David Archuleta No Longer With Jive Records

I don’t know what David’s going to do, but I can’t see this as a total negative. Jive’s struggling. Fenster left, and others. We’ll see what happens.

I think this is Sony continuing to make their break from Idol complete. I expect Lee and Crystal are up for the chopping block next. Since Sony no longer has a connection with Idol, sales will be the only consideration as to who stays and who remains.

Congrats David!!!!! Freedom! :) :)

I’m sorry to hear this, I think he is talented. Hopefully he can find a better fit. I think he doesn’t really fit into the teen pop that is out now, it seems like they were trying to push him in that direction, though.

Fenster sucked, I blame him for a lot of Jive’s problems. He would have been the one who decided to release a bubble gum pop song as David’s first single, and a song that was better suited for AC as his second. And instead of learning from that mistake, he pretty much did the same thing with Kris.

A lot of David’s fans are assuming that it will be easy for David to get another record deal. It’s not that simple. He is back at square one. Hopefully he will still have 19R backing him and perhaps set him up with a development deal like they did for Allison until he locates a new label. His management will all be on his shoulders since he is not with 19M.

I say good riddance to Jive.

This was part of the problem.

http://twitter.com/Bill_Frost

Archie put out a 2nd album? huh. RT @THR: David Archuleta Dropped By Record Label http://j.mp/hm7HGV

Not surprised this happened.

I wonder if he might sign with a Latin music label- he could try and start over again as a Latin artist.

Good luck to him, hope he finds a place that’s a better fit for him.

Fenster sucked, I blame him for a lot of Jive’s problems.

This could be the reason why there is such a shakeup at Jive. Many of their artist have complained about the handling of there careers, promotion and music in recent years. If you were not Britney, Justin T. or Usher you were on your own.

This was to be expected,since everyone David worked with @ Jive all left within the last few months. David often spoke of his three year contract and his obligation to honor that. Jive was in turmoil before David released his latest album. Jive is busy promoting Britney and Chris Brown right now. Technically David wasn’t dropped from the contract he had with Jive. He was not given a new contract which many of us believe was a mutual decision.
He decided to drop WEG and unfortunately Melinda from WEG took to twitter to report it and made inappropriate unprofessional remarks. She has changed her tone since but many of us have lost respect for her.

I will support David and hope he will continue to make music.
We are all anxious to hear what decisions David has made. I’m so glad I got to see him in all his glory @ MoTab.

I still say a big part of David’s problem is he is a marketing nightmare for the pop world.

Wow, so what Idols are left at Jive?
And are they looking over their shoulders and wincing every time the phone rings?

Jive was not going to do anything for David at this point anyway. I think Jive has money problems and is falling apart. I knew that they were going to part ways. I was just surprised that David left his management so fast not leaving his label. I don’t think anyone is secure at Jive except USHER and Britney and a few others. SONY does want to break it off with the idols. I say good riddance to jive too.

aargh, i feel bad for archie, he’s such a sweet kid. talented.

i mean seriously? WTF happened with his team?

but well, he will be alright. he’s still one of the popular idol alumns. he can start anew even if not with a major label.

damn, as a casual fan (or a cook fan who adores archie), i didnt see this coming

Wow, so what Idols are left at Jive?

The only idols left on Jive are Jordin, Crystal & Kris. Jordin & Kris are working on their next albums.

Wow, Jive was quick to confirm its break with David. Compare this to Allison’s departure. I think the first we heard of it was when her bio disappeared off the website. At least they leaked the story to a true David Archuleta supporter in Shirley Halperin. Anyways, I think David should be happy with him time at Jive. He made 3 CD, which sold over 1 million copies combined in North America (760K, 250k and 65K); sold over 2.4 million digital downloads, did over 100 shows on four separate tours and built a strong fanbase in North America and Asia. Best of luck to him.

Its unfortunate that David didn’t take control of his own story before his management leaked it & the rest snowballed from there.

It will be interesting to see what happens from here.

A lot of David’s fans are assuming that it will be easy for David to get another record deal. It’s not that simple. He is back at square one.

Yup. I took a look at the fate of dropped Idols (not yet updated for Archuleta’s news) and major-label artists dropped in 2007. Summary: It’s tough out there.

That doesn’t mean Archuleta can’t find a compatible label or make a living. But it’s tough for everybody who’s been in his position and many don’t make it. I hope quickly finds the right management firm to forward his goals.

Crystal is with Jive too?

The only idols left on Jive are Jordin & Kris. They both are working on their next albums.

Crystal is with Jive, and I think Fantasia is too.

I think Jive has money problems and is falling apart.

I don’t see Jive as falling apart. They have been tweaking their artist line-up for the past month or so. They are continually adding new artist so they are not going anywhere.

I don’t see Jive as falling apart. They have been tweaking their artist line-up for the past month or so. They are continually adding new artist so they are not going anywhere.

I agree.. they are just doing some pruning.

Sorry, I keep forgetting about Crystal. Having her on Jive is still hard for me to understand. Fantasia is not with Jive she is with J Records.

Crystal is with Jive, and I think Fantasia is too.

Fantasia is with J Records. Crystal is Jive though.

psh nvm lol. I was the 3rd in a row to post the same thing ;p

How many idols has Jive dropped, other than Archie? How many idols has RCA dropped?

Question for those of you more knowledgeable about the music industry than I: would David have to sign with a major label? How difficult is it to be successful on an idie or your own label?

Or is that kind of info even out there? On what percentage artists are making a living NOT signed to a major label?

I’m just trying to get an idea of what the viable options might be for David.

How many idols has Jive dropped, other than Archie? How many idols has RCA dropped?

Allison and now Archie have been dropped with Crystal, Jordin and Kris remaining.

I don’t think Sony has it out for idols per se, but they have no incentive to hold on to them anymore if its a borderline call.

I still think that since there was major upper management changeover going on at Sony, everybody under that umbrella, including the Idols, will have to watch their backs. Only the easy calls will get a pass, and even then there is no guarantee they will be favored children when the budgets are handed out unless their last project was wildly successful.

That said, Archie has a lot of talent and he’s a good person. I think he’ll find a home but I suspect if will be a smaller, indie label. And that’s fine. He has some sorting out to do about what kind of music he wants to sing and all that.

Or is that kind of info even out there? On what percentage artists are making a living NOT signed to a major label?

Your average indie artist doesn’t make much money but I do believe that some ex Idols have enough name recognition to make a go of it if they keep costs down. If you can write your own songs and play instruments (a la Taylor Hicks) then you can certainly see some nice returns from an album or EP that doesn’t sell much by major label standards IMO.

We don’t even know at this point if David wants to take a break or wants to continue on with his career. He has not made any statement. I think Indie labels could be tough for David because you need to be good at self promotion. I don’t think that is one of David’s strengths.

I hope that David will be able to find a label that will fit him. He is talented and sweet person I wish him a lot of luck.

I still say a big part of David’s problem is he is a marketing nightmare for the pop world.

I think he’s a marketing nightmare for any music genre world tbh. What he has for him is a great voice. he’s also a cute guy but at the same time too mature and too immature. I know it may seem like a contradiction, but he can act and look too young to the point of a lot of older teens and young adults not relate to him but then he also seems like very very responsible and worried and lacking the free spirit and “crazyness” of someone his age. Things that show in his music and his whole persona.
The fact that he comes of as an asexual person doesn’t help either. It’s hard to promote an artist that hardly sings about romantic and sexual feelings, in any format. Spiritual is good, but people also want stuff that speaks directly to their heart.

On another note, has he even finished high school yet?
Anyway, good luck to him to do what he wants. I didn’t think Jive would let him go so soon, but things change and he and Jive were never a good match.

Question for those of you more knowledgeable about the music industry than I: would David have to sign with a major label? How difficult is it to be successful on an indie or your own label?

If you don’t already have an established fan base from a fairly long-term successful career, the answer is “very difficult.”

There are a small number of indie labels that have the connections and funding to promote a major-scale career. Big Machine (which has Taylor Swift) and Roc-a-Fella (started by Jay-Z) would be on that list. (But I can’t see Archuleta going country or hip hop.) Over in the quirky land of AAA, indie artists also seem to get some radio play. (But he’s not really AAA either.)

Competing in the world of pop hits is major-label territory. The costs of promoting a single to CHR radio effectively is beyond most indie labels’ budgets.

It’s difficult to define what “making a living” is… Do you care about owning a house? How important is major medical insurance coverage? Are you good at thrifting? There’s a Village Voice interview with Ted Leo that gets at how a lot of indie musicians’ lifestyles are economically pretty marginal.

is that kind of info even out there? On what percentage artists are making a living NOT signed to a major label?

music78girl, check out Eilonwy‘s post above, she has done the research on your questions, and has linked to her findings.

I took a look at the fate of dropped Idols (not yet updated for Archuleta’s news) and major-label artists dropped in 2007. Summary: It’s tough out there.

Archie has lots of past accomplishments, but It’s a “what have you done for me lately” kind of profession, in the eyes of the label execs. IMO.

This is gonna be a disaster for Archie. He has no managment, no label, no sense of self promotion and how to play the media game, nothing but awkwardness in interviews, and no musical direction or real style of his own. I predicted this months ago.

Talent DOES NOT equal success. If you dont know how to play the media and publicity game you’re nothing. Not to mention you need some real solid fun music and respect from the industry. They need to believe in you. You cant just be this nice, boring, awkward cute guy with nice vocals. thats not how the industry works. You need people buzzing about u and talking about u. My aunt who likes Archie had no idea he had any music out.

I predict by the end of a year or 2 the only artists that will be left with Sony are Kelly, Daughtry, Adam, Carrie, Fantasia, Jennifer and POSSIBLY Jordin if she continues to sell a lot of singles and have the worldwide success she’s had.

Archie just doesnt strike me as the person to change very much and take risks in order to have success. Elevator music (pun intended) coming out of a young adult just does not compute IMO

Also I just read a comment above about Archie’s seemingly asexuality. In my opinion i also think thats a problem in terms of a marketing standpoint. Artists DO need some kind of sex appeal which Archie just does not have. It might not be fair but its true.

I wonder if the “decisions” that David was tweeting about yesterday involves him just stepping back for a year or two (or more), getting GED and going to college, and then trying to make a comeback. I know that may seem really challenging, but the bad publicity you get from getting dropped is a really hard thing to just bounce back from. I think it may be strategically better for him to take a step back for a few years, and come back looking different and all grown up so people will find it easier to accept him in whatever direction he wants to take his music. His talent isn’t going anywhere.

JMO but I never understand why fans celebrate when this happens. Even though the relationship between an artist and the label is often filled with mistakes, its still a hard thing to deal with. Archie is young and not only does he have to deal with finding a good management but he has to deal with losing his first major record contract. Dealing with BOTH is scary. Unless he says he’s happy I can’t find it in me to celebrate.

The last few years Sony has held on to some contracts that in previous years would have been dispensed with imo. The theory that has been circulated by some is that the label has adjusted expectations to be in line with falling music sales. I think it was because of their relationship with Idol. The last time Sony had a major housecleaning Idol got a lot of bad press that was the start of this talk of a decline. Since then their number of contracts dropped has been moderate. Now that they have no incentive to protect the Idol franchise I think some are going to be dropped soon once in house evaluations are done. A few others will be given a chance to prove they have value as commercial recording artists to the label beyond their reality identities but their promotional budgets could be slashed from what they were for the last record.

I wish David Archuleta well in whatever direction he decides is best for him. He seems like a nice kid.

good luck david! :(

I don’t see Jive as falling apart. They have been tweaking their artist line-up for the past month or so. They are continually adding new artist so they are not going anywhere.

Looking at the recent artists and bands they signed, I think they’re not going for too much pop like they’re known for and I think Crystal and Kris fits in there more than Archie.
I also don’t think he was dropped because of sales. I could be more a marketing issue than anything IMO.

Eilonwy – Thank you so much for the info and the link to that article. Very interesting stuff.

I predict by the end of a year or 2 the only artists that will be left with Sony

I think you need at least three years given that some of them haven’t even released their next albums yet. The clock can’t start before the material is out there. I think Jive is taking a wait-and-see approach with Bowersox, so I certainly think other labels will do so with those on the roster who already sold well.

I wonder if the “decisions” that David was tweeting about yesterday involves him just stepping back for a year or two (or more), getting GED and going to college, and then trying to make a comeback.

Didn’t he say once that he’d thought about being a doctor? I wouldn’t be shocked if he went pre-med somewhere and found himself through his studies.

I wish Archie the best of luck! He is a talented young man.

JMO but I never understand why fans celebrate when this happens.

Because it’s a comforting way of dealing with bad news. Fans always find a positive spin in the most negative of situations. The first reaction of many was to think that Archie had left them, and not the other way around. Then when that’s no to obvious it’s easier to believe this is for the best. he has plans. He’ll be with a label that will let him do what he want (even though when the last album came out it was amazing because he was doing what he wanted).
This is in every fanbase, of course. Not just Archie’s.
Not having management for a long time and so close to the album release probably hurt Archie too. He has shown not to be able to make wise choices. Lets hope he has people around him to help him this time.

The last time Sony had a major housecleaning Idol got a lot of bad press that was the start of this talk of a decline. Since then their number of contracts dropped has been moderate. Now that they have no incentive to protect the Idol franchise I think some are going to be dropped soon once in house evaluations are done.

How many Idols are left on the Sony Rosters?

Cook, Kris, Jordin, Adam, Crystal, Lee, Daughtry, Kelly.
Who else?
Fantasia, Ruben. Carrie

Doesn’t seem like there are that many left to drop.

ETA: Danny is on a Sony label. Thanks MJ & tinawina

Cook, Kris, Jordin, Adam, Crystal, Lee, Daughtry, Kelly.
Who else?
Fantasia, Ruben.

Doesn’t seem like there are that many left to drop.

Where are Kellie and McPhee signed? Is Ruben still on a Sony label? Oh, and there’s Danny too.

Anyway, that’s a lot to me. And I’m not seeing a lot of people who I could say are totally safe.

Ruben

Not Ruben. He was also dropped, although 19 still manages him.

Anyway, that’s a lot to me. And I’m not seeing a lot of people who I could say are totally safe.

Safe is relative.. You’re only as good as your last album. LOL I could see them keeping over half of the idols.

This is gonna be a disaster for Archie. He has no managment, no label, no sense of self promotion and how to play the media game, nothing but awkwardness in interviews, and no musical direction or real style of his own. I predicted this months ago.

It certainly has the potential to be a disaster. David is going to have to revamp how he approaches the business if indeed his goal is to stick it out as a pop artist. He has to find and listen to good management. He has to become a go getter who doesn’t shy away from networking and red carpets. He has to define who he is musically. It’s unlikely that a major label is going to take on a guy who can’t define himself or define himself in a way that makes him relevant with the current music scene. Nobody is saying he has to become artificially rebellious or oversexualized. But when the Jonas Brothers at their peak managed to show more charisma, mojo, and relevance than David, despite their purity rings, well then it goes without saying that David has an issue.

Who else?

Hudson. And Pickler and Gokey.

Studdard doesn’t really count; Hickory is a strange duck (owned by the publishing division) and I don’t even know if he’s still on their roster.

DeWyze is off the books as soon as possible, so RCA is left with 4 (and Clarkson will not re-up no matter how much they beg, so eventually 3). Jive has 3. J has 1. Arista has 1. The Nashville labels are left with 3.

LOL I could see them keeping over half of the idols.

I could too.

Safe is relative.. You’re only as good as your last album. LOL I could see them keeping over half of the idols.

True! But that’s why I’m skeptical! Who are the sure bets on that list (well, as close to sure bets in the business as you can get LOL). Exactly. I think bad things are coming. This time next year we’ll be looking at a whole new world for the alumni.

Also keeping them is not really this issue for me, as much as promoting them is. Who are they going to be willing to invest time and effort into? The surest bets that are most likely to allow the new execs to make a name for themselves. Now looking at that list again, who would that be?

Talent doesn’t matter. Allison was dropped, David dropped, I have a feeling Kris Allen will be dropped too . It has nothing to do with their talent level. They are all talented but it’s an over saturated market where it is so easy to rip music. Look what happened to Clay Aiken. He rode the wave for awhile when there was no YouTube, no iTunes and Idol was at it’s peak in viewership. Now he’s been dropped again. They all get that initial bounce from the show but once the show is over they can’t rely on bad music. Kelly’s sophmore CD was good. That’s why she’s surviving. Her 3rd CD not so good but she had a couple of hit singles on it. David’s 2nd CD was not radio friendly. I know I was talking to a 23 year old who was lamenting on the fact that a label protected a video on YouTube and she was having troubles ripping it. I said it was on iTunes for only $1.99. She looked at me like I was crazy. She asked me why in the world would she pay for it when she can get it for free.

I predict by the end of a year or 2 the only artists that will be left with Sony are Kelly, Daughtry, Adam, Carrie, Fantasia, Jennifer and POSSIBLY Jordin if she continues to sell a lot of singles and have the worldwide success she’s had.

What are you basing your prediction on? You mixing up labels and their success/failure will be based on how they perform on their independant labels.

Where is S9 Casey James signed? I thought it was a Sony label out of Nashville? Is he on the same label as Danny?

I feel like crying.

The surest bets that are most likely to allow the new execs to make a name for themselves.

Mmm, I’m not sure that’s the logic. Being responsive to the shareholders is.

I think the question has to be “How many artists out there can I pick up and turn into a Ke$ha or a Bruno Mars or a Mumford and Sons? What kind of costs will be entailed in developing their name recognition?” Then weigh that against the fixed costs of the advance and promotion for the AI finalists. If an exec can reasonably expect 300K TAE from a lot of new artists, then it’s a lot easier to drop folks. But I’m not sure that it is.

Where is S9 Casey James signed? I thought it was a Sony label out of Nashville?

Yes, you’re right. I keep forgetting about him. So 4 on the Nashville labels.

musicality: I agree with you.

Although Jive has been having a major shakeup in terms of execs ad artists, and it didn’t seem like the label and Archie are on the same page in terms of musical direction, the cold fact is that it has become a lot harder for ANYONE to get a record deal these days. There are only a handful of major labels left, and most of them are laying off people left and right and cutting way back in terms of spending. The indie labels, meanwhile, have pretty much always struggled to stay financially solvent.

IMO, he might want to consider either going in the Christian music or the Latin music direction. Both of those areas seem to be growing, rather than shrinking, and he might find more interest in either of those markets than he would with labels who want to sign artists who can be mainstream pop or r&b/pop stars.

The way I see it–and my look is by no means the best–Carrie and Fantasia are the only two Idols that can somewhat rest assured that they’ll have a label for the long term. Carrie is still a platinum artist who tours well. She’s comfortably settled into being a country superstar–no need for worry. Likewise, Fantasia is a gold-selling artist who does very well in her genre of R&B.

Daughtry is probably safe. If he/the band settles into moving Nickelback-type numbers, no need for alarm.

Every other Idol? Is on notice.

IMO, he might want to consider either going in the Christian music or the Latin music direction.

I could see the Latin route. But I don’t know about Christian music. David fits the mold in terms of style, but are there a lot of Mormons in the contemporary Christian scene? I know that discussion was had here before, but I don’t remember what the conclusion was.

I think RCA is a lot better financially than Jive. I have not heard of massive layoffs at RCA so far whereas even Barry Weiss the president of Jive has left. David is the only Jive artist from idol so far who has completed his 3 album contract and so he’s “released.” I wonder how the other idol alums at Jive are gonna fare after they complete their 3rd album.

Mmm, I’m not sure that’s the logic. Being responsive to the shareholders is.

But that’s what I mean!

The new people will want to come in and immediately launch successful, profitable, high profile projects that will please their shareholders and make them look like music marketing geniuses. LOL

I’m not talking about being dropped necessarily, I’m talking about being a label priority. Who gets the best promo team, the biggest budgets, etc? And who gets the low priority courtesy release.

On that list, who would you bet on? That’s what I mean.

IMO, he might want to consider either going in the Christian music or the Latin music direction.

I agree. He could do well in either market.

I feel bad about the songs on this new(ish) album. They’re really good songs and now no one who doesn’t own the album will hear them.

new years eve was the last performance of a song from that album. There was definitely something wrong.

I really think he’s talented. I just feel horrible for David.

I’m sad to hear this :(

I do wonder how David actually feels about it. He could be relieved to leave Jive for all I know.

I’ll just wish him the best for the future and hope that he still puts out some music for us to enjoy.

Boy, you could knock me over with a feather. Archie had one of the largest and most dedicated fan bases to ever come off Idol. Guess you just never know.

Now that Idol has severed their relationship with Sony because Sony is signing on X-Factor singers all the idols can be fair game if they aren’t cutting it.

So, you think he ended his relationship with WEG because he didn’t want to keep supporting an album with Jive?

Boy, you could knock me over with a feather. Archie had one of the largest and most dedicated fan bases to ever come off Idol. Guess you just never know.

You can’t survive off of an Idol audience. He have to grow your fan base outside of Idol to survive. The average viewer on Idol is now 45 years old. Not the type of fan base these Idols need.

unidentified:
02/18/2011 at 5:01 pm

Boy, you could knock me over with a feather. Archie had one of the largest and most dedicated fan bases to ever come off Idol. Guess you just never know.

To me, it proves that Idol is seen as a TV show first and foremost by most fans. Once the instant rush and good tidings pass, it’s hard to keep those fans and gain new ones unless the Idol AND their label/management have a strong plan.

Some teen girls find Archie “hot.” He’s never looked better than he looked on the Fox New Year’s Eve broadcast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSAme4Q0zZg

musicality: I know I was talking to a 23 year old who was lamenting on the fact that a label protected a video on YouTube and she was having troubles ripping it. I said it was on iTunes for only $1.99. She looked at me like I was crazy. She asked me why in the world would she pay for it when she can get it for free.

I wince every time I read a story like that. Would that person enjoy working hard day after day and yet not receive any compensation for that hard work? If that person labored on something to sell at an art show, how would the person feel if customers asked not to pay for the art, but to have it for free? Too bad the music industry didn’t figure out long ago how to avoid all of the freeloading selfishness with some sort of technology.

On that list, who would you bet on?

For biggest budgets? Not too many.

But of the non-AI artists, I wouldn’t bet on that many on the roster either. KOL did fine in Europe, but they aren’t exactly blowing up at home this go-around. We aren’t assuming that they’ll be dropped or ignored for the next album.

For specifics: I think Daughtry’s next will get a better rollout than the Strokes. I don’t know if Clarkson’s will get a better rollout than Lavigne’s. Cook and Lambert totally depend on the material; I’m hopeful for both of them.

And nobody is getting a better rollout than the Foo Fighters or Ke$ha.

Anyway, whatever happens with Archie in the future, it’s not so much about the size of the promo as it is about the coherence. That was always his problem.

You can’t survive off of an Idol audience. He have to grow your fan base outside of Idol to survive. The average viewer on Idol is now 45 years old. Not the type of fan base these Idols need.

Archie had some older folks. But he had the screaming tween and teen girls. They were LOUD.

I still find it odd that jive released David’s last album knowing that it was not going to sell that well. They put no money into giving it promo so it was almost like they did not care. I wonder why they did not delay the release of it. I do feel very bad for David. It must be hard that this is all so public.

I’m all teary too. Will hope for better to come.

Suzanne, if he signs with a new team, he’ll at least perform those songs in concert.

Babyface00:
02/18/2011 at 4:47 pm

I think RCA is a lot better financially than Jive. I have not heard of massive layoffs at RCA so far whereas even Barry Weiss the president of Jive has left. David is the only Jive artist from idol so far who has completed his 3 album contract and so he’s “released.” I wonder how the other idol alums at Jive are gonna fare after they complete their 3rd album.

Barry Weiss was CEO of RCA Music Group which included Jive AND RCA. How do we know that David had a 3-album contract??

I don’t think Jive’s decision is exclusive to Archuleta. The record labels have to dump the idols when they can’t go gold because it probably means there was almost no profit.
And to the person predicting that Adam would get to remain on the label. His first album was only marginally more successful than David A.’s. Adam will desperately need to have reasonable sales of his sophmore album (Gold I’m sure at minimum) for his label to retain him. Daughtry, Kelly, Carrie, and J. Hud won’t get dumped b/c they are all former AI contestants who have the proven ability to sell lots of records beyond a first debut, not to mention that their early albums did outstanding (except J. Hudson, but she has that oscar which puts her in another class).

I’m not talking about being dropped necessarily, I’m talking about being a label priority. Who gets the best promo team, the biggest budgets, etc? And who gets the low priority courtesy release.

On that list, who would you bet on?

Out of the Sony Idols, I think only Carrie is a sure bet for continuing to get big budget promos. Adam is my guess for second surest bet, as they seem to believe in him, and his sound/look/package is generating an easily marketable brand that sellable right now. I’d put Jennifer Hudson (she’s with Sony, though not 19R) is next on my list for similar reasons- she’s got an identifiable brand in the public already, which makes her easier to push.

Then a big drop off, I’d guess. I could see Kelly getting label push for her next album launch, but I don’t see them doing much past the launch if she’s still making noise about leaving when her contract is up. Fantasia should get solid support- she’s pretty identifiable as well, just without as much media support as Jennifer. Kellie’s in a similar situation in her genre- she’s very identifiable in the country world. Daughtry’s a consistent big seller in this market, but I don’t feel like his promo has ever been commensurate with his impressive level of sales. RCA seems to view Daughtry as a cash cow that requires minimal support. I feel like they may treat Cook’s second album somewhat similarly– and likely worse, since his first album’s sales were nowhere near Daughtry’s first album, and he’s kind of forgotten.

So I’d say Carrie is for sure. Then Adam, Jennifer. Then Kelly. Then Daughtry, maybe even on par with Fantasia. Then I’m not sure how I’d order Kellie, Cook and the rest (Kris, Danny, Crystal, Casey, whoever else I forgot).

David is the only Jive artist from idol so far who has completed his 3 album contract

Wait. Do all the Idols have a contract for 3 albums? I thought it was an album to album deal…no?

I feel bad for Archie, and not gonna lie, makes me nervous for Kris, too. Keep writing them “sexyfresh magical moment” hits, Kris!

You bet he does, unidentified. I’ve stepped out of many an uncomfortable discussion of david’s assets.

Now that Idol has severed their relationship with Sony because Sony is signing on X-Factor singers all the idols can be fair game if they aren’t cutting it.

Idols always were fair game. Sony labels have signed all 9 second-place finishers. Prior to Archuleta’s departure from Jive, it had already dropped 6 of them. Five of those 6 were dropped after the first album, so before there was any glimmer that Sony would part ways with Idol (the exception, of course, is Aiken, who still left RCA a while back).

The only two runners-up still with Sony are Lambert and Bowersox.

They put no money into giving it promo so it was almost like they did not care.

All this talk about promotion is leaving out one major fact, David did not have management in place until weeks before his album was released. Jive is not soley responsible for his promo. Look at he 19M signed artists, 19 sets up a lot of promo opportunities for them. So, you can’t place 100% of the blame for lack of promo on Jive. He did do some radio promo in support of his album.

For biggest budgets? Not too many.

But of the non-AI artists, I wouldn’t bet on that many on the roster either. KOL did fine in Europe, but they aren’t exactly blowing up at home this go-around. We aren’t assuming that they’ll be dropped or ignored for the next album.

For specifics: I think Daughtry’s next will get a better rollout than the Strokes. I don’t know if Clarkson’s will get a better rollout than Lavigne’s. Cook and Lambert totally depend on the material; I’m hopeful for both of them.

And nobody is getting a better rollout than the Foo Fighters or Ke$ha.

Anyway, whatever happens with Archie in the future, it’s not so much about the size of the promo as it is about the coherence. That was always his problem.

All that sounds reasonable to me.

Out of the Sony Idols, I think only Carrie is a sure bet for continuing to get big budget promos. Adam is my guess for second surest bet, as they seem to believe in him, and his sound/look/package is generating an easily marketable brand that sellable right now. I’d put Jennifer Hudson (she’s with Sony, though not 19R) is next on my list for similar reasons- she’s got an identifiable brand in the public already, which makes her easier to push.

Then a big drop off, I’d guess. I could see Kelly getting label push for her next album launch, but I don’t see them doing much past the launch if she’s still making noise about leaving when her contract is up. Fantasia should get solid support- she’s pretty identifiable as well, just without as much media support as Jennifer. Kellie’s in a similar situation in her genre- she’s very identifiable in the country world. Daughtry’s a consistent big seller in this market, but I don’t feel like his promo has ever been commensurate with his impressive level of sales. RCA seems to view Daughtry as a cash cow that requires minimal support. I feel like they may treat Cook’s second album somewhat similarly– and likely worse, since his first album’s sales were nowhere near Daughtry’s first album, and he’s kind of forgotten.

So I’d say Carrie is for sure. Then Adam, Jennifer. Then Kelly. Then Daughtry, maybe even on par with Fantasia. Then I’m not sure how I’d order Kellie, Cook and the rest (Kris, Danny, Crystal, Casey, whoever else I forgot).

As usual, I’m about almost exactly where you are. The only current superstar Idol in the real world, to me, is Carrie. I think Kelly is a solid worldwide act and will be treated accordingly. Daughtry will get what he did last time (which was in no way excessive) and they will expect to get money with little effort. Adam is set up to sell something like say Muse (more outside the US than he does inside) with a chance at breaking big here so I think he will get treated well, but I don’t know if it will be anything like last time.

After that things get real murky to me. I’m waiting to see how Cookie plays out, but a low key release is certainly possible. I think Jordin is definitely on her last chance. Fanny and Kellie should get similar treatment – neither has their labels rolling in the dough, so I have no idea how a new team will view them. Etc etc. Someone like Kris has potential but will the new people see it? These are the things that I wonder about.

I have no idea, I am just guessing here of course. It is all speculation but that is the way I feel.

I think RCA is a lot better financially than Jive. I have not heard of massive layoffs at RCA so far whereas even Barry Weiss the president of Jive has left. David is the only Jive artist from idol so far who has completed his 3 album contract and so he’s “released.” I wonder how the other idol alums at Jive are gonna fare after they complete their 3rd album.

Barry was the President of the RCA/Jive music group, and he was the main person responsible for all of the idol alums, not just the ones at Jive. Both RCA and Jive have lost executives in recent months.

Billboard picked up the story:

Billboarddotcom ‘American Idol’ Alum David Archuleta Dropped by Jive Records http://bit.ly/eMAQ3K 14 minutes ago via twitterfeed

Tinawina, I totally forgot Jordin! But I’d place her next release with my final bunch anyway. Which is not very useful, heh. That whole last group is in a bit of scary place to be, IMO. And the sad thing is, there’s a LOT of talent in that last group. But it takes way more than talent these days. You gotta be marketable. Like that Grammy parties report said, Sony’s a mess right now.

I just don’t get it really. DA did have a very large fanbase, and was thought to have what it took to make it in the industry. He had a major single with Crush. Seems like you never know. I like him alot, but I remember how it one of the head honchos, Nigel said the David’s didn’t have great “star quality”, or something along those lines. Maybe they do know what they are talking about.

JMO but I never understand why fans celebrate when this happens. Even though the relationship between an artist and the label is often filled with mistakes, its still a hard thing to deal with. Archie is young and not only does he have to deal with finding a good management but he has to deal with losing his first major record contract. Dealing with BOTH is scary. Unless he says he’s happy I can’t find it in me to celebrate.

I really don’t think there is anything to celebrate. I also know from experience watching this unfold a time or two that it’s more about saving face than celebration. Archie is a talented kid. I think he needs to sort stuff out. I think he will reemerge at some point. I just think he needs to figure out what he has to offer and if he is willing to play the game to accomplish that. I don’t think it means he has to be anything other than himself, but he has to figure out how he can be what he wants to be without compromising himself. I think that the clueless people who ran his career expected him to be like other young stars with the fake bravado, fake romances, and crushes, etc. I don’t think he was willing to do that. It wasn’t totally a failure of his music at all imho.

And to the person predicting that Adam would get to remain on the label. His first album was only marginally more successful than David A.’s

Adam has sold close to 1.5 million albums world wide and over 4 million singles. Are Archie’s worldwide sales that high? While people in the Idol bubble seem to only count US sales, the label counts all sales.

I think what I saw in David was the potential to be a great artist. I still do see that potential. I think he still has a great album in him that has not been recorded yet. It just will not be with jive. Someone just tweeted that they saw David in the mall in LA. I guess he is doing OK.lol

Adam has sold close to 1.5 million albums world wide and over 4 million singles. Are Archie’s worldwide sales that high? While people in the Idol bubble seem to only count US sales, the label counts all sales.

I have a feeling that they put more weight on what an artist is doing domestically, and they also look at where an artist is doing well. I actually think it’s Adam’s relationship with the media that puts him at a greater advantage than the others. Who knows how many of his AI fans he will keep, but if the media continues to cover him, he will have a greater chance of expanding his reach beyond the bubble.

And to the person predicting that Adam would get to remain on the label. His first album was only marginally more successful than David A.’s

I’m not that person, but I do agree that Lambert has earned his shot at a second album. Aside from international sales, of which I know nothing, I have a couple reasons:

(a) IIHY peaked only a little lower on CHR than WWFM (#16 vs #12). That suggests PDs want to play his music as music and listeners want to hear it. WWFM also peaked at #2 on the Adult Pop Songs chart, so it’ll keep on hanging around on HAC (and probably Adult Hits and AC stations) while Lambert’s recording album #2. (He also gets dance play, so again — more non-Idol-bubble presence during the down period.)

(b) FYE the album stayed on the U.S. album chart for a year, almost twice as long as DATA did. Those singles seemingly generated sales.

(c) Lambert talks like somebody who has thought through a coherent and marketable musical vision that’s consistent with his overall image and with what he’s willing to do for promotion. I don’t think he always gets everything perfect — and he’s really not my cup of cocoa — but the total package is increasingly internally consistent and has a recognizable relationship to the current music scene. Whether he can make the album he hopes for and whether it sells well remains to be seen, of course.

I have a feeling that they put more weight on what an artist is doing domestically, and they also look at where an artist is doing well.

I don’t know why that would be so. Money is money. Profit is profit. Doesn’t matter where it comes from.

Such a shame. Hardly no promotion from Jive.
Why even bother recording the last album. I suspect the remaining
Idols, if they get another album, will be treated exactly the same. They won’t get another hit from Jive either.

Not an Archie fan, but he’s got great vocal talent and I hope he gets picked up by another label. I do think he’s got to get some coaching on his presentation in front of the microphone, behind the mic he seems to do just fine. It may take him a little while, but I think we’ll hear from him again.

I too think Underwood has the strongest hold right now but as she ages maybe not so much. Clarkson will depend a lot on how well she does on this next CD but I can still see her coming out with another one after this one. Daughtry I can see holding on. Allen and Dewyze both have a rough rode ahead. Dewzye even more so. Bowersox probably will do well with indie labels but her current label may drop her. Lambert is too big internationally to be dropped and seems to be getting bigger by the minute. Cook is a coin toss. He does not have an international fan base. He’s past the idol bump so a lot will depend how his second CD does. Only time will tell. Hudson she’s made the cross over to film so she’ll be around for awhile though she’ll never be a big recording star. Aiken’s recording career is dead and probably Studdard too. Fantasia will do well in the R&B world. I think she’s crossed over too.

I wonder if he might sign with a Latin music label- he could try and start over again as a Latin artist.

I don’t think his Spanish is that polished.

Elliegrll:
02/18/2011 at 6:23 pm
I have a feeling that they put more weight on what an artist is doing domestically, and they also look at where an artist is doing well.

Buffynut:
02/18/2011 at 6:26 pm

I don’t know why that would be so. Money is money. Profit is profit. Doesn’t matter where it comes from.

I have to agree with Buffynut. I can’t imagine why any label would consider domestic sales “better” than international sales. Why would artists be marketed internationally if those sales don’t matter so much? As Buffynut says, it doesn’t matter where the money comes from. The important thing is that the artist is making money for the label.

I feel bad for Archie. He’s a talented kid, but he needs to “find” himself.

Archie has been around for so long even though he’s only 20. He was on many talent shows and it was AI that he got the biggest recognition. I can not believe that someone who is that made for performing will not land on his feet. I think Archie will always have a comfortable career one way or another. He’ll be just fine and live more comfortably than anyone of us posting here.

Time to come out! Its the cool thing to do these days.

Aw, not an Archie fan, but this is really sad :(

And kind of scary too. The music business is really rough. And who makes it doesn’t always coincide with their talent level; I’ve sure noted that through the years.

Wonder if the number of AI contestants will shrink next year? There surely will be others dropped before then. There does seem as though there will be a S11 because of decent ratings so far for S10.

Dakota, any chance you can fix your quote so it doesn’t look like I said that first half? Ack!!!

ETA:
Thanks, Dakota! :) (Much better now.)

I don’t think his Spanish is that polished.

Have you heard him sing in spanish?

There is a Disney act who can’t sing in english without autotune, spanish is much to be desired but is putting out spanish songs and doing well in the latin community.

David’s spanish is not fluent but he does pretty good and his accent is wonderful. His spanish singing is unbelievable.

Buffynut, I knew it didn’t look right. I think it’s okay now.

Interesting discussion here. I feel bad for Archie, and I wish him well. I’ve always thought he has a lovely voice and he is obviously a very sweet guy, but I agree with others about his limited marketability and the dilemma of his too mature/too immature/asexual/awkward persona. And when people say that he has a strong fan base, then I keep wondering — why the heck didn’t they buy his latest album? Why aren’t those ardent fans buying his music?

He has a lot of talent. I really do hope he lands on his feet.

Came home from work and asked my nanny if she could work late one night next week so that my husband and I could go to a concert. My nanny asked “Adam?” I laughed and said no (its bon jovi…) anyway, then she asked “what ever happened to that cute little boy who was on the show a few years ago?” I couldn’t figure out who she was talking about so threw out a number of names…It was Archie! She said “I really liked him, he was so cute!” Anyway, Archie is a talented guy…his career may wind up looking a little different that what he may have thought immediately after coming off of idol, but he will find his way and I suspect he will have no trouble continuing to make a living making music.

Good luck to David. It’s tough when a large label drops you, but it didn’t look like they were doing much for him. That being said, going to a smaller label is always more difficult because of the money available for promotion.

Here’s a nice interesting article in the LA Times about the music business by artists on their own label(the civil wars):

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/02/civil-wars.html

Where is S9 Casey James signed? I thought it was a Sony label out of Nashville? Is he on the same label as Danny?

Casey is on BNA Sony with Kellie Pickler. And Danny is on RCA (the only Idol on that label). I hope the fact that they have switched back from “The Casey James Band” to just “Casey James” does not mean they decided to not invest in a ‘band’. The Nashville labels are a little cheaper about promo (except for Carrie of course), which could be a good thing; tighten the belt, invest in their new talent and ride it out. I hope.

David is a very talented guy. Whatever happens, I’m sure he’ll be fine.

I have to say, this situation makes me pretty freakin’ nervous for the remaining Sony AI artists.

Lovedarocker, Is that Love David Archuleta..rocker

And to the person predicting that Adam would get to remain on the label. His first album was only marginally more successful than David A.’s

Without debating as to how accurate this statement is.. I don’t think that the label is looking at DA debut #s. They are looking at his last sales, his marketability and future profitability. Its not as simple as looking at one set of numbers. As much as I love Adam, if he bombs on #2, he’ll be out the door too.

My guess is if Adam did get dropped or released he would go to another label and other management. I think that David can do the same thing if he wants to. They both have fairly large fan bases at this point. I just think that David might want to take a break. It is true that they change labels and managements a lot in the music industry.

Have you heard him sing in spanish?

There is a Disney act who can’t sing in english without autotune, spanish is much to be desired but is putting out spanish songs and doing well in the latin community.

Being Puerto Rican myself, I don’t think his Spanish is all that great, especially for when it comes to self promotion. There are many, many latin artists singing in Spanish as their first language, as talented as Archie with great voices too, for whom the language comes much more naturally and are therefore much better at fan-relations than he would be if he decides to go that route.

Including one or two songs in a regular album is one thing but going 100% into the Latino market is a completely different thing. Not to mention that some of our best sellers do not do the type of music Archie seems to like. I don’t think he can do reggaeton, can he? ;)

Jennifer Hudson is a big star and she has strong sales but I can’t see how she could be put in the same group as Kelly, Carrie, Fantasia and Daughtry when she hasn’t even released her second album yet. I’m not convinced she’ll have big sales again.

David Archuleta is a wonderful vocal talent and an even better person. I was confused by the non-promotion of David’s second pop record by Jive Records after the strong sales of his initial offering and his seasonal release ‘Christmas From The Heart’. I truly believe with David’s A&R rep leaving Jive along with many others including the label president, this Sony imprint just did not know what to do with David as he does not fit well with their current roster. David was not ‘dropped’ but ‘released’. He provided Jive with the three CD’s he was contracted for. Perhaps a label such as Decca Records (Universal) would be a better fit. Best of luck to a great vocalist. Onward and upward David!

My guess is if Adam did get dropped or released he would go to another label and other management. I think that David can do the same thing if he wants to. They both have fairly large fan bases at this point. I just think that David might want to take a break. It is true that they change labels and managements a lot in the music industry.

Going to another label is not that simple. The next label will want to know why someone was dropped, and they will have the same questions about marketability. If David had a big fanbase, they would have bought his album. What David had was a lot of people who liked him on the show, and that translated to very respectable sales numbers for his first album. What he needed, and didn’t get, were people who like and supported his music.

There are many artists on major labels that are not selling that much. Jive has some on their label.

Adam has sold close to 1.5 million albums world wide and over 4 million singles. Are Archie’s worldwide sales that high? While people in the Idol bubble seem to only count US sales, the label counts all sales.

I’m sure he sold more than 1/1.2 million albums worldwide, that is a very good number considering the almost inexistent promo jive gave him after the first three months from the release date, and for singles , well only Crush sold almost two millions and i’m not sure about the others….what i find impressive , again with the lack of promo he received..:)

I’m totally bummed. David is leaps and bounds over just about everyone who has come after him on that Idol stage. so for him to be struggling is not a good sign for all these starry-eyed kids who continue to believe that their stint on Idol will be the answer to their dreams.

I don’t think anybody here has a crystal ball and can predict what will happen in the future for any of these artists. They will be dropped by their label if they have poor sales and that is what will happen. I have been reading predictions on what will and will not happens with Idols for few years now and I can say without a doubt that a large percentage of them are completely wrong.

Jennifer Hudson is a big star and she has strong sales but I can’t see how she could be put in the same group as Kelly, Carrie, Fantasia and Daughtry when she hasn’t even released her second album yet. I’m not convinced she’ll have big sales

again.

I guess Jennifer is the same good seller Adam and David are , i wrong?

Here’s what David’s family friend/former writer Richard had to say about the matter:

Richard says:
February 18, 2011 at 5:24 pm

David is kind of an anomaly to the industry. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I think it’s amazing how you have never seen him compromise his values. I don’t think he was ever asked to out of respect of them knowing who he was. They tried. It’s now time to try something else. Nothing to be ashamed of at all.

Babyface00, thanks for that. David’s family friend has a great attitude about the situation, and just repeated what many people here have posted. I think that it can’t be up to the label to figure out where David fits, David has to do it, and then convince the people at a label that his personality and style can be marketable.

Richard wrote some of the songs on David’s Christmas album and started Fansofdavid.

I ain’t gonna pretend this is a fun day as a fan. That ain’t my style. But, David is a complicated guy, as we all are I guess. With whatever faults have been named here and elsewhere re: him and all involved, some of which may very well be valid, he is also unusually wise about the big things, the important things. That and his support system will serve him very well. As a fan, as cheesy as it may sound, I just want him to be happy and do what he wants. He’s worked his butt off for four years now, so maybe this can be a break for him to think things through and set off in a new direction.

Why didn’t they buy the album? Because they could rip it for free from their friend or several sites on the Internet.

Not to mention that some of our best sellers do not do the type of music Archie seems to like. I don’t think he can do reggaeton, can he? ;

)

Selena barely spoke a word of spanish and she was very successful and learned as she went.

Luis Fonsi, Alejandro Fernandez, Luis Miguel, Pepe Aguilar to name a few are very successful, I’ve never heard them do reggaeton.

I thought David would be a balladeer in spanish, but when I heard sing ranchero music with mariachi I knew the sky is the limit. He has many options.

Selena barely spoke a word of spanish and she was very successful and learned as she went.

Selena was also EXTREMELY charismatic

Luis Fonsi, Alejandro Fernandez, Luis Miguel, Pepe Aguilar to name a few are very successful, I’ve never heard them do reggaeton.

In case I wasn’t obvious enough with the wink, that was a joke. All those people you mention have something Archie doesn’t have, a sense of danger and sexyness.

Why didn’t they buy the album? Because they could rip it for free from their friend or several sites on the Internet.

They could have done this two years ago, when David sold over 750,000 albums, and over a million singles. Piracy is a problem for him, just like it is a problem for everyone, but it doesn’t explain the big drop in sales, or that Jive couldn’t figure out where he fit in the industry.

I do think there was pressure on David to be more like a Bieber. That kid has made millions so of course they would want that. I think that David just could not do that. I do not think that jive tried that hard to promote David after the release of Crush. They did not want to spend the money and didn’t.

Okay. The second album didn’t sell because he isn’t on Oprah and the late might shows and all the spots that Jennifer Hudson is getting concurrently with her new album. No tv appearances except one and radio interviews just didn’t get the word out at all. And on those occasions he sang the waekest songs. Elevator was a horrible waste of public appearances. “Stompin the Roses” or “Look Around” would have gotten liteners more interested.

Everyone who loved David on American Idol didn’t know he had another pop album out. David Vook is so smart to come out with a new CD when he can make a concurrent appearance on AI.

Everyone who loved David on American Idol didn’t know he had another pop album out. David Vook is so smart to come out with a new CD when he can make a concurrent appearance on AI.

Carrie doesn’t need an appearance on AI in order to sell albums/singles, and that’s the position that every alum needs to be in, or else their labels are not going to keep them.

I’m not saying that he didn’t need promo, just that his success can’t always be tied to being an AI alum.

Okay. The second album didn’t sell because he isn’t on Oprah and the late might shows and all the spots that Jennifer Hudson is getting concurrently with her new album. No tv appearances except one and radio interviews just didn’t get the word out at all.

Jennifer Hudson is a hotter property than David and probably has shows ASKING her to appear.

Just because somebody wants to appear on those shows doesn’t mean they get booked. There are precious few slots and for those who aren’t hot properties it takes a skilled and connected manager to get them on those shows. David was the one who didn’t have a management team in place during the album launch. Then once he did get management, the album had already come out and it would have been even harder to sell him for a performance slot because the immediacy was gone and the single had already flopped.

What he could have been doing was staying visible via red carpet events or awards ceremonies or other industry events. He could have been a go getter and sold himself. He strikes me as somebody who sat back and waited for things to be done, or rejected idea after idea when it didn’t fit into a very inflexible belief system.

Suzanne: Elevator was a horrible waste of public appearances.

Oh yeah. That song was the beginning of the end, the other side of up. Huge mistake to promote that one, and he ended up parting ways with the co-writer, guitarist Mike K.

I agree with you about Elevator. It should never have been promoted. I did not think Mike K. was a very good co-writer for David.

In case I wasn’t obvious enough with the wink, that was a joke.

missed the block quotes above.

OOops the humor went over my head :) I have followed David since AI and gone to several of his concerts, he is very charismatic, IMO.

Archie doesn’t have, a sense of danger and sexyness.

I was at the concert when Vicente introduced Alejandro for the first time and he was very timid and shy. Look it him now. David is only 20 but the signs are there IMO.

Youtube David’s performances of Don’t Let Go.

Youtube David’s performances of Don’t Let Go.

I’ll take your word for it, but I don’t think you can compare David as he is now to any of those latin artists you mentioned before, he’s not there yet, especially not with the language. Those are mega stars in the latin world who have been working professionally for more than 30 years in the case of Luis Miguel.

I don’t think you see a lot of David Cook at any of those award ceremonies or industry events. He has probably been to as many as Archie has. I guess that means he does not sell himself enough either. I really believe that one person who will be there for Archie behind the scenes is David Cook. He is just a good guy.

he’s not there yet, especially not with the language

I agree with you, he’s not there yet. I mentioned them only because you mentioned reggaton and I didn’t realize you were joking. :/

What I’m saying it is an option, how is he going to get the experience and improve in the language if he doesn’t immerse himself in it. A couple of songs to start with and go from there.

I teally believe that one person who will be there for Archie behind the scenes is David Cook. He is just a good guy.

I admire David & David relationship, it reminds me of the Adam/Allison relationship a lot.

I think Archie is also at an awkward age. He likely got a lot of the teen vote when he was on Idol. But that voting block is always the most transient – they grow up and move on. And from a Marketing standpoint, he doesn’t necessrily fit into the kind of music his age group are likely into. So I see him probably ending up with a smaller label. He can still have a career singing his music.

Richard wrote some of the songs on David’s Christmas album and started Fansofdavid

.

He arranged, not wrote ;)

I teally believe that one person who will be there for Archie behind the scenes is David Cook. He is just a good guy.

I admire David & David relationship, it reminds me of the Adam/Allison relationship a lot.

Me too. I don’t claim to know anything about their relationship behind the scenes, but I’ve always gotten the impression just from what they’ve shown and shared publicly that they have a real genuine mutual fondness and respect for each other. A lot of Cook fans like myself have come to adore Archie, and I was so sad for him when this news came out. I guess if we’re so concerned for Archie, just from getting to know the kind of guy he is through following Cook, how much more so Cook must be when he heard. I’m sure he’s reached out to his friend. I know I would. I think Archie needs to surround himself with good, trustworthy people who can give good support and advice right now. I’m sure he is– he’s such a good kid. I think he’ll be okay.

I think this is a blessing in disguise for David. Jive never had the right feel for him imo though they probably were the closest that Sony had to offer. I think he will do better with an Atlantic/Warner label maybe. Like Jason Castro or that other kid who almost made it onto Idol–Josiah Whats his name. That label seems more to interested in nurturing/growing talent. Or even one of the Universal labels. I think David will do fine. He is young and just now coming into his own.

Late at night rambling, NVM.

I was in denial about this all day yesterday. :( I feel so sad for Archie. I bought all three of his albums and will continue to buy whatever he puts out. Just put singles out on i-tunes David and I will buy buy buy. :) I hope the best for David and that he finds a label and management that will work well with him. This is a sad day in Archieland. :(

PRMari

Selena barely spoke a word of spanish and she was very successful and learned as she went.

Selena was also EXTREMELY charismatic

Selena was EXTREMELY hot and sexy too. Plus Selena was singing cumbia, which although not reggeaton, was (and still is) danceable and very popular.
As far as music, the Luis Miguel comparison is more accurate. But I completely agree with PRMari that Luis Miguel brings many other elements David can only dream of (and will never acquire).

David can only dream of (and will never acquire).

Well I disagree, David grew up listening and dancing to Selena but is shy in nature, though he is less and less shy every time I see him perform live.

As for those elements, I recommended to PRMari to youtube Don’t Let Go by David because you catch glimpses of them there.

What David will or will not acquire is all up to him, I for one don’t claim to be a fortune teller and make statements like that of anyone.

Two things: Daughtry gets money for tour support, radio promotion and videos from their label. They’re a rock band, so most of what they do will come out of their touring. They don’t need a steady diet of TV appearances to reach their fans.

As for Archie concentrating on Christian music, I’m not sure if he would be accepted given he is a Mormon. While he could certainly sound great doing it, you still have to get on Christian radio and participate in church visits, testify at festivals, etc.

As David quotes: “Decisions.. They are scary things before knowing what could happen after you make them, but I’m excited for what the future holds.”

And as Frogcooke shared, David has a very dear friend in Joy Williams “The Civil Wars” who her husband and her have their own label.

Some believe, the humble, cheerful, down to earth, goodly ways of David have been a damper on his career, and I KNOW that “good things come to those who wait”. He will get all that he ever dreamed of and more, and it will be because he is true to himself! I know it, I believe it, it is therefore true!! I am so excited for David and that he had the needed beginnings with Jive,and that now, they both seem to agree that it is time to move on since he was “released” and not “dropped”. Sounds to me from Richard, also, that Jive and David had a good working relationship or why else would they have allowed him to do what he has done with these three albums? I think they have the best interest of the artist at the stage he was at artistically. What a great journey David has had so far,and he is excited for the future!! That is exciting to wait and behold!

What David will or will not acquire is all up to him, I for one don’t claim to be a fortune teller and make statements like that of anyone.

I am not a betting man, but if I were, I would put a lot of money on the following:
David will never reach the mysterious/sexiness/appeal of Luis Miguel;
David will make a living out of singing G rated love-based and faith-based songs; and
David will eventually come out.

lovedarocker

Unbelievable, I’m done.

tibitibis– you are right, Richard arranged those songs.

PRMari: I am from Mexico and I actually think his spanish is pretty good. His r’s are a bit weird still but for the most part, I can hardly hear an accent (I’ve shown videos of him singing in spanish to other people here and they agree with me) . People from Puerto Rico have a very specific spanish accent so maybe that’s why his spanish sounds weird to you? But his accent sounds a lot like the one we have here.

Have you heard of the band “Camila”? or “Sin bandera” or even “Lu”? This were all bands that are/were mostly famous for doing ballads and they were/are HUGE here. Sin Bandera and Lu are no longer a band, the lead singers now have solo careers and are all pretty succesful as that.

Having said that, I do fear for David’s career, as I believe he is EXTREMELY talented, but as someone already mentioned, Talent doesn’t always= success. And he has made some pretty bad mistakes before (starting by not having a management team when the album was released) and is pretty hard to market because of the way he carries himself and his values.

As for the issue with his “asexuality” I think the problem is that a) he is extremely shy and b) he came on the scene when he was super young and looked even younger and so a lot of people have trouble seeing him as anything other than a child. Following his career as closely as I have, I have seen some changes in his demeanor and his face (he does look a bit older now) that could make it easier for him to be marketed, sadly I think his values sometimes clash with what the industry is about.

I hope things turn out well for him, unfortunately, the future doesn’t look too bright right now.

As David quotes: “Decisions.. They are scary things before knowing what could happen after you make them, but I’m excited for what the future holds.”

If David had to make a “decision” regarding the Jive contract expiring, then it appears to me that he had an option and chose to part ways with Jive rather than enter into a new and/or extended contract. Therefore (to me) it looks like he was “released” moreso than “dropped”.

If the contract was still in effect, then he must have made a decision to be released from it (again, since it was a decision HE made) and they allowed him to end his contract and released him.

Smallie, you’re awesome. Thanks for that. And I reciprocate. As an Archie fan, I’ve come to really admire and like Cookie and his music. I hope the two of them get a chance to chat. Cook has always had an innate wisdom about the business that I think could serve David well. And I can’t wait for Cook’s album!!!

I have a feeling David has been chatting with Brooke White. Which is good. I love her too.

If David had to make a “decision” regarding the Jive contract expiring, then it appears to me that he had an option and chose to part ways with Jive rather than enter into a new and/or extended contract. Therefore (to me) it looks like he was “released” moreso than “dropped”.

He could be talking about “after the fact”. He is no longer a minor and relying on others to make life decisions for him. He is a legal adult he has to make decisions on his own. Where he goes from here is all on his shoulders. We also don’t know in what context the statement was made since there are to separate entities in play, his mgmt & Jive.

I trust David to make a decision that is right for him. A risk would be trying to get a regular part on Glee. He is awkward enough, talented enough, and young looking emough to fit with this bunch. It would be good for the show (create a lot of buz) and could relaunch him. They could start him as a “guest” and see what happens. Perhaps we should start a youtube or facebook campaign to get this to happen (similar to what happened to get Betty White on Saturday Night Live and you see where that led to). His fans could come through for him now. Just a thought. Regardless, I only wish him happiness and great things!

Sorry to hear this, but I think David will land on his feet. He needs to take a little time to himself and decide the direction he want to take. He’s no longer the fresh faced little boy and is now a man. This break will allow him to re-emerge as a mature artist.

I wish him the best.

So far, no media outlet has thought to ask whether or not David is still with 19R. When Allison was dropped, Micheal Slezak was on the story right away, and made sure to let people know that she was still with 19 Records. I wonder if any of the usual people who cover AI care enough about the story to do the same with David.

well slezak was an allistan though wasnt he? no im not surprised he’d be all over it.

They’ve been busy, but so far, it’s surprising that only one of the idol reporters is treating this like it is a story. Brian Mansfield put it in the weekend memo section, and just linked to another site that has the story. Other outlets, like MTV, are just repeating THR article, and not even bothering to contact 19, Jive or David.

well slezak was an allistan though wasnt he?

Still is, thank goodness for that. Cantiello hasn’t said anything either, right?

Cantiello hasn’t said anything either, right?

He’s been working almost 24 hours straight covering some other things for MTV, so he probably crashed just before the news about David was confirmed.

So far, no media outlet has thought to ask whether or not David is still with 19R.

That would be interesting to know. And no one seems to be speculating whether David possibly could leave Jive but open talks with 19 / Universal?
His last album didn’t do well, but there are some obvious mistakes that can be identified in how it was rolled out, the “singles”, etc.
I do believe he has a good-sized fanbase, and lots of talent so I’d like to see him land somewhere that will work for him.

David Archuleta just tweeted a message to fans.

@DavidArchie
#Hey guys, just want to let you know you fans are awesome haha. Just want to let you know I am excited for the opportunities ahead :)

#Thanks for the support you continue to show! Means a lot. Just wanted to check in let you know things are going where I feel they should.

That is a interesting tweet by David. I think fans are wondering how 19R fits into all this. I also thought of 19/Universal because he did mention other management companies being interested before he signed with WEG. I still think leaving Jive is no surprise but I do wonder what happened with WEG. David’s fans do love him that is for sure.

I don’t know. I lost faith in WEG early on. As a fan, I want to see him with a team that appreciates and promotes what he brings to the music world. I know plenty here don’t get him, for whatever reasons, but his fans see something more or they wouldn’t have hung on through the ups and downs. At the very least, his team needs to start with a vision for him that meshes to a large degree with where he wants to go. Or, if they have different creative ideas, they need to show him how they can work.

I want to say, too, it seemed like Melinda was gunning for tours with people still with WEG — bands that aren’t still very current and who wouldn’t even share a similar fan base. (This is my opinion of course.) It reminded me of a realtor we used once who only showed us her own properties, even though 2 out of 6 of the houses were entirely unsuitable for our needs. We had toddlers and the houses were on streets with major traffic. We complained after the first and she still showed us the second.

I agree with you KathyH. I kind of wonder if they also said things to David at first that they could not actually make happen for him.

Why didn’t they buy the album? Because they could rip it for free from their friend or several sites on the Internet.

Every artist has to contend with that. You can rip it off of YouTube too using special software that is free to download. Teenagers and college kids are masters at this. The fact is that his 1st album sold very well despite any “rips” for free so the fact that his other album only sold 67K means either the vast majority of his fans decided to rip his album this time or just didn’t buy it at all. Justin Bieber fans bought albums so how is that? Labels & artists know that people rip their music but labels aren’t going to sign an artist who isn’t selling legitimately. They are in it for the money pure and simple and it’s a business decision. Promotion costs tons of money and I feel Jive did the best they could. If you have an established fan base and those fans know the artist is releasing a new album so why spend all the promotion dollars? David was all over the internet prior to his releasing his album.

The comment that he wasn’t “dropped” but was “released” is a play on words. What is the difference? I doubt very much that it was David’s choice because his 67K sales didn’t warrant him being in the driver’s seat on any negotiation or decisions. If David’s sales had been comparable to his 1st album and he felt Jive was no longer a fit for him then I can see how he would be in control. Jive dropped him and they lost money on this album. Management gets a percentage of his sales and they too weren’t getting the money’s worth.

19R may/may not decide to keep David signed. I think it would be a mistake for them to not at least try to find him another label but he needs to get his mgmt in place quickly. Allison signed a new development deal with 19R. I assume it will pay her a monthly retainer under its terms.

After Allison was drop she was still signed with 19M, so they were able to continue to get her a few gigs after the fact. David does not have that support right now.

Yeah I’m curious what goes on with the 19R front.

“Dropped” vs “Released” is not a play on words and there is a difference. Allison was “dropped”.. meaning there were options to continue another album or two. David was “released” meaning his contract of 3 albums was a label committment that was met (and he too was under the options.. let’s see how it goes clause).. but the label gave him support with writers and such and met their 3 album committment.

To me there is a difference. Business is business. I didn’t expect David to stay with one label all his life. Even major artists have riffs with their labels and don’t stay put with one label for a lifetime.

I feel better after David’s tweet. He’s happy and that’s all that matters.

It’s semantics (the whole “dropped” vs. “released” thing). The end result is the same(loss of label deal), but I do view David’s situation differently from what happened with Allison or what will likely happen to Lee DeWyze in things don’t pick up for him saleswise. At any rate, regardless of who initiated the split it makes no sense to continue a relationship that just wasn’t working. Better for both David and Jive to part ways. I don’t blame Archie fans for wanting to put a positive spin on things-it’s what any other fanbase would do under similar circumstances. It stings a little bit, but it’s not the end of the world.

Other outlets, like MTV, or just repeating THR article, and not even bothering to contact 19, Jive or David.

There are very few good journalists left, IMO, who bother to do any checking for themselves, whether it is in politics, music, or other areas. They just repeat what they hear and make assumptions.

I am really feeling for the Archie fans. When you are deeply invested as a fan, these kind of things really do sting. Archie will work it out. He is talented and seems to have a good head on his shoulders. I wish him and all his fans the best.

Uh…excuse me but nobody knows what Allison’s contract with Jive was so following this same rationale, we don’t know whether she was “dropped” or “released” from her contract with them either. The end result is the same, the company no longer wanted her just like they no longer wanted Archie.

Sometimes I think that David is an enigma wrapped in a bubble that know one really knows. With Kris, Adam, Cook we have a clearer idea where they are aiming. With Archie I somethings feel he is a 16 year old in a 20 year old body. At some point, if he is going to be a pop artist, he is going to have to direct his music towards an older audience. I think “Crush” was a hit because the theme “relationships” struck a cord with a wider age group, and it had a great music video. But “Elevator”….I don’t think so.

Judging by the “shallow” comments about Kris’s arms, Adam’s makeup, etc. posted here, their voice is not the only thing an artist has to offer. If Adam showed up somewhere with a new boyfriend, we’d have a 400 post thread here. David needs to play this up….at least a little because sexuality sells. However, can you imagine him jumping off the stage into a group of screaming women? I doubt it.

As it is, David’s voice is his great gift to us. Unfortunately, more is required in today’s cutthroat music world. I really hope he finds his nitch in some genre and most of all that he is happy with what he ends up doing.

Uh…excuse me but nobody knows what Allison’s contract with Jive was so following this same rationale, we don’t know whether she was “dropped” or “released” from her contract with them either. The end result is the same, the company no longer wanted her just like they no longer wanted Archie.

You’re right about that. Yes, they were both let go, but at least Archie had three albums with Jive under his belt (one Gold album and a single that sold nearly double platinum). Allison was one and done and didn’t have the sales to warrant another album with Jive. I’m not knocking Allison-I like her and thought her album was one of the better ones from the season eight folks. At any rate, it’s no big deal really-both David and Allison will be OK in the long run.

Why is there no picture at the top of this thread anymore? Is there no picture available of him that wouldn’t infringe a copyright?

He must still be with 19R. He’s been in LA for a week. As a 20-year-old singer, you don’t sever all your professional ties. I hope he’s having some fruitful meetings there.

So frustrating for the fans though. I like his second pop CD and am still frustrated with the singles they chose. If they’d pushed “Stompin the Roses” as the first single would the sales have been different?

That push appeared more like a nudge to me, Suzanne. I prefer 6-7 other songs on the album over SBL though. But that’s just me.