Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina: Contract Details Revealed!

By On 05/26/2011 · 56 Comments · In American Idol, American Idol 10, David Archuleta, Jordin Sparks, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery

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AMERICAN IDOL: Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina await the voting results during the season ten AMERICAN IDOL GRAND FINALE at the Nokia Theatre on Weds. May 25, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. CR: Michael Becker/FOX

Update: Scan of Scotty’s contract: AI Contract Recording Contract, Merch Contract

American Idol winner Scotty McCreery, 17, and the runner-up, Lauren Alaina, 16, are both minors, which means their contracts with Idol have to be approved by a Los Angeles judge. That also means the contents of those contracts become part of the public record.

The Associated Press has all the details. Let’s examine the numbers!

  • Scotty will receive at least $250,000 in advances for winning the show and recording the first album.
  • He will also tens of thousands of dollars more for granting “Idol” partners likeness, merchandise and endorsement rights, and will also receive royalties on any music he releases.
  • Lauren will receive $87,500 for finishing second. The amount would be doubled if she records an album.
  • Jordin Sparks, who was a minor when she took the crown in 2007, received a contract that guaranteed her a $180,000 advance after the show and another $180,000 after delivering her first album. Oof. Scotty takes a pay cut!
  • S7 runner up, David Archuleta, (17 at the time) had a contract that indicated a payout of $360,000 total if an album was recorded, with an advance of $155,000–double that once he produced an album.
  • In some past seasons, winners were paid a minimum of $100,000 for merchandise rights, records show. Draft merchandise agreements for Scotty and Lauren give him $50,000 and her $40,000. More pay cuts!

Looks like 19 is on a tight budget!

The teens’ “Idol” contracts and recording deals require the show’s producers and partners to place 15 percent of their gross earnings in a trust account that cannot be touched until after they turn 18 years old.

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  • BlankSlate

    Can someone remind me now of the Top 11 and Top 13 lineup (in order of elimination, I guess)? Seeing them all on stage last night was nice. Some of the more forgotten ones now seemed to hold their own on the performances. Naima looks like she is BORN to be on stage.

    Please help. Thanks. My memory is a mess! (Okay, I do know the winner and runner-up.) ;>

  • J9BT

    BlankSlate says:

    05/27/2011 at 12:50 am

    Can someone remind me now of the Top 11 and Top 13 lineup (in order of elimination, I guess)?

    MJ does have a link at the top of the page for the Top 13 contestants, but in order of elimination, this is what I remember:

    13) Ashthon Jones
    12) Karen Rodriguez
    11 & 10) Thia Megia/Naima Adedapo (tied?)
    9) Pia Toscano
    8) Paul McDonald
    7) Stefano Langone
    6) Casey Abrams (previously voted out at 11th but judges saved him)
    5) Jacob Lusk
    4) James Durbin
    3) Haley Reinhardt
    2) Lauren Alaina
    1) Scotty McCreery

  • BlankSlate

    Thank you SO much, JB9T above. I so appreciate your quick response. I saw MJs links at the top of the screen but I didn’t see the contestants’ names in order of elimination. (If it’s there, I apologize MJ!)

    SO this means that Ashthon and Karen miss the tour, yes? After watching them last night, I’d think they would do well on the big stage.

    Naima seemed to be placed up front in the group songs. She has great stage presence.

    I’m thinking their summer tour shows may be more fun than one would have anticipated… I didn’t buy a ticket but if one magically appears in my hand, I wouldn’t say no. :>

    Thanks again for your help.

  • sue

    Idol is so dang cheap, maybe these guys should of waited to be on X-Factor, lol. Simon is offering $5 million. I thought the idol contract for the winner was at least $1 million. Maybe that was back in the days. These idols should demand more money, get an attorney and negotiate, they are worth more than that. After working for months on the show and giving the idol brand all this publicity they should be rewarded. Stop paying the judges/Ryan so much and give the talent on the show some coins. geezz

    Oh well I hope these guys do really well on their albums and sell a ton of records. I like how grounded Scotty is about going to college in Nashville on the side when he works on his music career there, smart kid.

  • cmc25

    This what is left of the pie after paying millions and millions to the producer Nigel, the lack-luster judges and the host Ryan.

    I supposed they should continue schooling while pursuing their music career. It’s better to have a back up plan nowadays.

  • sylmjk

    Well, Scotty will turn 18 this year, and will no longer be a minor. I wonder what kind of legal representation he had, that A-I is coming out with a contract worth less than Jordan’s or David Archuleta’s? I would hate for him to feel he has been taken advantage of, and he’d be well served when it comes time to negotiate for the 2nd and 3rd album to have aggresive representation. I feel he is going to make millions for A-I and he may seek advice from some of his personal favorites in the industry.

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