Adams management team really does seem to be on the ball re: the UK this time around.  They started courting the UK media, music bloggers, chart show etc. back in the fall around the time of the EMAs, then kept on with it through the winter.  A lot of things went wrong during the FYE era, some that were beyond their control (e.g. the volcano grounding flights and the resultant cancellation of some promo appearances including one of his few televised performances), some bad choices by label and prior management.  The label and management seem to be really putting a lot of thought and effort into the UK market this time around.  Hope they have some success. Even without a US hit, there are artists who do well in the UK– Lana Del Rey didn’t have a US radio hit, but did well, the Scissor Sisters have never had one and do well in the UK for example.  It’ll be interesting to watch

I think perhaps P2′s enormous sales after the show ended has caused Jimmy and his cronies to step back and re-evaluate the top finishers. I think P2′s sales suprised a lot of people there.

As much as I like Joshua, I have a gut feeling he won’t sell well. Same for Jessica. In fact when the dust settles I think P2 and Skylar’s EP will out sell all the others.

Just a hunch.

I agree. I think that P2 and Skylar’s EP will out sell all the others. I really like Josh and Jessica but I just think those other two will sell better.

I think this top 3 is a lock for at least 1 or 2 CDs.  For Jessica and Joshua, their success will hinge on the songs and how they are marketed.

I envision Josh as primarily R&B, not totally old school though.  The fact that he is only 20 (and quite handsome) should help with the younger crowd.  Jessica’s voice is too powerful to waste on bubblegum pop.  With the right songs she could easily be R&B and pop.

Phillip style is certainly current so his success is less of a longshot, but the like the others is not guaranteed. 

Nope – AI doesn’t generate much interest either, though it does seem to do better for an AI alum returning the year after they appeared. After that, it’s definitely ever diminishing return and effectiveness. GN may just be good exposure – I doubt they’re counting on it to launch Adam in the UK by itself.

Of course, AI is a music orientated show, where you tune in for a music experience, so it might be thought it would be more about the music publicity…but sales generated from it for guest appearances – or at least AI alums’ guest appearances haven’t exactly blown the roof off.

The X Factor in the UK, which gets about 11 million viewers on a bad year, can still generate big returns in terms of sales revenue following appearances, so I’m not sure whether that has more to do with Idol ennui, or the Idol audience’s goldfish memory. ETA: or the fact that 11 million is a pretty large chunk of the UK population, thinking about it that way.

But I’ve always reckoned that Idol grads relying on Idol for their publicity 2 years or more down the line are making a mistake. And don’t get me started on the Cook camp’s almost total reliance on the Idol audience when launching TLM: they didn’t seem to have any other idea of what to do – though the changing management situation may have had something to do with their complete lack of imagination…

Anyhow – putting that aside – both Adam (and Archie) seem to have chosen great management teams, when they moved away from 19: smart moves.  And Adam’s has done some good preparation for launching his new album over here.

I only wish Cook had made a similar choice: if he is with Fuller and they are doing something behind the scenes, other than arranging one offs and the mini-Asia tour, then they’re being very quiet about it and I don’t see how that helps in his current situation.

ETA: I only got going on Cook, because you brought him up as a comparison. I actually think that Adam is in a way different situation here, because his music is very pop and current. It ought to have a much easier inroad into the UK music scene.

I’ve always believed that Cook should try to exploit the UK’s indie scene, but in a completely different way and it would have to be through music he wrote himself, or with compatible writers and not some of the poppy compromise co-writes resulting from the RCA deal or any of the singles released so far. Some of his songs, IMO – living here and responding to the breadth of music around on a day to day basis outside of the charts – would do well. But he really would have to spend some time here, play some shows and festivals etc and build a name and I can’t see him doing that. Shame.

It’s hard to say, because there are so few. The X Factor is by far and away the biggest way to launch or publicise a single or album.

Acts also appear on Strictly Come Dancing (which has similar viewing figures and shows at the same time as X Factor); The One Show (awful, cheesy early evening thing); morning breakfast shows; the Lottery Results show (which I think Adam did last time around) and Jules Holland, which is an authentic music focused show, but very ‘cool’, so not pop orientated at all.

There are probably a few others.

The Glastonbury Festival is televised on the BBC extensively – and so are other  summer music festivals. This is also the best route to gaining credibility with the music buying populace. That’s why I mentioned the summer festival route in my first post.

I only got going on Cook, because that you brought him up as a comparison. I
actually think that Adam is in a way different situation here, because
his music is very pop and current. It ought to have a much easier inroad
into the UK music scene- fadetowhite2

I think Adam should keep/continue  his image from FYE, the way he was first known 2-3 years; he’s still doing well by now with the new album, keeping alive the image of theatrical guy, the passionate singer, the sexy interpretation to be more noticed in EU more than his fan-base, his management seems to do pretty well promoting him there though. There are lots of good EU pop singer, pretty charismatic-ones, very natural and loose on stage, of course many unknown but maybe well known regionally and still having musical carriers for a living. Every country having its own musical scene many acts are known there, appearing on diverse weekend-variate shows, singing on diverse other shows, being played on local radios…I think they learn more there to be comfortable on stage having more of the small live-concerts, TV appearances, they have more active careers even though in low key, less money but much better known in their counties than many American artists are in US, just a thought. EU-music is about passion to sing along, lots of music fit for dance/rhythm, pump the fist, lots of sorts of rock and metal-one, even folk-metal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIc4VHxU7iM (it’s great, lol, the “land” for Neal, ex DC guitarist).

“I’ve always believed that Cook should try to exploit the UK’s indie
scene”.

I’ve always thought that DC should write music like for the “soccer guys” in his mind to have some success there(and the females like the same also), the guys that like to sing their special sport-songs together, rave in their stadium seats, wave the arms, pump the fists, it’s about to speculate the culture and the people-personalities there if your material is not “pure” pop or “pure” rock but something in between. I put once a link with Robbie Williams’ Angels at Knebwort (I think this years the festival has been canceled), to make a better point of what I’ve tried to say http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUCdDzfEsF4. The music should be more active, have a beat, a rhythm to express something as part of the life because the life has different dynamic there living “elbow to elbow”, short distances, saving some money for some musical entertainment…

ETA1: “to exploit the UK’s indie scene, but in a completely different way and it would have to be through music he wrote himself, or with compatible writers and not some of the poppy compromise co-writes resulting from the RCA deal or any of the singles released so far.”

There’s alot more to the indie rock music scene than music for footballers though.- fadetowhite2

I was thinking not about making music for footballers(in connection with UK/EU discussion), but to the controversial way, from some fans’ discussions, he’s trying to get people up and cooperating at his shows, I was indirectly suggesting he might have that “footballers” as cultural inspiration-image to get easier the excitement in a more natural way through his music, make it “active and connected and maybe you get a natural active reception too”.

What I’ve tried with the RW-video to show was the people’s perception of the music and attitudes during the artist-performance. I don’t/wouldn’t care if DC would go indie-sound or not, there should be music to pump people the way the soccer guy are, make a “musical rave” not a musical “staring at you” for what you want to say/express through your music, the ballads to be ballads and feel something, all the emotions through them not “partly emo, part nowhere”. He has a voice/style for arenas though, lots of good texture, echoes/resonance, deepness of it and I wouldn’t like the voice to be lost in punk, metal or cheesy music, but a little bit of beat and less operatic voice(same thought for Adam here) in order to be more “current” it would be great I think.

I’d rather hope for him to become successful for who he is, rather than as a type of performer he isn’t.

Absolutely, I don’t want another RW or an Ed Sheernan style, I want his real style in his music because I feel he can be more than a TLG kind of songwriter, seen in Circadian, REM, GTTG, some songs from DCTR… How some words I know say, he is a “good cheese on the wrong table” so something maybe should be changed and it would be easier to change the “cheese” or the “table” than trying to change the people’s tastes. His first step seems to be taken already with the “table” (RCA) we’ll see how his career/music would go.

ETA2: And there’s nothing wrong with that. As long as they are making a living doing what they love, then they are successful. Not everyone is going to be a global superstar that many here thinks is necessary to be deemed a success.-Salleyanne

It’s what I’ve tried (again in a no good way) to point, there are places where doing your music even in low key maybe is more rewarding than trying to be the superstar; the discussion has been about how DC’s style would be received in EU and I’ve shared some personal thoughts of how people receive and react to music there based on different dynamics of everyday-life with good and bad aspects. To be a star, there are factors that depend on many others to make you be like this and pretty costly, it’s not mostly about talent, it’s about business. You want to stay on your own and do what you like, great, you have your kind of success that make you feel fulfilled and of course if you have some fans(as David has) that know you, like and support you, you’re in much better situation. Otherwise you should follow the path of music that the “musical Moguls” give the tone, they are the “conductors” of the sound in music business. For them music is more like a job, your sound has all elements they want, you get your “bonus”, you want more artistic freedom, get your own way to success. It’s not about “criticizing DC” it’s about how I see the reality through my perspective and feelings because I like and care about his artistic persona; this is my kind of taken of seeing the “good” skimming through the “bad” to reach there, it’s not always exposed just to see it(good) for me… Sorry about it/that!

And there’s nothing wrong with that.  As long as they are making a living doing what they love, then they are successful.  Not everyone is going to be a global superstar that many here thinks is necessary to be deemed a success.