moot. Doing covers is one thing but that medley he did of TV show themes and the Sexyback/O.P.P./Achy Breaky Heart/Like a Virgin/Baby Got Back, well donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t expect to be taken seriously. He is singing/performing them in a mocking fashion. I would have more respect for him if he was honing some songwriting skills or learning how to play instruments.

  • SL

    Has David Foster said publicly that he plans to work with him? He seems far more interested in Josh, Katharine McPhee, Michael Johns, and that young girl heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mentoring. He doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seem terribly anxious to work with Clay.

    Not that I’ve heard of, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they collaborated sometime in the future. Foster lurves vocalists.

    If not Foster, Aiken would do himself good to find a label that knows how to market vocalists. It’s outside of mainstream and outside of radio, but it’s still extremely profitable.

  • Grammie Kari

    Maybe he will find his niche doing musical theater, and singing those big stage songs.

    I was thinking the same thing. It is obvious that Clay has musical talent, but where it goes from here is difficult to speculate. For all we know, he could end up on a sit-com.

    Here’s hoping Clay did put money in the bank and bought a lovely home for his family. I admire his charitable causes which is often time consuming. Wishing him the very best.

  • musical

    While I have enduring concerns about AI’s potential for exploitation, I continue to watch it because it does showcase some real talent. Favorites of mine include Kelly, Ruben, Taylor, David C and absolutely Clay. I happen to think Clay has one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from this show.

    It seems that I am in good company as respects mu admiration of Clay. Clayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s vocal prowess has been affirmed by Julliard trained Neil Sedaka and multi-Grammy winner, songwriter and producer David Foster; his humanitarian outreach commended by former President Jimmy Carter and his comic instincts, master at characterization acknowledged by Oscar, Grammy and Tony winner, Mike Nichols. Mike Nichols: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ Clay is amazing, beyond that glorious voice. Turns out he is an excellent comic actor and a master of character. People are going to be surprised by his wide-ranging talentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

    Further, as a formally trained musician, I found OMWH his strongest effort to date. This CD contains remarkable tonal color, and Clay’s vocals are well executed. I am bemused by critics who dismiss this effort via trite lyrics, when we have pop hits out of such profundities as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Gimme Me Moreà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  to endure. So much of the music on pop radio today is composed by ‘non-musicians’. By that I mean those who are obviously unschooled in arranging. Who needs another track of tonic, subdominant, dominant, tonic chord sequences? And, the instrumentation is mind numbingly predictable – electric guitar, synthesizer, and drums. The sophisticated harmonic progression and modulation in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Everything I Don’t Needà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is a welcome respite from the tired pap receiving mass airplay today.

    AC seemed a natural niche for Clay. It mystifies me that he has not received radio play on those stations. I do think Clay is well served getting beyond the notorious Clive Davis. I’m in no doubt that he’ll go on to another label, and I am hopeful it will fully support this young man to realize his huge potential and properly showcase his vocal gifts.

  • Lu

    Can someone tell me what OMWH is?

  • oceana

    Lu, OMWH is Clay’s last cd, On My Way Here. That is also the title of the first (and only) single off the cd. He never toured on the cd and it’s almost as if it never existed at this point.

    abbysee, great post back yonder.

  • maggiemay

    Clay is talented but I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t put him above everyone else on Idol. Personally I think even 2nd tier idols like Pickler, Brooke, Castro, Johns, Elliott, Taylor, and others are just as talented as Clay is.

    wut lol..what has castro ever done post-idol?