Pia Toscano Will Reportedly Begin Recording Her Album As Early As Next Week

By On 05/02/2011 · 75 Comments · In American Idol, Pia Toscano

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Is Pia Toscano about to begin work on her debut alum? EOnline says it could happen as early as next week.

Sources tell E! News that former American Idol contestant Pia Toscano will start recording her debut album as early as next week. “She’s set to start on Monday and we’ll see what works for her,” an insider tells us.

And when will be hearing her new music?

We’re hearing that Pia’s first duty will be to start recording possible singles to release after the Idol season ends.

Four more weeks of Idol to go…does it even matter who wins this thing?

 
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  • Elliegrll

    The UK X Factor signed contestants get an advance but also a lump sum that is not recoupable, something like £150000 for the winner and less for the runner-up. It is possible that it is the same for the idols.

    The idols don’t get any prize money. Maybe they should. I think the confusion about what’s recoupable comes from the fact that labels can’t get the advances back directly from the artists. They can get that money back only from the artist’s cut of the singles and albums that are sold.

    Elliegrll, I’m going to have to disagree about Adele. At least where I’m at she has gotten GREAT buzz and much better (more favorable) media attention than Britney Spears. And it is just the beginning—she is ramping up to what will probably be a very high profile Fall as awards show season kicks in.

    Can you honestly say that she’s gotten more buzz and media attention than Britney got when she was at her peak? She hasn’t been on more tv shows or magazine covers, and she hasn’t gotten more airplay. What’s happening for her now is very good, but this type of attention has happened for others in her genre, and while they still maintain their success, the amount of mainstream media attention that they’ve gotten has petered out over time.

  • Mtlfan

    Provided that it’s within the AI rules and she’s not getting a priviledged treatment in that regard, I just say more power to her.
    However I doubt that it would be within AI rules that she can have a single out along with the winner and runner-up (if he/she gets one). I tought that besides the winner and runner-up, the other contestants were free to release whatever they wanted only after the end of the tour

  • Chicagolaw

    Elliegrll, I’m talking about right now. Adele is top of iTunes and selling A LOT of albums. She’s just coming off a Rolling Stone cover and just had her song performed on Glee and AI. Every “artist pick” list I come across has her name on it. She has GREAT buzz and the media has caught on. Britney got a lot of buzz the week her album dropped, but has been in a decline.

    Not everybody breaks through, but Adele has done that. Sometimes true talent and critical acclaim can trump even a pop star like Britney.

  • http://mjsbigblog.com/luvadamlamberts-american-idol-tour-2009-washington-dc-re-cap.htm luvadamlambert

    woooooooooow

  • OvenMitt

    car3278sweet says:
    05/02/2011 at 2:49 pm

    This is all about business. Jimmy doesn’t give a hoot about the show, he cares about moving records. And like I said before, who’s he got left to work with? Two very young country stars (Jimmy ain’t doing country records), a gospel singer, a jazzy bluesy singer (who’s my fav, but clearly not Jimmy’s) and a hard rock singer. I suppose Jimmy could dress James up as a pop star, but I’m not sure that’s what James wants and I’m not sure Jimmy is all that gungho on James to begin with.

    So he’s already got his pop star. He’s just counting the days impatiently so he can launch her and see how high she flies.

    This is a business.

    I totally agree. The disparity between Idol the show and Idol the legitimate musical entity has reached canyon-like proportions. Iovine is gonna get something out of this parnership, even if it’s not with the winner. Say what you will about his “personality”, but the man is helming a record label that has a huge share of the pop radio market cornered. He may not know what makes a good reality show Idol, but he knows what sells units. He’d be crazy not to follow his instincts and use the resources at his disposal, ie: Pia.

  • mickeybordentwo

    The problem of runners-up vs. winners has existed since Season 2, when Ruben’s CD wasn’t ready to be released, and Clay’s fans were extremely upset his CD was being held up until Ruben was ready. RCA released Clay’s CD earlier than Ruben’s as a result (but not as early as had been announced), and Clay outsold Ruben. Clay also had the Rolling Stone cover article, and later, when Ruben got a Rolling Stone cover article, it wasn’t particularly flattering (nor was it believed to have sold as well).

    So nothing’s going on now that hasn’t happened throughout the course of Idol history. The problem, if you want to think of it as a problem, is a direct result of how Idol winners are chosen. The most number of phone calls on a single night is not necessarily indicatative of the biggest number of fans. Some years (Bo/Carrie) it is and some years (Adam/Kris) it isn’t.

  • girlygirl

    nvm

  • phil25

    It still benefits to be on the show. None of these contestants are guaranteed anything unless they finish first or second, and each time on the show presents the opportunity to gain new fans. I don’t think this harms the show or the contestants still on it at all.

    Pia is an anomaly. She was too marketable and had too much buzz for TPTB to let her go. I don’t think this will happen often (maybe once a season). It’s not as if Paul, Stefano, and Casey have rumored record deals with Interscope.

  • weese

    Paul does.

  • merkureye

    I have really been impressed with how coy Pia has been in all of the interviews she has given. In every case, from the night after elimination on the Leno Show, to DWTS, Pia has only stated that:

    1) everything happens for a reason
    2) she is in a good place now
    3) she is looking forward to the Idol Tour
    4) she thinks all of the remaining idols are amazing talents and she loves them all (thus promoting fan interest and loyalty to AI show for the rest of the season, even though most of us don’t give a sh*t since she’s has been gone)

    These are all by-rote answers that she has been given by Idol producers to say in response to interview questions. She has obviously been told to be a “good soldier” because:

    a) 19 wants to manage her career, and
    b) Interscope wants her to record a CD, and
    c) thus she will be “taken care of”

    I am happy for her. I don’t think Pia should be treated like a typical 9th place contestant. The ST and JLo promotion tour this year ostensibly called “judging”, in combination with the obvious irregularity in fan voting (frontrunner to elimination without a previous B3, never has happened before).

    The true competition begins after the AI Tour. We will the see in the arena of public opinion who is truly an American Idol and who is not. Let the games begin!

    Final note: As far as time to get a CD out, Pia could get one out in two-three months. Carrie’s Some Hearts CD took 10 weeks to complete from start (identify songs) to finish (manufacture). It is however, important to get a quality product. Releasing something fast that is trash will destroy a career before it gets off the ground.

    Carrie’s producer, Mark Bright, made that comment on CMT’s “In the Moment” documentary (tracking CU from AI, to in studio recording, to release of Some Hearts). Bright stated that if Sony does not get this CD (SH) right, it is “not going to go well for Carrie and her career.” Obviously, things went very well for CU and SH sold 7 million units.

  • songsungblue

    It’s not as if Paul, Stefano, and Casey have rumored record deals with Interscope.

    Paul does. He’s hinted at as much.

    Pia is an anomaly. She was too marketable and had too much buzz for TPTB to let her go.

    I don’t mean that I want her to flop – seriously, wish her all the best – but I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. She’s awfully stiff and mannered to shout NEW! STAR! Not to mention that she auditioned five times. I mean, they turned down such an amazing new star five times? Plus, the Voice trumped her ‘debut’ on DWTS, and if she has buzz – totally manufactured, if you ask me.

  • halo9125

    @merkureye- I totally agree with every word of your post.

    Pia is an anomaly. She was too marketable and had too much buzz for TPTB to let her go.

    Clearly, the girl has something- for all the talk that she is boring, stiff, has no personality, etc.- is anybody still talking about Ashton, or Karen, or any of the others? Does anybody REALLY think Stefano is going to hit the big time? Nope- but here we are, nearly a month after elimination, and this post got more comments than Casey’s appearance on Regis. She has managed to conduct herself quite well considering the crap that people are writing about her on the TMZ and on today’s ENews! artice (read the comments- many are disgusting).

    Somehow, I still have a feeling that TPTB wanted her out of the competition early- and not that it hurt her in the least- but Pia getting the lowest number of votes the week she was eliminated still doesn’t ring true to me.

  • mrskiddens

    This is right. The more kids who are signed at the end of the season the better. At the end of the season. The winner deserves the confetti and glory. I think that is diminished when it is advantageous for a contestant to be voted of at 11 so they get a head start on their album. If they are going to do this and still call it a competition than the winner must get more—like cash– in addition to the recording contract.

    ITA.

    And I care who wins and she was never my fave. Don’t get the fuss at all.

    Go James!

  • Falfor

    Honestly, I think Pia getting a contract this soon, before the winner is even chosen, is a slap in the face to the winner. Pia has a great voice, and she will probably be the one to carry on from this season of non-winners, but it really is like she is being declared the one to beat. A contract to record with a signature record studio is the main prize. And while other non-winners got recording contracts as well, it has been well after the show ended but this negates that prize and makes Idol no longer the peoples choice. She went out for a reason, good voice or not, and I don’t believe it was because people thought she was safe.

  • kmd

    I don’t think the Interscope label is a good fit for all of the idols. There are other Universal labels that would do a better job with someone like Casey or Haley. I was never thought jive did a good job with the idols either. Pia does not impress me.

  • Andy11

    I don’t know if they think Pia will sell a ton of records but they probably figure she will sell more than anyone left in the competition. Their nightmare scenario would be no one outselling Lee and Crystal after all this Idol reboot hype. Pia is probably their best insurance policy against that–it’s all about preserving the myth of Idol at least for the producers. Unclear if Iovine really cares about the money from record sale either or if he really just cares about the millions they are probably paying him to be on the show.

  • dishwalla

    Pia’s audience is not going to be with the trendy Top 40 VH1, MTV crowd. But I can see her and her music appealing to a more mature, record buying, concert going public. And that audience is out there. And that audience is usually the most consistent fans.

  • Lulu2

    Oh, yeah. How hilarious if she were to release a single on or before the finale and debut it on a results show. I can only wish.

  • Falfor

    All these different opinions seem to indicate that Idol fans are not really pleased. A questioning fan base is not the way to go. It takes away from the startup fans that get that ball rolling. I hope it works out for Pia, because at this point, I think it is a disadvantage.
    I was all for Pia when I first saw her. I know Pia sings well, and has a great shot at a music future, but at this point, seeing what has been done so far, none of which she has not objected to,(more publicity, dating Ballas, taking a high pay gig, being at odds about he said/she said regarding her boyfriend) and seeing her being so fake, I now sort of see her as a ladder climber. She is using her looks, and acting like someone who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. In my book, she is willingly hurting the winner of this competition and this does not make her a nice person. Go for the gusto aside, I hope I am wrong.

  • bean99

    Why shouldn’t Pia take advantage of what she’s being offered? She went out in 9th which usually is a huge disadvantage. The reason she’s getting these opportunities is that she was thought to go far in the show and was a shock boot. It doesn’t hurt that she has good looks to go with her talent. I’m really happy for her and wish her well.

  • ross

    So the media went crazy with the fact that she was eliminated, this got her the most buzz of any contestant this season, and they’re trying to ride that as far as it will go. The whole “omg, she was robbed” meme seems to be one of the best gimmicks, ever, for getting the media on board to promote someone for free – the media always falls right in line with it. Doesn’t matter if the person was actually brilliant or not (in her case, my vote is no). Seems a lot of buzz is created by “what might have been” – as opposed to if she had stayed four more weeks, truly bored people to death, and been eliminated when viewers were good and tired of her. But anyway, I guess time will tell.

  • TheOther

    The end result for anyone going on the show is to get a jump start in their career. The bottom line is that Pia can sing. And the fact that she got the media on her side is not a bad thing. The fact that Jimmy Iovine and Rodney Jerkins seems to really like her is not a bad thing. It’s now a whole new Idol with UMG at the helm.

    There are those who will never like her no matter what she does. Winning Idol no longer has the impact as it used too – just look at the tepid CD sales of Kris Allen and Lee Dewyze.

  • fuzzywuzzy

    I totally agree. The disparity between Idol the show and Idol the legitimate musical entity has reached canyon-like proportions. Iovine is gonna get something out of this parnership, even if it’s not with the winner. Say what you will about his “personality”, but the man is helming a record label that has a huge share of the pop radio market cornered. He may not know what makes a good reality show Idol, but he knows what sells units. He’d be crazy not to follow his instincts and use the resources at his disposal, ie: Pia.

    I’m not sure if Iovine is right about Pia, but clearly, he thinks that she has a lot of commercial potential and Iovine is a businessman. At this point, it’s hard to know what previous “rules” apply in terms of Idols and if there are any restrictions on when non-winners record/release new music. Idol, the show, just needs to have someone be a significant commercial success each year and they have publicly admitted that it’s not always the winner (I’m a fan of Crystal’s, but sorry, she doesn’t qualify as a significant commercial success). It will be interesting to see what happens this year, since I’ve believed for a long time that this year, a number of the Idols will release singles (at least) and some will have EPs/CDs ready to promote on the Idol tour this summer. At this point, I haven’t heard anything about Naima, Thia, Stefano or Casey having been signed, so it’s still important to try to stay on the show as long as possible. Good luck to all of them.

  • Mary102

    I still have to wonder how much of a devoted Idol following Pia really gained from the show. Though this is hardly the end all be all to be successful after the show (in fact, it’s important to build a big fanbase beyond idol too if you really want longevity), I still think it’s an important criteria. It’s a matter of having that devoted fanbase that sticks with you for the months after you’ve left the show, and will wait for an album and songs and buy them, and then want to see you on tour, etc.

    And it’s one of the bigger disconnects to come out of idol recently – in terms of people getting the most votes and winning, but not having the most devoted fanbase after to stick around and keep supporting the artist.

    With Pia, I don’t really know that she had such a big, devoted following, be it on the show or now that she’s been off it for a little while. Are people REALLY clamboring for the next Pia ballad? I hardly missed her at all on AI when she left. IDK. If they market her well and she is lucky, she could gain a big audience outside of those who liked her on AI of course.

    In other years, we’ve had people strike big post AI in part at least due to big, devoted followings (Daughtry comes to mind, Adam certainly has most recently). Just my 2 cents.

  • jaybee

    I think this particular era of Idol will have 2,or more breakout stars that are non- winners.The recent set of winners are seen as Losers in the recording industry, and Pia will be just the start of this New Era trend…

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