Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox Signed to 19 Recordings

link: http://www.billboard.com/#/news/exclusive-idol-s-dewyze-bowersox-sign-record-1004094362.story

lol those “label sources” sound so optimistic.

I know nothing about the different labels and what they’re good at, but yay CrystaLee!

Now—

Ca-SEY, Ca-SEY, Ca-SEY………

Isn’t that the quickest signing to date? Wow!

It was quick because they knew who the final two would be for weeks now! Hehe.

And I agree, wjmtv: Casey, please!

Wow, that was fast!

I seriously thought that Arista would sign Crystal. Would have preferred RCA for Crystal, but hey, I’m happy she’s signed! And Jive is known for keeping all their idols.

I hope they don’t like Crystal die on the vine like poor Allison.

That was oretty fast. I hope Casey isnt too far behind

What if they ruin crystal?

Yeah, I was surprised about Crystal being paired up with Jive. Now that this news is out, I’ll be keeping an eye out for those official press releases from the 2 labels. I’m anxious to see what is said about these 2. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if this had been decided last week shortly after the final 2 were announced.

Crystal? Jive? REALLY? You can’t market her to teens, guys…

Oh well. She’s gonna kick butt no matter what.

So right on!!!

And I think Casey did all the right things last night with Bret Michaels…

Yeah, Jive is a bit of a surprise, but good for them! And ditto, tritto, quadritto, whatever I am to the Casey plea. I think he’ll be signed. He and Bret Michaels were the high point last night for me, although Crystal sure was fully of joy and in good voice too! Yay for record deals. More please… :-)

Great News! Congratulations to both of them!

What if they ruin crystal?

No way Crystal lets that happen.

Lee and RCA makes sense. They already have Cook and I can see them giving Lee a very similiar roll out. But Jive and Crystal is kind of unexpected. Interesting.

I can’t see Crystal taking orders she can’t stomach. I hate the way they’ve fumbled with Kris — but is it possible that she won’t have to rush out an album, the way Lee will undoubtedly have to? Maybe she could take her time, write some material herself, get the musicians she chooses?

I sorta wonder about her and Kara too. Kara seemed very chummy with her in the Seacrest radio interview, and does that mean girlfriend is writing for/with her?

Boy, personally, I’d much rather see her get mentored by Bonnie Raitt, Regina Spektor, them kind gals. Crossing fingers….too many Jive mistakes in the past with Idol artists they don’t really understand, but Crystal is a tough little cookie.

I’m glad they are moving quickly. My hope is that, since both Lee and Crystal are songwriters, they really are ready to hit the ground running, but still allow them to remain true to themselves by using their own songs. I know, Kris and David Cook fans tell me this is a pipe dream…but I still wish it.

Oh, and I agree 100% – #signcaseyjames!

Boy, personally, I’d much rather see her get mentored by Bonnie Raitt, Regina Spektor, them kind gals.

Well, yeah. Cynic that I am, I’m not holding my breath that Crystal gets a lot of say or much more than one original and some co-writes, but there’s always a first time. Here’s hoping she gets to be it!

Is this a first, that they announce the Top 2 deals together? I just recall last year was so painfully methodical, with Kris announced one day, Adam announced the next, and Allison the day after that. I don’t recall Cook and Archie, although I certainly should. :-) Anyone know?

I know nothing of what different labels are known for/geared towards. I do believe I’d seen that Kris is on Jive as well, right? So yeah…what exactly can you get from her being signed by them?

Fact is, I think Crystal could pretty much sing anything. Country, folk rock, blues, soul…I don’t even exactly know what people consider certain artists to be nowadays because some of the categories just make no sense to me. My dad’s R&B is nothing like the R&B of today – to him, Mike is R&B which I know he’s not nowadays…neo-soul I think some people say? Whatever. I’m just curious if people are getting anything from this about what direction these labels would take them.

It might be confirmed but we will probably see official announcements next week.

She sounded pretty “current” to me on the Alannis song and on Xtina’s Beautiful. I don’t know much about the fortes of each label, but if Crystal ends up with an eclectic album of current & classic sounds, I’d love to buy that.

Wow, that was fast!! I wasn’t expecting to hear anything for about another week. If I remember correctly, Adam signed on June 9th or so last yr. Not sure when Kris signed. As far as Jive for Crystal, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Hopefully she doesn’t let them railroad her in to doing something she doesn’t want to do. Anyways, congratulations to them both. NOW, someone please sign Casey!! Casey and Bret were the highlight of my night last night.

Also…unless they’re crazy, Mike, Casey, Aaron, and Siobhan should all be expecting calls soon too. Maybe even Tim, if for no other reason than for them to capitalize on those tween girls who are probably still convinced that Tim will come take them away on a white horse. Every one of them could make some great music.

Why does everyone talk about what a failure Kris has been? Is it just because he hasn’t sold a gajillion records, or because he isn’t played on the radio every two minutes? I’ve been following his schedule here and jeez. The guy is playing somewhere practically every day.

I don’t know him personally (obviously) but I would think he’d be feeling pretty damned successful, since he gets to spend practically every night playing to a new crowd in a new town. What am I missing?

Jive is surprising but delighted that Crystal has been signed so soon. You go, girl!

I think a Pink like album would be cool for Crystal, so I don’t think Jive is that bad of a place, I’m just sad that my Crystal goes Country dream is dead.

That was fast!! Happy for them both. Now, I agree with my fellow Casey fans. CASEY NEXT PLEASE!!

I agree with mozart that I think Crystal can sing anything. And I think no matter what it is, we will always know it is Crystal. I love her voice so I will buy it even if she is Taylor-ized.

And lord, lord somebody put Casey on a record so I can buy it!! I also agree with mozart (again!) that Mike, Aaron, Siobhan and Tim could be music and money makers for somebody smart!

Wonder if Ellen will sign any of them to her new label??? Hmmm…

I think Jive will treat Crystal the same way they treated Kris, she’ll get an album with a mixture of her own stuff and stuff they’ll get for her. If you look at the Jive roster, it is quite diverse. There is everything from pop to R&B/Hip-Hop to alt rock and metal. The only bad thing about Jive is they aren’t as internationally focused for promotion as RCA. Though Jive artists do seem to have good followings in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Wonder if Ellen will sign any of them to her new label??? Hmmm…

She might take on Tim. Isn’t the first one she signed a young person? And wasn’t Tim the one she hugged in the semi rounds? I see a Nashville label picking up Aaron. Maybe even Casey if he decides to go that route. Whatever Casey does, he’s already said it will be Blues influenced. Will keep checking back on any Casey news. :)

Why does everyone talk about what a failure Kris has been?

think Jive will treat Crystal the same way they treated Kris, she’ll get an album with a mixture of her own stuff and stuff they’ll get for her. If you look at the Jive roster, it is quite diverse. There is everything from pop to R&B/Hip-Hop to alt rock and metal. The only bad thing about Jive is they aren’t as internationally focused for promotion as RCA. Though Jive artists do seem to have good followings in the Philippines and Indonesia.

I hate the Kris failure talk to. Last season on Idol Kris was a slow burn. With LLWD Kris was a slow burn. So far TT seems like it’s going to be a slow burn. Anyone noticing a pattern here?

As far as Crystal being on Jive, I agree that she will likely end up in a similar situation album-wise as Kris. I don’t think it’s a bad thing and I also think she doesn’t need the international release stuff right now. One thing about Jive, they seem to have been very respectful of the family lives of the idols they have signed since they have dealt with 3 minors and a married idol before. I think it is important that Crystal be with a label that will respect her family life and her needs for being with her son as a single mother.

ETA: #signCaseyJames

Congratulations to Crystal & Lee! Although based on how quickly their websites were up (before the finale), it was pretty obvious they were both signed (or were in the final stages of signing).

I guess I was surprised about Crystal being signed to Jive, but when her site was up with an RCA mod, I was also surprised at RCA. Honestly, I’m really hoping that Crystal’s maturity and experience will allow her to be more involved in the direction of her career than Allison was.

wjmtv:
05/27/2010 at 7:57 pm
Why does everyone talk about what a failure Kris has been? Is it just because he hasn’t sold a gajillion records, or because he isn’t played on the radio every two minutes? I’ve been following his schedule here and jeez. The guy is playing somewhere practically every day.

I don’t know him personally (obviously) but I would think he’d be feeling pretty damned successful, since he gets to spend practically every night playing to a new crowd in a new town. What am I missing?

As for the above comment, my fear is answering is OT, but Kris does not feel he is a failure, nor do his fans. He is the only IDOL who has had their album debut single chart in the Top 10 on 3 separate radio formats, and it’s sold over 1.4 million downloads. He was listed as earning well over $1 million by Forbes and in the Top 10 IDOL earners last year. At the end of the day, he’s getting paid pretty well to do what he loves, which is his definition of success. My guess is Crystal’s definition of success is pretty similar to Kris’s.

Congratulations to Crystal & Lee! Although based on how quickly their websites were up (before the finale), it was pretty obvious they were both signed (or were in the final stages of signing).

Websites for Kris and Adam were up quickly last year and even before the finale performances Simon Fuller had said they would both be signed. The Jive/RCA stuff still didn’t come out this fats.

Happy for Lee & Crystal but want Casey to be next. :)

Congrats to Crystal and Lee!

I think Jive is a good fit for Crystal. At the risk of coming across as “a bad fan,” (assuming that “good fans” are the people who think their favorites are going to be the next superstar) I can see her doing well with a few singles off her album, but having moderate albums sales her first time out. Crystal is not the type of artist who is going to become a multi-million-album-selling superstar. At least, not right out of the gate. I’ve heard that Jive is patient with their artists, so this makes me happy. I see Crystal slowly but surely developing a strong following. My wish for her right now is for her first album to eventually go gold with a couple of platinum singles.

I’m not expecting 19 to sign anyone else other than Casey and Alex Lambert. The rest of the Top 12 are going to have to scramble for deals, similar to the non Top 3/Top 4 have had to do every season. It won’t help them that this was widely called the weakest group of talent ever.

I hope Jive isn’t going to try and turn Crystal into some pop type, because that ain’t her. If they let her stick to her organi style adn don’t rush her to make an album, maybe they can push her to AAA and Hot AC.

RE: Kris, I doubt Jive sees him as a failure. He has outperformed pretty much everyone who released anything in 2009 on that label. I think only 2 Jive artists who had albums out in 2009 have outsold him. And LLWD is probably one of that label’s top-performing singles.

Why does everyone talk about what a failure Kris has been? Is it just because he hasn’t sold a gajillion records, or because he isn’t played on the radio every two minutes?

Yes, that’s exactly why, and mainly it’s because every time you read about the Idol alums he’s listed as a failure. I’m not exaggerating, though I know they are.

He was tainted by the apples vs. komquats comparison to Adam. and the main thing is that the immense success of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson (and some throw David Cook in there too) is now some kind of standard these young artists are expected to meet. Lordy.

The fact is, the music biz is fractured and difficult these days that most of the Idols and some of the contestants are doing just fine, earning a living at music, sustaining some kind of fanbase. But if everyone is being compared to Carrie Underwood, it’s absurd. A, I think her music is very formulaic and tiresome, but very easy to peg and sell. And B, she’s in the most marketable genre of all these days, which is Country.

Anyway, I agree with those who say that Kris is probably too busy and happy to be bothered with such false comparisons. What I’m waiting for is an album which is entirely under his musical control, because I think he’s got tremendous ARTISTIC potential. Isn’t that what the dang judges keep harping on?

I don’t like that arrangement of Beautiful Day. I hope for Lee’s sake it gets good radio play, but I’ll be surprised.

Kris is awesome and had an amazing performance at the finale. I hate all the Kris failure talk too. Yayy! for Lee and Crystal being signed already. I hope Casey gets signed and goes country.

Well congratulations to Crystal and Lee.

Now, maybe my dream of Casey getting signed to a country label will be fulfilled. He keeps saying in interviews that his album will be a rock/blues mix with a little country. This makes me hopeful…..

He was tainted by the apples vs. komquats comparison to Adam. and the main thing is that the immense success of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson (and some throw David Cook in there too) is now some kind of standard these young artists are expected to meet. Lordy.

True, but I don’t think Kris failed. LLWD was huge and exactly Kris. Started low, became strong. Hopefully his second single goes the same.

I don’t think Crystal will be held to such standards, being a runner-up and not being tainted by beating out a talented person. I’m kinda worried about her being on Jive because I haven’t really been a fan of their treatment of Kris (though I might be exaggerating >_>).

Lee, I’m more worried about. Crystal was extremely popular throughout the season compared to Lee, AND he won, so he’ll be more likely to be viewed as a failure. I don’t know much about record labels, but he’s with good company on his label (I don’t really know who’s on Jive, though), so I think he’ll be fine.

Now, maybe my dream of Casey getting signed to a country label will be fulfilled. He keeps saying in interviews that his album will be a rock/blues mix with a little country. This makes me hopeful…..

My dream as well. I can see him taking his blues to the country market and really rock out some country hits blues style. Wow, I can’t wait. :D

Just because somebody says someone is failure don’t make it so. I believe Kris is very happy with how life is turning out for him. It’s like Taylor – he’s considered the greatest idol failure of all time. It’s just a subjective failure – I think Taylor got out of idol exactly what he wanted and is having the kind of success he always wanted. I think Crystal will be a tremendous ‘success’ because it’s gonna be so much more and so much better than anything she has ever known before. I can’t wait to watch it happen and I don’t care how many records she sells.

chearts77-

I completely agree! After last night, I believe there is no doubt that Casey has what it takes to make it. The force is strong in that one!

I think 2 of the writers Jive will set up Crystal with are Toby Gad and BC Jean. Toby Gad cowrote The Truth. Toby Gad and BC Jean cowrote Beyonce’s song If I Were A Boy. I don’t know if people heard BC Jean singing it originally but it’s something I could’ve seen Crystal doing something with. They’re both adaptable writers to Crystal’s style IMO and they’re pop enough to satisfy Jive.

At the end of the day, he’s getting paid pretty well to do what he loves, which is his definition of success. My guess is Crystal’s definition of success is pretty similar to Kris’s.

He’s doing what he loves, we should all be so lucky. Something tells me that those of us who have become overly invested in a tv show, and who get off on putting these artists down, can’t say the same thing.

Good for Crystal and Lee that like Kris, they will get a chance to achieve their dreams. They aren’t in competition with any other idol contestants, and they will both have the opportunity to build their careers.

He’s doing what he loves, we should all be so lucky. Something tells me that those of us who have become overly invested in a tv show, and who get off on putting these artists down, can’t say the same thing.

Nicely put!

He was tainted by the apples vs. komquats comparison to Adam. and the main thing is that the immense success of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson (and some throw David Cook in there too) is now some kind of standard these young artists are expected to meet. Lordy.

I always find it funny that people compare Kris to Daughtry, Carrie, and the others, but they never compare Adam to these people, they always compare his numbers to Kris’.

At the end of the day, he’s getting paid pretty well to do what he loves, which is his definition of success. My guess is Crystal’s definition of success is pretty similar to Kris’s.

I have a feeling this is completely accurate and I do think that the type of career that Kris has it will allow Crystal to provide her son with the better life she wants for him.

I’ve said it so many times — 19M is not female friendly. They don’t know how to promote women….that’s why Fantasia, Jordin and Kelly aren’t with them….although it took those two a couple of management tries to get it right….but look at Allison….they don’t know what to do with her.

I feel Crystal took the deal because she’s hungry, but she didn’t have to sign until after the tour. And I predict she won’t stay with them, unless they can give her the material and treatment they give Carrie.

Websites for Kris and Adam were up quickly last year and even before the finale performances Simon Fuller had said they would both be signed. The Jive/RCA stuff still didn’t come out this fats.

Last year was so interesting. Yep, both Kris and Adam’s sites were up very quickly but the only thing missing were the label designations. At one point, allaccess.com was showing both Adam and Kris signed to RCA and then Adam to RCA and Kris with Jive. It almost made my head spin. LOL Once the press releases came out, it cleared all of that up.

Even though I would have pictured Arista for Crystal, Jive does seem to be very patient with these kids and not as quick to drop them as RCA would be.

I hope they both can be success stories for the labels and the idol brand.

I always find it funny that people compare Kris to Daughtry, Carrie, and the others, but they never compare Adam to these people, they always compare his numbers to Kris’.

Kris gets compared to them because he was the AI winner. There’s a lot of expectations that go to a winner. Kris was lucky, I think if there was no Adam Lambert the media would have focused way more on Kris and the comparison to the previous winners would have magnified 100xs more. Just a thought.

Good. I’m glad Crystal’s signed. You go, Girl.

Could Jive be trying to create a new niche for itself with the singer/songwriter types of artists? They now have Kris, Crystal & Ry Cummins on the label. They really have a diversified lineup of artists spanning many genres.

Lee’s Beautiful Day is now at #3 on iTunes. Crystal is still at #8.

Kris’s single is at #134 (album version)/#891 (single version) and his album has re-entered the top 100 at #95.

So good news for all 3

tripp_ncwy

It’s possible Jive is trying to expand to a more adult pop/Hot AC market by singing these guys. They’ve obviously had soem success with Kris, I don’t know what kind of sales Cumming has had — has he released anything for Jive yet?

I don’t understand the reports that Kris is not doing well either. His first single went platinum and I imagine it will go double platinum at some point. Forbes has Kris listed at #10 in Idols with 1.7 million earned. I think it’s based on perception rather than fact because Adam gets so much more publicity. On “Insider” tonight, no mention of Kris performing at the finale – but Adam was mentioned because he wasn’t there. Go figure.

To Tripp: Maybe that’s their strategy to have “songwriters”/musicians signed versus singers who can’t write songs? We know that a stream of royalties makes one very very rich (i.e. Michael Jackson).

It’s possible Jive is trying to expand to a more adult pop/Hot AC market by singing these guys. They’ve obviously had soem success with Kris, I don’t know what kind of sales Cumming has had — has he released anything for Jive yet?

Cuming (i can’t get his name right) hasn’t but is supposed to have something this year but has an EP out now. He is also opening some dates for Maroon 5.

On “Insider” tonight, no mention of Kris performing at the finale – but Adam was mentioned because he wasn’t there. Go figure.

This odesn’t surprise me at all. The media goes on and on about there being more interest in Adam then Kris, but they perpetuate it by doing thins like this.

Kris’s single is at #134 (album version)/#891 (single version) and his album has re-entered the top 100 at #95.

love that the album version is the one people seem to be interested in – maybe Jive should have listened to the fans, especially since Kris is never going to a large audience performance, like on AI, with PAt

i wonder if kris would like to write with or for crystal. in reality however, that collaboration would happen only after her debut album.

Even though I would have pictured Arista for Crystal, Jive does seem to be very patient with these kids and not as quick to drop them as RCA would be.

That’s a good sign then, I guess. Happy happy happy for Crystal and for Lee. I hope Crystal keeps setting bigger dreams for herself and does well in the industry.

Are we shipping Crystal/Lee yet? lol

I wonder if Crystal can hook up with producers that worked with Alanis on her first record or even Sara Bareilles? Just wishful thinking…

I really like Kris but dang…that single of his (the one that he sang at the finale) is mind-numbingly boring. He sang it well enough and did a GREAT job performing it but I would probably never listen to that song ever again. Honestly, I think that it was a terrible choice as a follow-up to LLWD.

And Crystal’s on Jive? Didn’t see that one coming. Like most people (I assume), I thought she’d be on RCA.

Wikipedia, amusingly, has Lee listed under Jive and Crystal listed under RCA.

…not that wiki means anything. but it amuses me nonetheless.

I second the folk/rock album from Crystal and country/rock from Casey. Lee will probably be rock/rock. I’m probably in the far away minority, but I think Tim and Aaron have potential. In particular, I thought Tim was a great guitar picker on “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”. Aaron has a great country voice. Country needs a young singer with a great voice.

Wikipedia, amusingly, has Lee listed under Jive and Crystal listed under RCA.

I see Lee as RCA/Jive and Crystal as RCA, Sony Music on their individual Wiki pages.

I see Lee as RCA/Jive and Crystal as RCA, Sony Music on their individual Wiki pages.

yeah. i checked the “list of Jive recording artists” and found Lee’s name…but I couldn’t find him under RCA’s…where I found Crystal.

girlygirl:
05/27/2010 at 8:40 pm
I’m not expecting 19 to sign anyone else other than Casey and Alex Lambert.

You are optimistic (though maybe correct) – I honestly wouldn’t expect anyone but Lee and Crystal to be signed this year.

Yes, that’s exactly why, and mainly it’s because every time you read about the Idol alums he’s listed as a failure. I’m not exaggerating, though I know they are.

He was tainted by the apples vs. komquats comparison to Adam. and the main thing is that the immense success of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson (and some throw David Cook in there too) is now some kind of standard these young artists are expected to meet. Lordy.

I agree any Kris as failure talk is baseless, it really is a media spin that has very little to do with actual sales or numbers, and everything to do with perception. Case in point – I just read the Washington Post review of the finale, and they commented about how Kris was known for nothing but the Ford commercial that ran during idol, while Adam is all over the media.

Furthermore, they then mentioned David Cook as a similar “no name”. So, yeah – the fact that Cook sold very well last year, but was described like this, pretty clearly indicated that, when it comes to media (who know very little about actual sales or numbers), it’s all about the perception. Nothing more.

I’m probably in the far away minority, but I think Tim and Aaron have potential.

i am not sure about Aaron but I do think Tim has potential. There´s something special about him, I just hope the kid gets some kind of a break after the tour if he is not signed. Maybe Glee is waiting but I think that if he gets signed he will actually do well if he marketed to the Disney tween crowd. Plus the kid is incredibly marketable. Maybe Hollywood Records could work for him.

Aaron is a sweet kid and he can sing but I think he is still too raw to be a current country artist. He needs some years under his belt and maybe he could have a career.

Just my two cents.

agree any Kris as failure talk is baseless, it really is a media spin that has very little to do with actual sales or numbers, and everything to do with perception. Case in point – I just read the Washington Post review of the finale, and they commented about how Kris was known for nothing but the Ford commercial that ran during idol, while Adam is all over the media.

You should have just seen the segment on Joy Behar. Not a Kris fan. She talked about Crystal not winning and went straight to the Kris/Adam comparisons.

I tend to rely on Billboard rather than Wikipedia. The Wiki list of Jive artists also has Crytal’s name on it. Anyone can add info to a Wiki page so I don’t put much faith in what I read there.

I am so happy that the news of Crystal also getting a contract that now I feel a lot better about the vote results. It’s in her capable hands now. So all is well that ends well.

He keeps saying in interviews that his album will be a rock/blues mix with a little country. This makes me hopeful…..

Eric Clapton-ish. That is my dream for Casey!!!

Congrats to Lee and Crystal!!!

I’m probably in the far away minority, but I think Tim and Aaron have potential. In particular, I thought Tim was a great guitar picker on “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”. Aaron has a great country voice. Country needs a young singer with a great voice.

I actually totally agree with you about both of them. In fact, if labels were smart, they’d pick up Casey, Mike, Aaron, Siobhan, and Tim, every one of them, at this point. I know a lot of people probably think “7 people signed out of this season?” The fact is, every single one of them had at least a couple very good studio recordings if not more. You’re right on with Tim and the guitar picking – and even if he’s not the most incredible vocal performer, he’s got what I’d consider a very simple, pure voice. Give him a decently written song of the right style, and he’ll make it sound good – and he’s gonna have girls falling all over him. At least he’d be one teen sensation or whatever you call them nowadays that could sing in tune live without autotune.

Siobhan is the only one of the top 7 that I’d question a record contract for – and it’s because I’m not sure that anyone really knows what to do with her. She doesn’t know, how will anyone else? That said, the girl has…something. They just need to figure out what. Aaron – country. Mike – neo-soul or even a folky-country rock sound. I’m crazy? Darius Rucker went country and soul and pop and all sorts of stuff on his solo album. Mike could too. Casey – give that guy a blues band and let him play as much as he sings. Buy a round of beers…and watch the money flow in. Every single one of the top 7 can make a career of this. In fact, the one I still question the most…is Lee. Of course as the winner he’d get signed, duh. After his first album though, I don’t know if he’s going to have enough special about him to do any more – especially if he doesn’t become a marginally decent live performer.

Whatever. I’m still really not taking the Lee winning over Crystal thing well at all. I was better during the day today, but tonight, it got almost as bad as last night again – fuming, angry bad. At least after my family voted 2,000 +/- times in vain Tuesday night, I did the only other thing I could do at this point and bought her single (I did more than enough to support her to have the right to complain, contrary to those who complain but then say they didn’t vote at all). Haven’t even listened to Lee’s studio recording of his, and I won’t either.

I don’t understand the reports that Kris is not doing well either. His first single went platinum and I imagine it will go double platinum at some point. Forbes has Kris listed at #10 in Idols with 1.7 million earned. I think it’s based on perception rather than fact because Adam gets so much more publicity. On “Insider” tonight, no mention of Kris performing at the finale – but Adam was mentioned because he wasn’t there. Go figure.

Here’s why Kris is perceived by some to not be doing well.

Story: Elliott Yamin. On his first — gold-plus — album, he had a platinum single that not only went platinum but went top 3 on both Pop and HAC and was something like one of the top five songs of the *year* in radio play, while the video was also one of the top 20 videos of the year. That same album also quickly went gold in Japan. In addition, he did all this as an indie — which, literally, gives you *maybe* about a third as much promotional resources and clout as somebody on a major (some would say it’s more like 15 or 20 percent as much, based on the performance of average overall indies in the marketplace and on radio), *and* without the clout or hype of an AI winner, *and* with an album that came out nearly a full year after his Idol season was over, in which case one fully expects a lot of the buyer enthusiasm to die down. In fact, not only was he not the winner, he was the third-place finisher, who, because of scheduling, never ever gets the same out-of-the-gate tv appearances and such that even the *lower* finishers get. and, back in season five and prior, the third-placer got even less of this exposure than they have gotten since, after this fact was finally recognized as unfair. And in his year, he not only was fighting for promotional space with numbers one and two but with the dramatically “robbed” Chris Daughtry.

And, despite all this, how often do you think anybody remarked, Wow, that Elliot Yamin, *he’s* a huge success! …. Not very often, is how often.

So, if Elliott wasn’t considered a particularly stunning success, then Kris, the winner with a similar record and way more promotion and resources behind him, is going to be thought by some not to be a success either.

Rightly or wrongly — I would say kind of wrongly, but many disagree — it takes a *lot* for the Idol folks (and others) to be generally acclaimed big successes.

And the name of Crystal’s 1st album should be Angel.

Strong blues influenced songs with a positive message. Something to make you think.

Story: Elliott Yamin

I didn’t read all of that, mainly becasuse
1. Kris isn’t Elliott.
2. Eliot wasn’t signed to a major label, with major label support. Elliott had to promote both of his albums himself, which makes the success of the first song that much more impressive, but explains why he ran into a brick wall with the follow-up singles and the second album.
3. Who says Elliott hasn’t been successful? This seems like another pointless line of demarcation that’s been put out there by AI fans, who are very knowledgeable about the show, but who don’t know jack about the recording industry.

I didn’t read all of that, mainly becasuse
1. Kris isn’t Elliott.
2. Eliot wasn’t signed to a major label, with major label support. Elliott had to promote both of his albums himself, which makes the success of the first song that much more impressive, but explains why he ran into a brick wall with the follow-up singles and the second album.
3. Who says Elliott hasn’t been successful? This seems like another pointless line of demarcation that’s been put out there by AI fans, who are very knowledgeable about the show, but who don’t know jack about the recording industry.

I don;’t want to put words in the poster’s mouth but I think she agrees with your points. I think she was just trying to illustrate how narrow the definition of post idol success is. Lucy, if I misinterpretted you, I’m sorry.

I don;’t want to put words in the poster’s mouth but I think she agrees with your points. I think she was just trying to illustrate how narrow the definition of post idol success is. Lucy, if I misinterpretted you, I’m sorry.

Nope, you didn’t misinterpret me. I was trying to say exactly this, and, ironically, I made pretty much the exact points in my post that babybelle32 made in hers. I just put a small additional spin on them. Thanks, Lu.

babybelle32, in future I really would appreciate it if you didn’t respond to and bash my posts when you haven’t read more than a few words of them. (I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t do this to anybody’s posts, in fact.) What the heck is the point of bashing down somebody’s supposed point when you have no idea what that point was, since you haven’t read it?

Sorry, mj. All off topic. Boards on boards. I’ll shut up now.

yeah. i checked the “list of Jive recording artists” and found Lee’s name…but I couldn’t find him under RCA’s…where I found Crystal.

It has been changed. Crystal is now listed with Jive artists, and Lee with RCA artists.

Well, I may be in the minority but I want more Lee/Crystal duets… the new James Taylor/Carly Simon – LOL. But, seriously, I REALLY like their voices together.

I do hope Crystal bends a little. I’m not sure about the cd she will put out left to her own devices. My reasoning relates to the Mountain, which takes a very long time to build – good for an all folk album, but not so good for a sellable song, IMO, and I love Patty Griffin songs. I wasn’t too sure when I heard it on the show and a second listen confirmed my opinion.

ETA: I would be delighted if Crystal has a Patti Griffin sort of career. She is very popular in Texas and gets national play. It is the sort of path that seems to promise longevity, if not a lot of radio play. Crystal may need the advice of some of her mentors and I hope those that like her give her some.

I noticed this in that BB article:

In the meantime, the pair’s debut singles were released to iTunes and radio today. DeWyze’s single, a cover of U2′s “Beautiful Day,” has, between midnight and 2 p.m. CST today (May 27), received 27 all-format spins, while Bowersox’s version of Patty Griffin’s “Up to the Mountain” has received 5 all-format spins, according to preliminary data provided by Nielsen BDS.

Success of TOML on radio helped to propel it to being a million seller (and probably helped it to be used for the Olympics which caused him to appear on Oprah and so it all builds). So radio is important

Here is what NoBo and TOML did in the 4 days following the finale:
Adam: “No Boundaries”: 46 Spins (7 AC, 16, Pop, 3 AC, 17 Alt, 1 UAC)

Kris: “No Boundaries”: 402 Spins (119 HAC, 133 Pop, 88 AC, 4 Country, 1 Rhy, 23 CanAC, 21 CanPop, 13 CanAC)) – got to 29 on AC

Rankings available (we used to have access to full charts, so I only posted a link to the QuickCut – perhaps fans captured those)

Cook: “Time of My Life”: ^26 AC (-), ^50 HAC (-), ^58 Pop (-), ^165 Act (-), ^300 AAA (-), ^633 Alt (-)

“Imagine”: ^169 HAC (-), ^136 AC (155), ^390 Pop (-)

Jordin: “This is My Now”: 47 AC (-), 74 Pop (-), 80 HAC (-), 130 Country (-), 489 Rhy (-), 1054 Urban (-)

Blake: “The Show (w/Doug E Fresh)”: 159 Pop (-), 164 HAC (-), 207 Active (-), 222 Rhy (-), 229 AC (-), 316 UAC (-), 351 Urban (-), 1238 Alt (-)

Congrats to both Crystal and Lee on their respective signings.

I’m thrilled that Crystal signed with Jive and will be a label mate with Kris and Allison. I’d love to see her collaborate on something with Kris. Both their writing and singing styles would mesh well.

While Jive gets dissed a lot, they seem to have come a long way since the Kelly days. THeir marketing and promotion leaves a lot to be desired.

The positive here is that it seems they give their artists more artistic freedom. Kris had 9 co-writes on his album – one his self-penned pre-Idol ‘Red Guitar’ and his co-write with friend and band mate, Cale Miles, on ‘Is It Over’. For Crystal, I expect ‘Holy Toledo’ to end up on her debut album and that will be worth it all to her.

As a singer/songwriter/musician, Crystal will probably be happy there. She will probably be able to get her friend/guitarist into her band just as Kris did with Cale. That should make her ecstatic.

Jive seems more single than album oriented and that fits with the current market which trends to downloaded music and buying singles. They also do more cross promotion, it seems to me. Crystal can go in multiple directions with the most obvious being HAC and Country.

For Kris, they’ve made some solid moves in pairing him with established artists for his tour who are good fits, and up and comers for the headlining legs of it. The Keith Urban pairing was genius and Keith wants to get in the studio and collaborate with Kris. (source: TheBoot.com)

I’m expecting Casey to get signed. I thought pairing him with Brett Michaels was perfect and I won’t be surprised if something comes out of that.

I’m expecting Casey to get signed.

Me too. Two things they must keep in mind— he needs a guitar in his hands and someone else on stage whose energy he can feed off of. I hope they are working on putting a band together for him.

weese:
05/28/2010 at 10:00 am
I’m expecting Casey to get signed.

Me too. Two things they must keep in mind— he needs a guitar in his hands and someone else on stage whose energy he can feed off of. I hope they are working on putting a band together for him.

Casey mentioned in a recent video that his brother was going to play bass in his band. Perhaps they are already putting something together?

“This seems like another pointless line of demarcation that’s been put out there by AI fans, who are very knowledgeable about the show, but who don’t know jack about the recording industry.” — Babybell32

100% in agreement. “…pointless line of demarcation that’s been put out there by AI fans …” Well said. It’s a totally different climate in the music world and Idol, itself isn’t the behemoth it once was, but it’s still a huge platform for jumpstarting a musical career. Jive is doing everything right with Kris Allen and Kris is working really hard, running with all the venues and gigs they’ve been getting him. He was just on CW11 this morning, performing for WPLJ 95.5 with Barenaked Ladies on the jersey shore. I wish I’d known sooner because I’m in the area and I could have watched live. Listening on the live stream, Kris blew me away. The band is so tight, they’re like a well-oiled machine. Andrew, his guitarist, is phenomenal. They are GOOD. It’s like they’ve been playing together for years. I’m a pretty critical person when it comes to live music, but Kris surpassed even my high bar with this morning’s performances. At the end of his set, playing LLWD, I was pretty much in awe. The DJs were gushing, and it was spontaneous and genuine. Andrew’s guitar solo during Is It Over puts the song in a whole other league, very, very cool. Alright With Me is also a very cool song and what makes me happy is those songs are Kris Allen originals. I’ve always been a fan, but as a longtime music lover, I put him up there with some of the best I’ve seen and listened to over the years. This guy has a shitload of potential and Jive is doing a hell of a job nurturning it and getting him that well-deserved exposure. In all honesty, he’s winning audiences over everywhere he performs. I’m not blowing smoke as they say, this is serious. If these guys stay together as a band and Kris cranks out some really good songs, he’s going to be around for a very long time. Mark my words.

Shoot! This was suppose to be my impression about Jive and Crystal. Let me just say, Crystal was my pick to win. Kris and Crystal have the same musical vibe to me. Organic, singer/songwriter oozing with natural talent. I am pleased with Crystal signing with Jive. I think Crystal will get the creative freedom and opportunities she wants with this group. Kris and Crystal on Jive have amped up the cool level. Jive most definitely knows the talent they’ve been given. It’s all good.

Regarding Lee and Crystal — I think they are very lucky because the media expectations are very low for their sales. Kris followed David Cook, who was one of the most successful winners from Idol — particularly right out of the gate. Kris was “expected” as the winner to sell 1 million album units. Every other winner except the “loser” winner Taylor Hicks sold 1 million+ and even some non-winners sold more than that.

Kris was “expected” as the winner to have a big hit song right after Idol. Instead he was saddled with the dreary NoBo. It is incredible that he sold that many copies of that awful song.

The music business has changed radically. Lee and Crystal are not expected to have platinum albums or even a hit single this summer. So if they do produce platinum albums, great. If they do not, it will just be what was expected.

I don’t understand the reports that Kris is not doing well either. His first single went platinum and I imagine it will go double platinum at some point. Forbes has Kris listed at #10 in Idols with 1.7 million earned. I think it’s based on perception rather than fact because Adam gets so much more publicity. On “Insider” tonight, no mention of Kris performing at the finale – but Adam was mentioned because he wasn’t there. Go figure.

Kris is doing more than fine. According to Forbes he earned $1.7 million and $748,000 was from touring and music sales. There is a lot more to making money in the entertainment business than selling recorded music.

Kris Allen, the 2009 Idol winner, has sold just 300,000 albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In the past year his music and touring sales have delivered an estimated $748,000–nothing much to sing about. He places 10th on our annual list of the top-earning stars launched by American Idol.

Link: http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/25/carrie-underwood-clarkson-daughtry-business-entertainment-american-idol.html

Finally, I believe the perception that Kris isn’t doing will has nothing to do with the amount of press Adam gets — it has to do with the fact that his album sold fewer units than previous winners and several non-winners including Adam. It also has to do with the fact that many members of the press and fans still define success by the number of album units sold. This is obsolete. The major label are rapidly shifting their model to focus on track sales, licensing, publishing and other revenue.

For perspective on the death of albums — in the US:

Album sales peaked in 2000.

2009 album units sold = 373.9 million only 19 albums sold over 1 million units and one was released by an Idol winner – 13 DAVID COOK DAVID COOK 1,233,398

2007 album units sold = 500.5 million

Note: I am most puzzled with the lack of respect David Cook gets for his sales achievements. But having seen his estimated income for 2009 on the Forbes list, my guess is he is laughing all the way to the bank.

Kris was “expected” as the winner to sell 1 million album units.

Not sure where you get the idea that Kris was expected to sell a million. I don’t remember anyone saying that, and I certainly never expected him to – I had hoped he would sell gold and with a bit of luck might do better than Taylor Hicks. As it turns out, that wasn’t to be and he did quite a bit worse. The one who was expected to sell a million was Adam.

And I wouldn’t take the Forbes article too seriously. They revised their numbers and somehow magically added a milion dollars to Kris’ earnings. It’s all guesswork, a lot of Idol watchers can probably come up with better estimation.

Folks, remember this — we’ve come to a point in this show after 9 seasons when we should realize that winning does not necessarily always offer significant advantages in life after idol.

You get more exposure through 19 E, a record deal, and promotion and that’s pretty much it.

There’s no guarantee of sales or much airplay. It depends on the market niche you try to target.

Why for instance does Ke$sha get a lot of airplay when the much more talented Allison Iraheta is trying to get into the airplay door ?

A lot of top 12 finalists who did not even make the top 3 have gone to million dollar earning careers. Count them — Daughtry, Kellie Pickler, Jennifer Hudson, etc.

Idol provides a venue for you to showcase your talent. Voters on the show ARE NOT NECESSARILY RECORD BUYERS.

Also note this — you don’t have to sell a lot of records to be a success post-idol.

For instance, Many people keep ridiculing Taylor Hicks saying he’s a failure for failing to reach the million album figure ( his first album sold just over 700,000 copies ).

Well guess how much money he made last year from touring and concerts and album sales combined ?

ANSWER : 3.5 Million freaking US Dollars !!

See here (for those who missed this ) :

http://www.popeater.com/2010/05/23/taylor-hicks-american-idol/

TITLE : Taylor Hicks is Laughing All the Way to the Bank

Also note this — you don’t have to sell a lot of records to be a success post-idol.

True, true, true!!! If these contestants play their cards right (like Chickezie didn’t), they’ll be way better off than they were before idol. Doors are opened. It may not be selling a gazillion records, selling out huge arenas and being on the radio 24/7. It may be Broadway, hosting tv shows, starring in tv shows, touring small venues, making cds of music you love… success is relative. Far be it from me to call any of them a failure.