It was only about 18 months ago, when Taylor Hicks was crowned the winner of American Idol Season 5. Fists pumping, and with "Soul Patrol!" being invoked, the gray-haired soulster prepared for a life as America's next pop superstar. How fickle we are as a nation of fans. Reports from Entertainment Weekly now indicate that Hicks has lost his deal with J Records, a division of Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE: SNE) BMG founded in 2000 by pop-music Svengali Clive Davis. While the news has yet to be confirmed publicly by either camp, a label rep told EW that "Taylor is going to record his new album on his own... he is no longer on the J Records roster." Hicks' one and only release with J Records, the self-titled Taylor Hicks, has sold about 700,000 copies to date.
This story comes mere weeks after news that Ruben Studdard, winner of Idol's Season 2, was dismissed from J Records after his third label release, The Return, posted very slow sales numbers.
For those keeping score at home, that's two male winners in six seasons, both of whom are struggling for relevance. Other male runners up (most notably Chris Daughtry and Clay Aiken) have enjoyed better success than their rivals who supposedly earned more votes from Idol viewers.
What does this say about the show in general, which is set to debut its seventh season on News Corporation (NYSE: NWS)'s FOX network later this month? Does it even matter who wins? Might the sometimes-modest success of the winner reduce the audience's enthusiasm? One thing is sure... the writer's strike has meant the pickings are slim for nightly tube offerings, so Idol (as a competitive program that requires no traditional scripting) is likely to keep earning record-setting audiences, even if the contestants will fail to set records themselves.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-07-2008 @ 6:51PM
sitruc said...
I'm not complaining, but this story is more suited for TV Squad.
1-08-2008 @ 12:57AM
jo said...
Clive and J Records. You are so wrong Taylor not only sings great but is a showman in his own way.
He is someone that I will buy a ticket to see him on stay. Clive get him some great songs to sing.
help the kids. As far as Ruben I felt he was good also but it seems to me he wasn't willing to lose that weight. That in it's self is a turn off. To see him sweat on the stage would not be worth the price of my ticket. hicks i wish u all the luck wish i had the funds and tallet to write songs for you and promote you to the level you deserve....
1-08-2008 @ 6:30AM
john said...
Some idols win because they are popular on idol and that's it. After the show is over, their careers are also over. Taylor was one of those for example. No one ever intended to buy his record. Just for a comparison, Kellie Pickler sold nearly as many as he did even though she went out in 6th place. She had more of what was wanted, but went home so early she only went gold. Had she won, I think she would have sold more than 699,000 copies. Simply because she sold 500,000+ by not even winning. Rubin was another example of this. More successful idols are Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood for example.
1-08-2008 @ 12:01PM
jean said...
Clay Aiken did NOT get less votes than the 'winner'. Clay was receiving 80 percent of the vote EVERY SINGLE week he was on. (Two producers even admitted to it-and it doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to figure out what happened that last night.) If the one measly phone line and two measly hours to vote allowed ALL of Clay's votes to come in he probably received millions of more votes than Ruben Studdard. I even think, even with millions of votes 'stuck' in cyberspace, Clay still had more votes coming in. Hasn't he proven it by now?? What more can he do to prove he is THE American Idol????? (If anyone out there thinks Clay has NOT been doing much; check out his fan boards. A book can be written on all he has done and will be doing.) A Clive should give it a rest already and retire-he is messing up his clients more than helping.
1-08-2008 @ 11:17AM
cheryl said...
Say what you will about Taylor Hicks, but there will NEVER be another season like that one....soooo much talent! If you have never seen Taylor live you have missed a great show. Taylor has never been about record sales - only about making good music. Kellie is a sweet girl, but as we all saw on Idol she doesn't have a lot of variety. She has had some success, but I doubt she would have gone very far...the Jessica Simpson was cute in the beginning but grew very tiresome. I like Taylor, Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin and even Katherine from that season. It just depends on what kind of music you like - I like the Taylor Hicks brand!
1-11-2008 @ 6:38AM
National said...
Taylor Hicks was too advanced for Idol and definitely not the midset of the money hungry Clive Davis. They would rather play garbage on the radio that's controlled by the airplay scam. Clay Aiken is never on the radio either, he is an awesome talent. Chris Daughtry was voted off 3rd or 4th, was at the bottom, didn't make the cut on another program (forgot the name), and rose to superstardom? Yeah right! He had Clive Davis to pump up the record numbers and drown the public with his songs, many of them at the same time. Of course if you keep hearing the same thing over and over....either you'll like it or shut the radio.
1-10-2008 @ 8:55PM
MARY ALICE said...
I think america can't chose a great singer. the show produce a lot of great talent, its just that they die in the process. I think FANTASIA is a great singer and entertainer, but she never gets the credit she deserve. I will buy everything RUBIN and FANTASIS put out there and a lot of people feel the same way.