New American Idol Promo Emphasizes Accomplishments (VIDEO)

Scotty McCreery named among the ranks of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson? Oh yes :) 

I love it! Go Idol!

And the font spelling Scotty’s name is bigger than Jennifer’s and Adam’s!  lol

Can’t say I like it.

Even the Idols not mentioned in this promo are way more successful than whatever contestants The Voice had last year. Not that they weren’t all talented, but The Voice is really about the coaches. Therefore not enough invested fans to buy the winner or finalists music to make a big mark.

I’m guessing it’s because he won and his album went platinum, while they didn’t win and their albums were just gold. Thats my guess anyway. Jennifer is technically a bigger star than Scotty overall though(with movies, etc).

Well they should  It’s a such a large contrast from the voice. Even if you factor in The voice only has one season look at what Kelly did when she came off the show certainly sold more than 10K and Radio played her songs. So we know Idol smashes the voice in terms of Album sales success. The verdict is still out on X-Factor b/c none of them have come out with anything yet. I’m really curious to see how those signed will do. I can’t wait to see Astro’s stuff and i’m wondering what direction Melanie album will go ballad or up-tempo.

I do not see this thread ending well. *Grabs popcorn*

lol. *steals popcorn*

Well, Scotty certainly has more reason to be included than Adam and yet I don’t see anyone questioning his placement. 

Why is JLo wearing a bathrobe?

314 #1 hit singles — anyone got the list?  Are they talking about a BB #1

I don’t like to see names there. Last year, David Cook would have been there with his platinium sales but now he isn’t there?
Following this logic, I would have put only Kelly and Carrie names there because only them have sustained this kind of sales

I was just about to say the same thing lol.

 Actually, even Kelly and Carrie are not sustaining this kind of sales.

*steals popcorn and grabs soft drink*

Really, only Carrie, Kelly, and Jennifer can be considered superstars, which is why you saw them on the Grammy Awards this year- each have their powerful niche.  The men have not done as well- both Clay and Daughtry sold millions of albums but their presence has faded.

“314 #1 hit singles — anyone got the list?  Are they talking about a BB #1″

Yes, I think so, but there are so many BB charts.  It’s not just the major charts.  They could also be counting Mediabase charts.  Or even lists from online fan voting?  lol

Very effective Idol, very effective indeed. Scotty absolutely should be mentioned since he’s doing well right now….and he actually won… and he won the season post-Simon…so of course his font is bigger (I can’t believe fans are making a big deal about font)

I love how this commercial speaks to competitors indirectly. Idol is saying…”Even though viewers may be curious about your bells and whistles now, THESE contestants know that our show will give them the best chance of being a star and viewers will realize that OUR show gives them the power to make someone’s wildest dreams come true in the same music industry that you blame for Javier’s failure.”

Well, at least that how I view it..hehe :)

 LOL @ Idol trying to take credit for JHud.

This promo makes Idol seem really threatened. You have to remind people of the success of contestants over the course of 10 season compared to one season of the X Factor and The Voice? It’s not like every season of Idol has a success story. At the moment s9 is pretty much a lost cause unless Casey James can turn it around.

If there is one thing good about this promo, it’s the fact that the show is emphasizing some of their success stories.  Some of them have won, some of them haven’t but they have been successful either with music, tv, films or a little of all of the above. 

Don’t get me wrong, from what I’ve seen so far, I like the Voice but none of last season’s finalists have done well with single or album sales and since just the first season of the US version of X-Factor is over, it really is too early to make a call on those finalists releasing new material at the moment just yet.

I do agree with mj though.  It is good to see the show fighting back.

 So idol is 9/10, and the voice is 0/1. 90% to me is clearly better than 0%

As I said on another thread – don’t you think it follows sales?  If so, think it’s pretty good.

I don’t like the overall tone of this promo, it’s too agressive.
You can celebrate the success of your contestants without saying that it’s the “only” show that can get one which is an obvious jab to the direct competition.

Of course the choice of the names highlighted will always be a hot topic but frankly there’s no big surprise considering what the producers have said/done in the past.

It would be better to have more names than what we see!  Success can be measured in more ways than sales.  I understand where they are coming from, but I don’t like the ad.

314 #1 hit singles — anyone got the list? Are they talking about BB #1

Fred would have the list. I put together a partial list last summer, but Fred has better sources than I. they are talking about BB #1s, but I think they are cheating a little. Many hit songs chart on multiple charts. For instance, Kelly’s “Stronger” was number one on both the download chart and the Hot 100. Of course, the number of times they’ve topped the charts increases if you include albums.

Go Idol! I can’t be mad when they are promoting their contestants and all they have achieved. I am contestant-centric.

lol  I know.  I joked on another thread that Idol fans would be getting out their rulers to measure the size of the font of the name of their favorites.  I don’t think that I was wrong.  lol

You’re comparing it to a show that’s had one season in an era where times have changed musically. If someone like Taylor won Idol now they surely wouldn’t open with 300,000 on their first week. Same with Clay and Ruben. They’d flop harder than Lee DeWyze.

I think that Daughtry’s success has far exceeded and been sustained much longer than Clay’s.  Daughtry reached beyond his Idol fans, established himself as a mainstream presence on radio and Clay never did.

Eh. It’s all about “what have you done for me lately?”. I get it. No offense taken that my fave isn’t on there. Carrie, Kelly, Daughtry and Jennifer are automatics, obviously. Scotty is riding the wave of an Idol win and a shiny, new Platinum album. Adam has a new album coming out. Jordin has a new movie with Whitney coming out. It makes sense to me.

If Adam doesn’t capitalize on his buzz,or if Jordin’s movie flops, or if Kris’ has an out of left-field smash hit with his new album, the promo will look very different next year, and it will still make sense.

It’s all Billboard charts there’s hundreds of them stuff like recurrent, radio, pop, hot 100, digital etc. Here’s the latest list I found when they scored their 300th. Dated: May 26, 2011.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/american-idol-chart-300th-no-192677?page=2 

The Idols on the vid are also ones that can usually be recognized by one name – and they flash those, too.

 I’m sure they would open with more than 10,000 though. Now THAT is embarrassing lol.

But we learned that the Idol definition of “superstar” is different from the rest of the world when Ryan introduced Lee Dewyze as a “superstar” when he performed on Idol last season.  lol

Here is the list of BB number ones I came up with last year (includes albums). Obviously, they’ve added to the total since then.

http://www.mjsbigblog.com/big-list-of-idol-billboard-1s.htm

I think that’s exactly what it means.  I was just found it amusing.

Oh no. Did this had to get it’s own thread? lol. Seriously, I don’t get the font thing since I don’t think it has absolutely anything to do with sales. People are reading too much into the fonts. Nice to see Scotty now included in that list though.

 That has nothing to do with the quality of the Voice. That’s all on the label and their management. Should we all blame Ellen, Kara, Simon and Randy for not promoting Lee or Crystal? No, it’s not their fault their albums didn’t do more. I like the Voice and I honestly just laughed at this promo because it came off so desperate.

 ”They’d flop harder than Lee DeWyze.”

Is this one of those little white lies people tell themselves to feel better?

Fact is every season of Idol has a contestant with a Top 40 hit in any genre of music including S9. And 7 of the 10 winners all had platinum albums. 

The Voice can’t say they have any contestant with a top 40 hit in any genre from S1 or good album sales. 

Yes it completely reflects the quality of the voice. First week sales have much more to do with the quality of the show and how invested people are than anything the record company does. People may have found the voice entertaining enough, but the minute it was over they forgot who was on because it wasn’t engaging enough.
The voice is like america’s next top model with singers. And no tyra, which means it’s worse.

I complain sometimes, but I really love Idol.  It’s a source of endless entertainment for me. 

“The Idols on the vid are also ones that can usually be recognized by one name – and they flash those, too.”

Which ones? The only one I can think of as a one name idol is Daughtry. The rest are just a sea of common names.

Every season of idol has had someone who has sold over 10K at least…

How is that a white lie? Clay, Ruben and Taylor would likely flop right out of the gate. Someone like Kris Allen is way more marketable and current and he opened with about 80,000. Times have changed musically and with Idol. Kelly Clarkson would be lucky to crack the top 5 if she auditioned in the past few seasons.

thank you. I tought about that but wasn’t sure. It certainly makes the number of #1 more impressive – i have nothing against that though :)

But given how many Idols have had their sophomore albums sell poorly, I think that Idol fans support their favorites more/as much as reality show contestants (and for their images), than for their music.  So there’s often a disconnect in maintaining that support once the debut album is released and it’s not what was expected based on the show and the tour.

 That’s just laughable. First week sales have more to to with the quality of the show? If the album isn’t promoted then people can’t buy it. I liked Javier and I didn’t even know his album was coming out until right before it was released. The material also plays part in it as well. None of that has anything to do with the Voice. That’s their management and record company. Does it reflect on the Voice? Sure. Is it their fault? No.

If you watch the video, the first name of each idol briefly flashes before the whole name is seen.

That has nothing to do with the quality of the Voice. That’s all on the label and their management.

Oh please. It’s just a coincidence that the much maligned Lee outsold every single Voice contestant put together and multiplied by 4? And lets not even talk about the flop Voice tour (for which you cannot blame either the label or the contestants’ management – and yes, even the much maligned Season 9 tour absolutely CRUSHED The Voice tour).

There is something flawed about the format of The Voice in promoting contestants. It’s still really fun for the viewers, but it’s just a waste of time for the contestants.

If Idol is better for the contestants and actually gives them a chance at a career, why not promote that? While many people don’t give a rat’s a$$ about what happens to any of the contestants after the show, some of us do. The ad is appealing to future contestants and those of us that are interested in what becomes of them after they sweep up the confetti. That’s why I’m here. Not all ads are meant to appeal to all people.

 At least there is that initial connection with the fans, and that is because of the show. By the time the second album rolls around, yup it is on the label. The first album is largely from the show though.

Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks were hugely popular on their season of Idol – maybe THE most popular winner and runner up to that point. If they appeared on Idol THIS year, there’s no reason to believe they wouldn’t sell proportionally as well now and they did then.  I’ll go so far as to say that if Taylor were promoted like he should have been and a single was released in a timely manner, he would have sold way more than the 300K he sold, first week.

I said “usually.”   (Certainly within the Idol world.)

What does Lee selling more have to do with anything? A flop is a flop. None of them went anywhere. It’s like arguing that your turtle is faster than another turtle. You lost the race at the end of the day.

 Are all flops created equal? Because I do think simple math says that 300,000>10,000

This promo makes Idol seem really threatened.

Its not nearly as bad as when Simon did the whole commercial when he was wearing the pink shirt and making fun of how soft idol went(and probably bitter that the show went on without him). Its also not as bad when the voice coaches kept emphasizing “We don’t judge you on your looks like the other shows, we judge you on your voice!” Nothing screams more desperate than The Voice’s promo just this last week- “70 million viewers tuned in to make The Voice the new number 1 singing competition.” I wonder if they will air that promo again now that they lost to idol again?

There seems to be no independent criteria for what constitutes a flop.  Is it simply sales?  And what number of sales (or lack of) would indicate a flop?  And in the real world or Idol world?  Need benchmarks – or it really comes down to opinion.

The Voice should probably run a new promo that says that AI calls themselves a singing competition but had barely any singing in it’s last episode so watch us instead.

But that connection often wanes very quickly when fans discover that the music that their favorite produces isn’t what they liked about them on the show/tour.  So, yes, there’s some initial commercial success (which leads to a lot of those #1′s), but that can be misleading, and that’s why the success of the second album really is the watershed point that determines real success vs. success based on support from the show.

What does Lee selling more have to do with anything? A flop is a flop. None of them went anywhere. It’s like arguing that your turtle is faster than another turtle. You lost the race at the end of the day.

I think it’s relevant when Idol’s biggest flop still sold 10 times more than The Voice’s biggest success story. 10 TIMESIf Lee is a turtle, the season 1 Voice contestants are turtles that got run over by a semi before the race even started. They got even got their a$$es handed to them by a Jazz singer on a show judged by Howie Mandel.

I liked the new promo. Because for these auditioners, future success is what should really matter.  I think the Voice REALLY needs to look into how to get its audience invested in its contestants and not just its fun judges.  I am already trying to decided if I will be team Adam or Team Blake this year vs which contestant I really like (though with Jordis, I loved her from RSINXS, so things could change). Idol does a great job of getting you hooked on the contestants.  There is a big emotional connection most years.  Neither of the two new shows have succeeded in doing that and I think that is their weakness and where Idol is the best.  Also,  I there is something to being the “American Idol”  it’s like being Ms. America or Ms. Universe.   The other shows, the winner is just, “Xfactor winner” or “Winner of the the Voice”. With AI you get a crown, a title, and some inherent PR.  I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy the new shows but I think that they will HAVE to produce stars to stay credible.  They won’t get good talent to audition otherwise. 

” that’s why the success of the second album really is the watershed point
that determines real success vs. success based on support from the
show. ”

Pop Quiz! Which idol sold a million copies of their second album in 6 weeks without a single?

My mind is blown that people are trying to prop Idol to the point we’re comparing more successful flops now. LMAO. I can’t even.

I like The Voice, but they might have problems recruiting for next season. Those who auditioned for season 2 didn’t know yet at the time the kind of treatment and (non-) promo the winner would get lol. *goes back to popcorn and soft drink*

 I’m not really seeing the connection with what I’m saying though. I don’t think we disagree.

 Since all the voice has had is flops, it is all we have to compare.

 That’s the problem. Why is anyone comparing success from 10 seasons of contestants to a show that has been on for one season? That’s crazy.

“There seems to be no independent criteria for what constitutes a flop.  Is it simply sales?  And what number of sales (or lack of) would indicate a flop?  And in the real world or Idol world?  Need benchmarks – or it really comes down to opinion.”

lovetheusa1776, the like button was briefly on strike
for me – so, consider your remark “liked”. Because benchmarks are
logical, and defining the specific criteria makes sense. So, it won’t happen.

My rule of thumb – in the Real World, a flop is what the Label says it
is. In the Bubble World, a flop is a Lewis Carroll word that means
whatever the person using it says it means, no more, and no less.
(Courtesy of The Red Queen) Since it has no actual meaning…trying to
get a definition is like nailing jello to a wall. *snerk*

IMO. Of Course.

But you can even compare idol’s least successful season(season 9), and the sales of Lee and Crystal make them look like superstars compared to the voice contestants.

Ha, ha. When is a label going to call an album they put out a flop. That will never happen.  Although one benchmark is after the album non-hits, the label drops the artist from their roster. That’s a pretty good guideline. ;)  Sales is what it’s all about. About 99% of the  albums these contestants put out are rush jobs and certainly not artistic masterpieces to say the least. ;)

I think it refers to songs that have hit #1 on any BB chart — not just the major ones. And there are a TON of BB charts. I’ve seen links in the sales threads before to a chart showing the 300+ #1 hits ex-Idols have accounted for.

Xmas albums don’t count.  lol  Considering his popularity right after Idol, Clay’s success declined pretty rapidly.  The latest sales figures as of January, 2012:

Measure of a Man (2003):  2.785 million
Merry Christmas with Love (2004):  1.378 million
A Thousand Different Ways (2006):  531,000
On My Way Here (2008):  165,000
Tried and True (2010):  68,000

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2012/01/kelly-clarksons-stronger-hits-the-half-million-mark/1#.Tzs6vSOzW4E

I friggin love the bubble, especially now that it has expanded beyond the scope of a single show. Who would of thunk that battle lines could be as intense between shows as they have been between the contestants.

I’d bet my sweet bippy that The Voice, X-Factor, even AGT would be screaming it from the rooftops if any of their winners debuted in the top 5 on the billboard charts, and they would be marketing like crazy if any of their winners get nominated (or heaven forbid win) a grammy.  And if any of their contestants get to star in a movie, do well on broadway or be on a highly publicized TV show you better believe the show will take credit.

Right now Idol has the right to crow….its alumni have had some major successes in the real world.  They may not have all been long-lasting but their names did, at least for a time, make a dent in the national consciousness.  I don’t think anybody outside of the bubble could tell you who won or came near to winning X-Factor, The Voice, or AGT (except for, maybe, that pre-pubescent opera gal).  So far anyone on these shows fell off the grid as fast as they hopped on.  Things may change…but it doesn’t look like any of them will even get a chance to flop on album #2…some may not even get a chance to score on album #1.

For all the complaints we can make about Idol in terms of who gets promoted and gets performance slots, the show still has done a much better job of acknowledging and promoting their past contestants than The Voice has to date. I was watching The Voice last night, and they spent maybe 5 seconds out of the entire show to mention that Javier, Dia and Beverly had albums out. Do you think that show will invite any of the S1 contestants to come back and perform this year? I somehow doubt it.

That said, this promo comes off as much like Idol is scared of the rival shows as it does as a celebration of the success past contestants have had.

“Ha, ha. When is a label going to call an album they put out a flop. That
will never happen.  Although one benchmark is after the album non-hits,
the label drops the artist from their roster. That’s a pretty good
guideline. ;) “

Exactly my point, jpfan2 – when the label says it is – they don’t ‘literally’ say so. Some benchmark of their own that we are not privy to was not met…so they don’t opt to continue with the artist.

And an artist can go on to a different label, or a different method of moving their music, and have a different result, so “flop” is really a very floppy word. IMO.

The difference in sales between the voice and Idol contestants shows that all the respect people have given to the Idol contestants selling 300k  is warranted. I’m sure the voice contestants had about the same amount of viewers as the Idol contestants yet they sold no where near their numbers. That illustrates that simply having a huge platform isn’t what sells albums it’s what that artist is bringing to the table. It isn’t that easy so kudos to all the idols who’ve reached that high my hat’s off to the 200kers too.

I agree w/ those who’ve said Idol is more about the contestants while the voice is more about the judges. Hmmm or maybe I should amend that a bit Idol tries to make their judges the story too but despite their attempts the public is still aware hey it’s this contestant i’m digging so i’ll support em. Whereas the voice it’s truly about the judges the only thing the show has helped are the judge’s careers.

Did anyone else catch how during the voice when they mentioned the audition songs where available they quickly added the winner’s and runner ups albums were available as well. They seemed sheepish about it to me like they were embarrassed to even acknowledge them. I thought that was a disservice to them to release that info in rushed manner, come on support them.

I myself like the Voice judges better they’re interactions between each other seem playful and open, even when they’re bickering w/ each other it’s light hearted. There’s no ominous malevolent feel to it like you’d get from the X factor judges when they bickered. The Idol judges I think of as more as just a shtick  Steven -crazy inappropriate guy, Jlo- beautiful compassionate lady, Randy- Dawg. They’re less a personality than a caricature. Yet whereas I feel the voice have the more likable judges Idol has had the best contestants over-all. They have people i’ve actually felt a connection w/ whom are talented as well. 

” Considering his popularity right after Idol, Clay’s success declined pretty rapidly. ”

That’s what happens to an uber popular idol that gets no label support and no radio for 8 years. sales tend to decline, oh and Christmas albums do too count!

My curiosity is about what sort of effect Celebrity Apprentice will have on his popularity and sales. No other idol has had that kind of exposure nearly a decade after their season. Maybe Katharine McPhee, and the outcome of her exposure is yet to be determined as well.

OT but are the finalists going to be living in a mansion this season? It didn’t really work out last year.

lol  Maybe we don’t, but I guess that I’m trying to say that because the initial success that a lot of the Idol contestants experience isn’t based on the music on their debut CDs, but on their support as reality show contestants, that may be why a lot of them haven’t achieved better mainstream success beyond their first albums.  I’ve seen people here say that where The Voice and X-Factor are lacking is that they don’t allow the viewers to get invested in the contestants, to care about them.  But, most people in the real world like singers for their music/performance abilities and often don’t know very much about them as people (and don’t care).  I know that I my tastes in music are pretty diverse, and for most of the artists I know very little about them outside of liking their music, and I think that the majority of people feel like this.  So, here you have these Idols achieving good/great commercial success off the show and it appears that only a few of them are able to establish themselves as mainstream, significantly successful (commercial and critical) artists based on their music.  The Idol “system” may be better than The Voice or X-Factor, but there’s still a disconnect for so many coming off the show and major disappointment often follows.

“Its also not as bad when the voice coaches kept emphasizing “We don’t
judge you on your looks like the other shows, we judge you on your
voice!” Nothing screams more desperate than The Voice’s promo just this
last week- “70 million viewers tuned in to make The Voice the new number
1 singing competition.”

“We get your voices with our backs and “the looks” cut in front of our/your faces”. Just watching their faces when they turn the chairs I see their relieves of upsets for what they have selected. 

Was anyone questioning Scotty’s placement? Personally, I think the word “superstar” is thrown around too much in the Idol bubble, but based on current sales and who is hot right now, these names all fit. Certainly based on sales in the US, even the size of the names fit to me (of course if we’re talking worldwide…) . 

Though let’s be real, neither Scotty or Adam have undergone the sophomore album test, so who knows if they’d be included on a list next time. If this list has been made following Cook’s season, both he and Archie would have made it; if it’d be made after Fantasia’s, she and Clay would have made it (after Celebrity Apprentice, he might be on the next one). They were all selling well (exceptionally in some cases), so this ad is obviously geared toward current name recognizably. 

My point is that Idol is fickle sometimes with who is considers a “star” and lot of them were considered such at some point in time. Except maybe Lee. Lol. I’m joking (kinda)! 

I’m curious about that too.  I think that the Celebrity Apprentice may remind some of the public of Clay from Idol, and he may be an entertaining reality show contestant, but I have my doubts about whether this exposure will revive his recording/touring career.  I think that a lot of fans are dismayed that “Steadfast”, the “new” album being released, is Clay’s least successful/popular music and that it won’t be of interest to anyone who checks it out.  The CA may open up other opportunities for Clay depending on how he comes across on the show. It will be interesting to see what happens.

I think Clay went on Celebrity Apprentice to revive his failing career. I think it is a show for has beens who are looking to get their career back on track. It is full of C and D listers but good for Clay to keep himself busy.

 I’m putting this in a petrie dish. It’s common knowledge that people don’t buy music they never hear. Let’s see what happens if, after a long drought, he is seen and heard. Who gives a hoot what his fans do or don’t like. There are over 300 million people out there.

Excuse me!!  Why isn’t Adam’s name bigger than everyone else’s?  j/k

I think it reflects the current situation.  Cook and a few others would have been listed in the past, but these names they showed are the more current artists out there who are selling music right now.  They are the ones connecting with the music buyers after the show.  Granted, Adam and Scotty still need to prove they can move beyond the idol bubble with their sophomore albums but they did connect after the show.  Kris and Lee were major disconnects, so it makes sense that they weren’t shown.

“Though let’s be real, neither Scotty or Adam have undergone
the sophomore album test like some others, so who knows if they’d be
included on a list next time. If this list has been made following
Cook’s season, both he and Archie would have made it; if it’d be made
after Fantasia’s, she and Clay would have made it (Yes I know they
weren’t on the same season.”

Yep.  I totally agree.  And to extend that argument, in the opening credits where they show the “flipping” panels with pics of different non-winners from last year?  Well, next year some of them might be gone too.  ;)

His career isn’t failing, though. Sure, he hasn’t had a hit on radio in a long while, but that’s not all there is to his career. His run on Broadway was super successful, to give an example. It’s like when people put Taylor Hicks down, but he’s actually doing well for himself just in a way with less direct attention (owning his own record label, restaurants, etc.) 

Essentially everyone who does well on Idol secures a life of doing well off Idol too. It’s just different degrees and paths, and while not necessarily showy enough for Idol right now, it doesn’t mean those success are worthless. 

I will agree the cast is usually full of C & D listers. But sometimes there are people who are still famous that are just in it for the charity like runner-up, Trace Adkins who still had a #1 hit in country just months prior to doing the show & is still successful.

“It’s common knowledge that people don’t buy music they never hear. Let’s
see what happens if, after a long drought, he is seen and heard. Who
gives a hoot what his fans do or don’t like. There are over 300 million
people out there.”

But that’s not accurate.  Clay’s music from his last CD was heard and he was seen performing on his PBS special which was telecast nationally and repeatedly, over several weeks, to an audience who would be most predisposed to find the genre of music on this CD appealing, reaching millions of people.  This is how Michael Buble first came to prominence.  If this audience didn’t find Clay’s music appealing, then I have serious doubts that it’s just a matter of it not being “heard” by enough people.

That said, this promo comes off as much like Idol is scared of the rival shows as it does as a celebration of the success past contestants have had.

It doesn’t come off that way to me at all. More like proud and understandably braggy, with a side helping of lol good luck matching that Voice/X Factor.

Clay’s recording career is definitely failing and that impacts his ability to tour.  He said as much in a blog to his fans, telling them that any future recording and touring would depend on the success of his new single on the radio and that the marketing of his last CD through his PBS special was a failure (as seen by his CD and concert ticket sales).  I’ve always thought that Clay’s voice was best suited to musical theater, so maybe he will continue in that direction where he has had recent success and he seems to be well accepted by the theater community.  This is a direction where a higher profile from the Celebrity Apprentice would help him, I think.

Totally agree. The kind of music Clay is putting out should totally appeal to the PBS crowd. He’s got a great voice but something ain’t connecting. Michael Buble has a lot of charisma something I think Clay lacks. Don’t get me wrong I brought Clay’s Christmas album because it was good but pop star he isn’t.

“This is how Michael Buble first came to prominence.”

Michael Buble had a series of #1 radio hits that led to great album sales that led to his first PBS special.

Considering 90-95% of new artists are lucky to sell 1k albums, ALL of the Idols, (Even Lee) are successful compared to the vast majority of new artists debuting albums. That is the point of the commercial and the contrast with The Voice. 
See this past weekend where 3 or 4 Idols were featured vs The Voice’s coaches. The fact we’re arguing over whose Idol is bigger than someone else speaks to this fact that there is an argument to be made for even the ones who are considered “flops” as successful in pursuing their lifelong dream to make a living off music. 

I think that was the major reason.  Let’s put it this way.  Had Clay’s last CD and tour been a significant success, there’s no way that he would be on the CA just for the benefit of his charity.

The poster above should have qualified their comment if they meant recording only. I don’t disagree on that point, though who knows what the future hold. Reality television in general has launched and revitalized many career, music or otherwise. 

I stand by my comment that his career in general is fine, though.

Really when you think about it, it’s the same list of names they bragged about last year with their opening credit except this time Scotty was included. So nothing really new here.

 ”Had Clay’s last CD and tour been a significant success, there’s no way
that he would be on the CA just for the benefit of his charity.”

I disagree. Clay’s reason for having a pop career is to support his charitable work. He would otherwise be content to go back to teaching.

Clay doesn’t have a pop career. lol. I do think he will do well in other parts of the entertainment field. I could definitely see him host a talk show or something along the Jerry Springer kind of show. He would be perfect.

 Ok, I have no dog in this hunt.  Peace out.

No, that’s not correct.  Buble’s career took off with his second album, “It’s Time” in 2005, coincident with the PBS special.  As for #1 radio hits, do you mean in Canada?  Because his first #1 hit on the AC charts was “Home” from “It’s Time”. 

At any rate, that’s not the point. You had claimed that Clay’s music had not been heard, and clearly that is incorrect, since his PBS special exposed him and the music on his latest CD to millions of people of exactly the right demographic, yet very few of those people found him and his music appealing.

Agree with you HaleysShindig.  I think whether an Idol is successful or not should be determined by if they are significantly better off after going on Idol than they were prior to Idol. 

I’ve been watching the arguing back and forth all night without commenting, and am struck by the same thing you said – the very fact that people can compare 100k sales to 300k sales to a million in sales among different Idols and argue over which are the most successful, speaks volumes.  Maybe someday if The Voice is lucky, they will have people comparing their many successful ex-contestants against each other also.

 All those millions of old people were fast asleep with their hearing aids off at 3 AM when PBS chose to air it in most venues.

Now I’m really out of here.

“You don’t think a complete lack of radio promotion had something to do
with it? I mean who cares how he defines himself if no-one hears it.”

But if a singer doesn’t define themselves musically, how can they be marketed to radio?  Clay’s first album was pop music, his second – Xmas, his third – 70′s and 80′s covers, fourth – current originals, and fifth – really old covers.  He’s been all over the musical map.  In fact, Clay really is the one Idol contestant who probably would have been happy to continue his career by singing covers from different decades like he did on Idol, like he did on his Jukebox Tour.  IMO, his most recent CD is his worst because he really isn’t suited to singing these songs.

Clay was never a ‘teacher’ as he received his degree after idol.  He was a student teacher.  Really don’t know long Clay in a classroom would last, he really didn’t student teach long enough for folk to assess if he was any good at it. 

lol  You really believe that?  OK.  The vast majority of the fans think differently and are well aware that Clay is on the CA to try revive his career and realize that it wouldn’t be happening if his career weren’t failing.

True, there were some telecasts at odd times, but there were tons of telecasts at times which would be suitable for exposure to the maximum PBS viewing public.

Exactly.  At first, Clay spoke publicly about before Idol how he was in college taking an undergraduate degree and was “going to be a teacher”.  At some point, that morphed into him claiming that he had “been a teacher” before Idol, even claiming that he has been one for years!  lol  I remember a lot of fans who really were full-time teachers were annoyed that he wasn’t being honest about this.  lol

The first season for the Voice was an abbreviated season. I’m not sure we can compare it to Idol, since people didn’t have enough time to get interested to the singers. I would still wait to see how things go this 2nd season. 

Also, the idol alumni may be more successful on paper (based on album sales, VH1 rankings, etc), but the same factors that create this success (namely fierce loyalty from fans) are the very same things that make the Idol’s success appear manufactured to the general population.  Because of this, many Idol alumni (especially the guys) find themselves in a constant struggle to gain artistic “cred”. 

Don’t get me wrong, The Voice definitely needs to step up their game and promote their artists better. However, if there is a lesson to be learned from Idol, it’s that sometimes it’s better for the path to success to be more gradual and organic, rather than forced. I also think it’s too early to call Javier and Dia flops. They’re on major labels (I think) and have probably made tons of new collaborations, they’re in a much better position post-Voice. It will be interesting to see where they are a year from now .

I like the promo

gosh, do I love me a good fanwar… MJ, you should really know better than to make separate threads for things like this…but thanks a lot, I really needed a laugh.

chill out people, it’s just frakken POP MUSIC, not even a presidential election or god forbid something that really matters (religion anyone?). repeat after me: pop music *breathe in* just pop music.. *breathe out*….

All I know for sure is that most of these contestants/artists are making a very decent doing what they love to do…

IIRC Clay was working on his graduate degree when he appeared on Idol, not his BA.  Therefore, he most certainly could have been working as a teacher.  Claymates can correct me if I’m wrong. 

I still feel that comparing success based on post show happenings is moot regarding AI vs. The Voice.  IMO The Voice is more entertainment focused than sales focused.

“Idol’s fighting back”   LOL! Fighting back or picking the fight? They (Nigel) are so defensive these days now that they have real competition. It was easy to be the top when there was no comparable show of the same caliber. Maybe they should concentrate their efforts on trying to create a quality show and not on being so combative. The Voice seems to be plugging along, doing their thing and making it happen. Idol should take note.

Yes! And they are trying to market yesteryear. Perhaps they should try to make the show more entertaining THIS season, and then they won’t have to be so obsessed with what The Voice is doing. I still say last years finale was as dull as dirt (2 dull finales in a row)…and that may be why some ppl have tuned out. Not to mention Randy blob. Don’t get me started….

I think the term “Superstar” is being thrown around way too much. I would have only put Kelly, Carrie, and Jennifer’s names up there. I do not consider the others superstars or even close. lol Let us see how Scotty and Adam do on their future albums.

“Had Clay’s last CD and tour been a significant success……”

A tour cannot be a success unless the public knows you are touring.  
Example, I know that Barry Manilow is doing a concert in my city because there was a full page color (can’t miss it) ad in my local paper.

Clay was here in March of 2011 and the only people who knew he was coming were his fans and those folks who watched PBS.  No print ads, no tv ads, no radio ads.  As far as I know, PBS was to promote the concert and it never really happened as not everyone watches PBS.

Also, there was no review of his concert in the paper the next day as, apparently, the critic didn’t know he was in town either.  

Before I read to the end of your post, I was going to mention O-Town. I remember running out to buy their debut album. Bought the singles “Pretty Vegas” and “Trees” from Rockstar INXS too, as well as the compilation CD and DVD. I know Rockstar only played 2 seasons on CBS. I think “Making the Band” was only on broadcast Tv (not cable) one season, though I may be wrong.
I don’t think many were moved to buy content from “The Voice”.

It doesn’t matter whether ppl inside the Idol bubble think they’re superstars.  What matters is what AI thinks and more importantly what the media thinks.  If AI didn’t think they deserved to be included, they would have featured others.  I don’t follow Scotty at all, but the media constantly refers to Adam as “superstar” and/or “international superstar”.  To me that’s way more important than what anyone inside the bubble thinks.

I’m not a Claymate, but it was his BA, not a graduate degree.

Reminder:

This post is about the show, and not about arguing over the post Idol career’s of alums.

I don’t even know WHY the heck we’re talking about Clay and Celebrity Apprentice here. WAY OFF TOPIC.  

Is it really helpful to compare my Idol is better than your Idol and the font of my Idol came first or was bigger than your Idol’s font? I am happy for any Idol that is able to sell records and/or makes a name for themselves (McPhee).

I am happy Scotty is doing so well and proud that Kelly is feeling Stronger these days! :) I am thrilled that Adam’s video was released yesterday and quickly moved up the itunes charts to be #1 in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. Not sure where else it was released so if I missed some countries sorry about that… I am not following Clay on the Apprentice but good for him for working and making money. Idol is hugely successful and congratulations to all the artists and fans that make it such a big hit!

nevermind

I can call myself a superstar.  Doesn’t make it true.  In truth, Idol has two people who can lay real claim to superstar status, with two more just below that.  Everyone else is a varying degree of star.  Doing well, but not at superstar status yet.  IMO.

Pop Quiz! Which idol sold a million copies of their second album in 6 weeks without a single?

Clay Aiken with Merry Christmas With Love.  However, it is my opinion that christmas albums don’t really count as real second albums.  It’s a niche album released at the optimal point for maximum sales.  It is also false to state that there wasn’t a single released.  Christmas time si the only time Clay gets radio play and the year his christmas album was released he got plenty of radio play even if they don’t “officially” release Christmas music as singles.

The video makes a good point about producing success stories and as much as I love the voice the difference betwen the shows is very clear.  In Season 1 Idol found a superstar and ten years later the very first idol they found is sitting on top of the Hot 100 chart at #1.  That says something about Idol as a vehicle to finding viable and relevant talent.   

I think Idol chose the ones they did for this ad simply because they are the names that most casual watchers of the show will instantly recognize.  No offense at all to Idols like Taylor Hicks or Clay Aiken, but my experience with talking to casual watchers of the show has been that they barely remember who Taylor and Clay are, and therefore think of them as a flop (even though they actually sold very well).  it’s incredible how quickly the public forgets about prior Idols – even winners – unless they constantly see them and hear about them.  I was even astonished recently when I told people I was going to buy David Cook’s CD and they didn’t remember who he was and I had to refresh their memory – and these are Idol watchers!  So yes, I would consider the names listed to be the current superstars of Idol since they are the names that most households will instantly recognize.

I like the promo. “If you’ve got it…flaunt it”. And American Idol has the stars and the others don’t. So I see nothing wrong with it at all. 

From the artists perspective I am sure they are all grateful for the exposure they can receive from any of these shows. I am not sure what makes a superstar these days – and holding the attention of the world seems to be a hard achievement. 
I remember Steven Tyler saying he felt that artists had to pay their dues by working their way through their craft and playing all sorts of gigs. I think most of us can relate to that – rather than instant success and rewards.
There isn’t for me a direct correlation that I will buy an album from an artist from the show although I may enjoy watching the show. 
I thought Dia’s album was one of the best productions from all those entries from these shows. I have no idea why it didn’t sell well. 

IMO this ad makes Idol look very desperate.  We seem to have fallen down on ratings and The Voice has caught up, but look what we have done in other seasons.  Scotty won Idol last year with an audience of 37 million viewers.  So far he has sold a little over a million cds.  That tells me that 1 in 37 people are interested in buying the music.  The rest are interested in a good tv show.  I have watched Idol from the beginning and every year the show becomes more frustrating.  It continues this year when Nigel believes that the audience would rather watch people faint and get sick then sing.  TPTB are losing touch.  They refuse to fix what is wrong with Idol eg the voting, not getting rid of that stupid save, judges that will not judge.  These ads that Idol is putting out this years shows me that they are getting worried

Yeah, but American Idol considers the six past contestants they listed to have the status of superstar. They put their names up on the screen and called them “real superstars”. In Idol’s eyes, these six contestants are the real stars from the past ten years. This is what they believe to be true. 
 

Sure Idols are forgotten but I couldn’t tell you who was on the Top 40 a week ago.  Recording artists come and go faster than a blink and very few people remember any of them outside of those they may have fanned.  The point taken, for me, is that Idol has had contestants, at least, who have performed well at a given point in time.

And the popular definition of “superstar” never, ever defines it as a quantifier but instead relates it to someone’s skill, their appeal, and their talent.  It doesn’t mean they have to “top the heap”, if it did then we would only have one or two superstars at any given time.

“I can call myself a superstar.  Doesn’t make it true.” 

Of course. But does it make a difference if someone ELSE calls you a superstar? :-)

“In truth, Idol has two people who can lay real claim to superstar status….”

I agree with this, but none of the names listed are laying any claim to superstar status, whether they could legitimately do so or not. The producers of AI are calling them superstars, which means they are all superstars, as far as AI is concerned.

It’s AI’s commercial. They’re free to use whatever descriptors they want.

Hahaha!  Nice, Idol.  Keep fighting for what’s yours.

I love that they’ve had a hand in discovering some of my favorite musicians and singers.  I love that they’ve put these people on my television screen. Even more so, I love that Kelly and Cook and Daughtry and JHud have become household names because they *are* stars and were destined to be so; Idol was the launching pad. Thank you.

However, can I get Idol to do a separate commercial for the headaches they’ve created?  Namely, William Hung and I-Am-Your-Brother man?

Yeah, but American Idol considers the six past contestants they listed
to have the status of superstar. They put their names up on the screen
and called them “real superstars”. In Idol’s eyes, these six contestants
are the real stars from the past ten years. This is what they believe
to be true.

You know, this might be true.  However, David Cook sold more than both Adam and Scotty so why is he not included? What about David Archuleta, Clay Aiken,Ruben,Fantasia and many others who have also not done too badly in sales.  To be considered a true super star you must have an enduring career.  Personally, I feel that Adam will one day truly deserve this title but to give him this label prematurely just seems to put undue pressure and expectations on him.  The same is true for Scotty.

Now I’m going to back slowly out of this thread and go back to looking at you-tube videos of my “non superstar” idol. :)

It’s called hype. You know, like in advertising.

Minor technicality:

Seems to me that to be a household name, everyone, regardless of their radio or TV habits, would have to recognize him/her. I never watched Idol before S10, and I can tell you that I would never have known about David Cook if it wasn’t for this site.

David Cook is *NOT* a household name. The others you mentioned…probably.

Cook took 3 yrs for his album. Sold less than Lee, but Lee is the bigger flop. This blog is getting so stupid.  

LOL. I suspect that this is what the Idol producers do when they want to generate internet buzz. I can almost hear Randy’s evil laugh as he sits in front of the computer picking font sizes!

Um…okay.  If you say so.

Cook took 3 yrs for his album. Sold less than Lee, but Lee is the bigger flop. This blog is getting so stupid.

Lee had a platinum album and had more than two platinum singles and a gold single?  I didn’t know that.

They got even got their a$$es handed to them by a Jazz singer on a show judged by Howie Mandel.

I’m staying out of this except to say that’s just flat out funny, Kirsten.

You know, this might be true.  However, David Cook sold more than both Adam and Scotty so why is he not included? What about David Archuleta, Clay Aiken,Ruben,Fantasia and many others who have also not done too badly in sales?

The word “superstar” is nearly meaningless in any context (due to the fact that for most people, the description is arbitrary and the criteria seems to shift with each telling).  But, this is advertising, and advertising is very much a “what have you done for me lately” type of business.  I imagine that whoever designed this campaign picked the 5 people that they believed have the most name recognition today.  

It’s not an indictment against the success of those who’s names are missing.  It just means that the campaign designers think the public is filled with short memories.

I never heard of Adam Lambert either before watching Idol.

Neither had I.  But then again, I’ve been watching since Season One, when Adam was just another club kid.  

On the other hand, I would have no idea who Rihanna is — or probably Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Gavin DeGraw, or Adele was if I didn’t listen to the radio or watch TV.

Actually, I probably wouldn’t know who they were if I didn’t watch American Idol.  I didn’t start watching the show because I liked pop music — which works because the songs they sing are mostly 30 years out of date.  I watched because it was interesting, and it was fun to root for people I liked, even if they rarely won.

It’s hard for me to say, since I’m in the bubble, but my guess is that Kelly, Carrie, and Daughtry are “household names.”  It’s hard to tell with Adam, but I would think that someone who had a showcase on Oprah and regularly appears on Ellen and Leno would have some kind of Q factor.  Even if it’s just “Oh, that weird guy again.”

Idol producers tend to throw the word “superstar” around carelessly, though. For example, if I remember correctly, when Lee was on last year, Ryan called him a “superstar”. So I take what anyone connected with Idol says with a large grain of salt. In my opinion the only superstars Idol has produced (to date) are Kelly and Carrie. A few others are “stars”, the rest are working musicians

I agree. I was happy to see that American Idol considers several of the Idols I enjoy the most to be classified as superstars that came from the show. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have other Idols that I follow that weren’t on the list, or that I don’t respect those artists or the careers they have had thus far. 

It’s nice to see some of my favorite contestants recognized, but it doesn’t make any difference to me if some of my favorites weren’t mentioned. I still enjoy their music and consider them to be extremely talented.

I know it’s petty but I’m still offended that David Cook’s name isn’t mentioned in that promo.  

Someone posted on DCO that they saw David’s name come up in another promo this morning or last night. Can’t remember the details. So, I’m guessing they have a series of promos that they’re cycling through.

Yes, fighting back against the voice’s cheap shots. Idol is “making it happen” just as much as the voice-they get one thing right that the voice doesn’t-talent and sales! Most of the contestants last year on the voice were very mediocre. This year doesn’t look any different either. Idol does a great job with people getting invested in their contestants instead of the judges like on the voice or x factor.

I agree.  This is all just hype and promo created in a cubicle somewhere in the Fox/19 advertising department.  The reason for the names chosen isn’t deep at all and doesn’t really reflect reality.  Advertising is spin, and it need not be based on cold hard facts LOL.

I too believe that AI’s only true superstars are Kelly and Carrie.  I wouldn’t call Daughtry a superstar, but he’s had more staying power than anyone but the top 2 ladies.  If I had to guess, I’d assume that his recent album era is indicative of his star being on the wane.  Next time they do a similar promo, he may not even make the list.

Adam is somewhat on the bubble.  He hasn’t had the sales success of Kelly, Carrie or Daughtry, but he’s had a lot of media exposure.  For non-idol watchers, they may recognize him, but not know why.  But, they know his name from “somewhere”.

My guess is that the advertising department chose the ex-contestants with the highest Q scores, and that was pretty much the end of the decision making process.  I don’t believe there was any consideration whatsoever of past success, musical integrity or talent levels.  

And, Cook is a talented guy who seems to be a really decent person.  But, when he’s not in a promo cycle, the dude is practically a hermit.  Hermits never have high Q scores.  

In defense of the Voice, maybe you need another one or more seasons for the show to produce a solid star. America Got talent after 7 season only produce 2 real star. And they had good rating too.

The Sing Off so far produce 0 star. (VEry sad cause tons of talents here)

But for The Voice to be called a legitimate singing show, they had to somehow produce a star in season 2 or 3. Though it really depend on the record label to promote them.

Lets see how well X factor alumni do. But at least Simon will try to push one of the season 1 talents to do quite well for his/her first album.

In term of successful alumni after the competition end, Idol has the best singers compare to all singing/talent show even if you compare to UK shows.

This is a lot of discussion for a 20 second ad that 99% of the people who watched probably barely digested.  I bet most people heard “IDOL blah blah blah STAR blah blah 2 hours on Tuesday”. LOL

LJR, David Cook will always be my favorite Idol, and I agree with others who’ve mentioned that he charted very well with his first album. However, he’s been under the radar of late. I wish that more people recognized his talent but I can’t fault idol for not putting him on the list. Jordan Sparks is also missing and she had very successful singles sales (including a Grammy nomination). Plus I wouldn’t be surprised if they used these guys for other promos. Regardless of the list, I do believe that AI is proud of Cook. They seem to treat him very well.

Yes this morning I saw the same exact commercial with the “real superstars” wording except they flashed the names of all the winners. 

Cook took 3 yrs for his album. Sold less than Lee, but Lee is the bigger flop. This blog is getting so stupid. 

If Lee’s success or lack thereof is based on one album, then David should be viewed on everything hes released.  Has Lee released anything that went gold? Because even though Lee’s debut sold more than David’s sophomore, the fact, yes fact is David has a platinum album, platinum single and two gold singles under his belt. Oh and 3 Top 10 HAC hits. Wild guess here but I bet RCA views David as a bigger success.

Adam Lambert: nearly 2 million worldwide sales. 5 million singles. Grammy nominated artists. 2 top 20 pop singles, one single top #5, #10 worldwide. Multi platinum/double platinum single /album WW. Sold out WW tour. I’ll take it. I’m easy. Superstar, Smuckastar who cares.

“the fact, yes fact is David has a platinum album, platinum single and two gold singles under his belt. Oh and 3 Top 10 HAC hits”

Minor correction – he has two platinum singles and one gold single.

I think it’s relevant when Idol’s biggest flop still sold 10 times more than The Voice’s biggest success story. 10 TIMES. 

I am not a big fan of The Voice but do think it is unfair to compare the sales of the contestants of a single season of The Voice with 10 years of Idol.  You would have to compare season 1 of Idol 9 months after the finale with sales of The Voice to even approach an apple to apple comparison. 

Further, are sales and industry awards the principal way we compare the success of the shows?  Why not compare record sales or popularity of the judges?  LOL.  Personally, I like the style and qualities of last years The Voice top 2 contestants when compared with Idol’s top 2.  (But if you throw in #3′s, and I flip — I am a Haley fan all the way.)

Something else I saw not too long ago on the official idol website-there was a big banner on the front page linking to the latest idol news- it said “Get the latest news on your favorite contestants!” and it showed(If I am remembering correctly) Carrie, Kelly, Jennifer, Adam, and Scotty in the picture, and I THINK Scotty, Kelly, and Carrie were the biggest photos. I thought it was interesting since it’s somewhat related to this. Does anybody else remember this?

I don’t get the upset at the word superstar. It’s a commercial – what else are they gonna say. Hyperbole is the name of the game. That being said, with the exception of Scotty I have heard all of the others referred to as superstars in the media, by talk show and radio hosts etc ( I don’t follow country music or scotty so he may very well also get that reference). Scotty is their newest success story, and Adam just seems to generally be perceived ( outside the bubble) as a star, even if his sales aren’t at the highest levels- as indicated by the vh1 and e specials, Grammy nom, award show appearances, coverage in mags like rolling stone, appearance w Queen etc.

I think idol is wise to tout its accomplishments. It is really amazing how long the show has lasted and how many solid careers it launched – many many more than those name-checked. Not just in recording but in theater, movies, tv. Terrific track record

I don’t get the upset at the word superstar. It’s a commercial – what else are they gonna say. Hyperbole is the name of the game. That being said, with the exception of Scotty I have heard all of the others referred to as superstars in the media, by talk show and radio hosts etc ( I don’t follow country music or scotty so he may very well also get that reference). Scotty is their newest success story, and Adam just seems to generally be perceived ( outside the bubble) as a star, even if his sales aren’t at the highest levels- as indicated by the vh1 and e specials, Grammy nom, award show appearances, coverage in mags like rolling stone, appearance w Queen etc.

I think idol is wise to tout its accomplishments. It is really amazing how long the show has lasted and how many solid careers it launched – many many more than those name-checked. Not just in recording but in theater, movies, tv. Terrific track record

not to be rude,but I think you should double check sales # for Scotty..he’s well over 2 million..CAD is platinum..ILYTB is headed towards platinum(been GOLD FOR QUITE A WHILE..& TTWG is gold,and on the rise..not even adding his EP Album….

“I was even astonished recently when I told people I was going to buy
David Cook’s CD and they didn’t remember who he was and I had to refresh
their memory – and these are Idol watchers!”

That’s been my experience too.  I have relatives who have watched Idol since the beginning, and they really only remember the ones who they have heard repeatedly and a lot on the radio.  It’s interesting because some of these relatives didn’t like Adam on the show at all, but once they started hearing WWFM on the radio a lot, suddenly they started liking him, remarking on how well he’s doing.  Meanwhile, other Idols who were very successful right after the show (Taylor, Clay) are vague memories (if at all).  Strange. 

 ”You would have to compare season 1 of Idol 9 months after the finale
with sales of The Voice to even approach an apple to apple comparison. ”

Less than 9 months after season 1 of Idol Kelly was presented with her first platinum plaque.

 ”Meanwhile, other Idols who were very successful right after the show (Taylor, Clay) are vague memories (if at all).”

Hilarious attempt to repeatedly put Taylor and Clay together when they are nothing alike in any way. Are there classes for this?

Hilarious attempt to repeatedly put Taylor and Clay together when they are nothing alike in any way.

They are far similar than dissimilar.  Neither got a ton of radio play, both had rabid/aggressive fanbases from the show and now both are nowhere on the radar music wise.  Although Hicks is probably more relevant musically speaking because he’s actuallly still making music and not set to appear on another reality show. 

Hee hee! take that The Voice and X-Factor. It is a fact only Idol produces superstars!

 ”Although Hicks is [snip] not set to appear on another
reality show.”

How sad for Taylor that he tried so hard to get on DWTS and was turned away.

You have misunderstood my post.  I wasn’t “attempting to put Taylor and Clay together”, just citing the examples used in the post to which I was responding.  Most other Idols are in the same category in that only a handful are remembered, and in my experience with my relatives (who even watch Idol) that appears to be directly correlated to which Idols receive radioplay.  My example with Adam, was only to point out that opinions of people can change between the show and afterwards and I totally agree that he’s not in the same category, success wise, as Kelly and Carrie.  Not even close.  Yet.

Reminder:

ONCE AGAIN. Why are we arguing about the careers of ex Idols in this thread? It’s not the topic!

Jennifer Hudson is a Superstar, my 2 cents :)

I love this promo. Nice to see my fav AI alum included amongst the pantheon of AI superstahs…again. I can’t wait for next year AI promo.

I believe the poster was using sarcastic humor. David Cook had 2 platinum singles and one gold, along with a platinum album in AMERICA. I don’t know why Cook’s music was never released outside of America (like UK, Canada, etc.).  Also, I heard Cook’s music was being played on Japan radio stations and was charting well there.

Did Adam Lambert EVER sell a million of anything in America? Because that means he never went platinum here in America if he didn’t. I do acknowledge that he has fans worldwide, but I just wonder why he couldn’t do that well here in America.

Did Adam Lambert EVER sell a million of anything in America?

Sure, at last count WWFM is at 1.85 million.

Don’t bet on it. Kelly Clarkson only needs that powerhouse voice. She would win every time. She is the queen!

They did release DCTR in Canada, and it he even had some tour stops there. Not sure about TLM.

Apparently, tonight they showed another version of the commercial that included David Cook’s name.

Apparently, tonight they showed another version of the commercial that included David Cook’s name.

I didn’t see it, but the Hollywood Reporter mentioned it.

The promo before tonight’s grueling two-hour Hollywood rounds episode touted that Idol is the only show that “produces real superstars.” Need proof? It was there in the commercial as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Scotty McCreery, David Cook and Adam Lambert were all name-checked, along with some vital stats.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/american-idol-recap-hollywood-week-groups-291599