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Success of American Idol Alumni Artists in the Music Industry

A research paper presented to Catherine M. R. Steel

In partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for ENGLRES T2, 2011-2012

Arvi Marie Sanchez Dacuba A52 December 12, 2011

FINAL OUTLINE: 1.0 Introduction 1.1. Current Artists in the Music Industry Come From Television Talent Searches 1.2 Where TV Talent Searches Began 1.3 American Idol Success Description 1.4 Thesis Statement/Paragraph

2.0 What Is American Idol? 2.1 How the Show Works 2.2 Why is American Idol Such a Hit? 2.2.1 Television Entertainment 2.2.2 Inspiration to Many 2.2.3 Mass Power 2.3 American Idol: The Opportunity for the Big Break

3.0 Success after American Idol 3.1 American Idol Alumni Struggles and Challenges 3.2 Names of Several Successful American Idol Artists 3.3 Reasons of Alumni Artist Success 3.3.1 Specific Genre Trademark 3.3.2 Publicity 3.3.3 Support of Production Team 3.3.4 General Mass Appeal

4.0 Basis for Measurement of Success 4.1 Album Sales 4.2 Singles Sales 4.3 Awards 4.4 Income 4.5 Popularity 4.6 Publicity 4.7 Tours

5.0 No Guarantee Success 5.1 Possible Reasons 5.2 Names of Unsuccessful American Idol Alumni Artists

6.0 Conclusion

In this day and age, it is not unusual to hear and see new artists in the music industry coming from TV talent shows (American Idol, X-Factor, Britains Got Talent, The Voice, The Sing-Off) making waves on the radio, television and press. Even a majority of the current famous singers in this country come from talent searches. These artists include Sarah Geronimo (Star For A Night, 2003), Rachelle Ann Go (Search For A Star, 2004) Erik Santos (Star In A Million 2004), Christian Bautista (Star In A Million 2003). It seems as though talent searches are the main platform for starters who want a taste of stardom. From the early years of the twenty first century until present, television channels have covered at least several talent shows in their TV programs. So why the sudden popularity of TV talent searches worldwide? Is it the music producers means of finding new talent? Is it a tactic for television channels to gain more profit from online voting from the viewers? Or is it just a pop culture tradition in the twenty first century? The popularity of TV reality talent searches in singing all began from the show Pop Idol in Britain in 2001. From this success, FOX channel premiered their own version of Pop Idol, naming their show, American Idol in 2002 which was created by Simon Fuller, a multi-Emmy and Grammy award winning British producer and manager who has been included in the Top 100 Most Influential People in Time Magazine (2007). Despite several predictions of the shows failure, victory emerged from it worldwide, beating TV shows like The Cosby show and All in the Family which were the consecutive number one shows for five seasons. American Idol has been number one for six consecutive seasons and has been called The Death Star show by rival channel NBC because of its massive success. To get an average of 30 million votes or more every week from America was far even from what producers expected which concludes that the

audiences are really immersed with this show (Warwick, 2005). As of 2011, American Idol has been crowned as the most watched TV series according to Nielsen ratings. Worldwide hit-series American Idol provides a good platform for alumni artists in the music industry and has produced platinum-selling, award winning and hit-making artists although only minority of the alumni artists actually get the big-break. The artist's success, however, depends on his or her career after the show based on album sale success, hit-songs, radio airplay, awards, publicity and popularity among the masses. Usually, the artists who emerge as stars are the ones who have a specific music genre connoted to them. The show claims to have the objective to find the next singing superstar in America. As a result, thousands of hopefuls audition in different cities to get a shot and taste of stardom. The process of this contest starts with a preliminary audition, followed by Hollywood week wherein hopefuls perform on three rounds followed by the eliminations by the judges. This is the basis for the judges to find the Top Thirty-Six contestants. The following process is the audience voting, wherein the fate of the contestants depend on the votes of the people of America after seeing the contestants perform every week. Semifinals determine the Top Twelve contestants, then the finals will determine the ultimate winner, all based on the votes of the viewers, with no bearing on the judges decisions. The original judges were Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. These three judges have stayed for seven consecutive seasons until a fourth judge Kara Dioguardi, a multi award-winning singer-songwriter, was added to the table in the eighth season in 2009. By the tenth season, Cowell and Abdul had left the show, deciding to move to the shows new rival, the X-Factor; leaving Randy Jackson and new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez and as the final judges of the tenth season in 2011.

Why is American Idol such a hit? There are three main reasons: Television entertainment, inspiration for dreams to come true and mass power. Truth be told, the shows entertainment for the viewers and the TV profit is still the number one priority of television producers. Through successful audience entertainment, the show gains a vast number of audiences and earns more ratings in the very competitive television show business. What sparked American Idol to attract their viewers is their comedic auditionees who have no talent at all yet look downright hilarious in their auditions. Through this, the show has created an entertainment to the audience in comedy form. Aside from that, TV viewers are always eager and intrigued to hear what notorious and verbally tactless Simon Cowell has to say on each contestants performance. Moreover, entertainment also lies within the talent of the contestants. At first, the audience tunes in to watch the show in order to laugh at hilarious singing failure auditions, yet as weeks go by, the audience then tunes in to real talent and who they see has real potential and mass appeal. The judges make sure upon screening several hopefuls that the contestants they pick shall bring something different and entertaining to the table in order to amaze and capture the audience with special talent. It is entertaining to see people with talent (Cabrera, 2005) and American Idol also awakens the inner dream within all of us: To be a rockstar in our own little way. (Matthews, 2006).The show portrays the stories of ordinary people who have big dreams who want to show the world what they are made of and who they are. This gives the media a perception that we can achieve any dream of ours, no matter how big or small. As co-executive producer, Cecile FrotCoutaz says, "It's about taking people who live a normal life in some remote part of the country but have an amazing talent, discovering that talent and making a dream come true. I think there's something very powerful about that." This strategy inspires millions of viewers and aspiring artists to awaken and chase their hopes and dreams and never give up. Last but not the least is

mass power. Since the fate of the American Idol contestants depend 100% on the votes of the public, this creates the mentality that we, as viewers have the power to decide and choose which contestant we want to see in the following week. Since American Idol is a platform for building and molding hopefuls to be the best that they can be, each contestant gains thousands or even millions of fans. Furthermore, American Idol also shows a part of the contestants personality and struggles. It also gives us a glimpse of who they are as a person and as an artist. Through this process, the viewers can relate to each contestants life story and we start to feel what the contestant goes through (Child, 2005). As a result, the fans put so much energy, time and money in voting for their favorite contestant. (Gamache, 2007). Not only that, but the network shall also gain millions of profits through the public votes every week. We all like control and power, and the voting process falling entirely on the public gives power to the masses. With these three major elements, American Idol has become a global phenomenon for the past ten years. To add to the popularity of American Idol, several countries around the world have adapted their own version of this show. In fact, American Idol has already been adapted in more than 50 countries (Warwick, 2005). What can an American Idol contestant hope for aside from capturing the attention of their audience and avoiding getting eliminated from the show? The ultimate prize is actually getting the big break in the music industry as the next singing sensation. This is what American Idol promises the hopefuls. This is motivating enough for contestants to persevere and work hard because they have seen the massive success of former Idol contestants like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, whose careers have rocketed into superstardom after winning American Idol. For the winner, a guaranteed record deal is offered and also a brand new Ford car. For the Top 10 finalist each season, they are entitled to go on a 50-city tour around America getting a chance
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to perform and live the life of a professional artist. American Idol does not only benefit the lucky winner, runner-up or finalist. Producers and record labels also benefit since they found a very promising artist that could be signed under their label and could generate huge amounts of profits through their album sales, digital download sales and publicity. The shows reputation is also heightened up since once a successful American Idol alumni has emerged in the scene, the artists roots will always be traced back to American Idol, the show, and the platform where they all began. In that sense, this would provide good impact, publicity, credentials and ratings for the show. This in fact, is a two-way benefit, from both the artist and the producers. As an American Idol alumni, it is not all fame and game. There are also several disadvantages. The very evident one is the lack of autonomy. It is difficult for an artist coming from a talent show to launch their careers right ahead due to the fact that they are often being placed in a box with what kind of music are being expected from them based on their appearances and performances in American Idol. It is difficult to start fresh and go a new direction when the public already has an idea of what the artist should sound like. Often times, a singer is labeled with one specific music genre only and that should not be the case. It is better to have a variety of genres because music cannot be just summed up in one general word for an artist says Adam Lambert, season 9 runner-up of American Idol. Moreover, there is a great tendency for the artist to feel pressured and have trouble in the long run to get to his or her niche in music and as a result, they become like manufactured artists who are forced to do what the record label says; and their freedom to do their desired music would be hindered. The creativity flow within the recording technicians and the singer/artist should be in harmony. The singer/artist must feel the freedom and confidence in order to create the musical flow he or she

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wants, make mistakes, push his/her boundaries with only the guidance of the record label. (Moylan, 1992) Another disadvantage is that even if a winner emerges in a season, and is automatically signed; it is vital that the artist and the record label should be interested in workmanship and business. If the label is not interested in the artist, there will be no good promotion for the album nor funds to spare the artist which will only result in an album flop. According to Simon Cowell, It is not enough to be talented; the artist must have an It-Factor in order to make it big. Is there really success after American Idol? Indeed, the show has already produced big names in the industry such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Adam Lambert, David Cook, David Archuleta, Jordin Sparks and Jennifer Hudson. These former Idol contestants have managed to emerge as stars in the music industry and have had several Grammy nominations and wins, including several music awards and platinum and gold-selling records. Yet they did not have this overnight success. There were several factors that made them as big as they are now in the current music industry. First and foremost is that they have developed themselves as an artist as to what direction of music they shall make. Kelly Clarkson has gone pop-rock, Carrie Underwood has gone country, Daughtry and David Cook have gone into the rock genre, Jordin Sparks has gone to R&B, David Archuleta and Jennifer Hudson went into the scene of pop, while Adam Lambert has gone into the scene of glam/pop-rock. According to American Idol judge Randy Jackson, it is very important that an artist must have this trademark and distinct kind of sound in order to be unique and make it in the industry. No musician is the same. Each one must have something different and special to offer to the table.

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The next factor is publicity. The press is important in building the artists career because it gives the artists a sense of credibility to the masses since he/she is being promoted and published. The press also gives the masses a glimpse of the artists personality (Rogers, 1986). Exposure is really important for the artists, it doesnt matter whether it is a good or bad publicity since either way both are still forms of media tourism of the artist (Moylan, 1986). Furthermore, the artist must have a good production team. It is vital that he or she must have good promotion (album sales, singles, appearances, publicity, endorsements, guesting, interviews, and more) that would aid the success of the artist. For good promotion to take place, the label and the artist must believe in both of their capabilities in order to achieve proper investment. The label must give full support and help the artist breakthrough. Last but not the least is the general mass appeal of the artist, otherwise known as charisma and star-quality to the public. In order for an artist to be successful, he or she must have a big range of fan base. As season 10 finalist Paul Mcdonald says, Artists are nothing without their fans. The fan base is important since they are the ones that uplift and support the career of the artist. How can we truly say that an alumnus has been successful? There are several factors to consider namely their album and single sales, success of tour, publicity and popularity, income and awards. For album sales, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have the most number of sales. Kelly Clarkson has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide, while Carrie Underwood has sold over 12 million albums worldwide which proves that American Idol is capable of producing multi-platinum recording artists. However, there are some artists whose albums have not achieved a gold status but their singles have managed to become a success. One example is Kris Allen, winner of season 8. His album only sold 327,000 copies yet his single Live like
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Were Dying has sold over a million units. This can be concluded that despite winning, there is also such a thing as a one-hit wonder in American Idol alumni history. In general, the top ten album selling American Idol alumni artists have at least sold more than one million copies of albums worldwide. As for publicity and popularity, this depends on how many guestings at events and TV appearances the artists have gone to. Also their online fan base matters since this is what keeps their music and public figure visible around the world. Out of all the American Idol alumni, Adam Lambert, season 8 runner up, has benefitted the most in terms of publicity and popularity. In 2009, Lambert came out in the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and admitted to the entire nation that he was gay. This became the hot topic worldwide in the entertainment scene back in 2009. I dont think it should be a surprise to anyone that I am gay. Lambert quoted in the Rolling Stones magazine. Adam Lambert, aside from his over-the-top vocal range, performances, and charisma, has been seen as a gay icon in society. In November 2009, Lambert performed at the American Music Awards and but shocked the audience after he suddenly kissed his male bassist live on national TV. This caused stir in the media, earning Lambert more publicity and controversy. Yet in the end, it all worked out as Adam Lambert is one of the most promising phenomenal music icons in the next five years (Kearns, 2011). Another basis of success of American Idol alumni artists is the income they have earned throughout their postAmerican Idol career. According to this source, which has based their entry from Forbes magazine, season 5 winner Carrie Underwood tops the number one spot with $20 million, while Adam Lambert and Daughtry tie with $6 million. The top profit of the artist in his or her income comes from the number of tour places and dates the artist performs. The reason why Kelly Clarkson, the most successful alumna in terms of sales, did not make it to the top 3 is because

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her tour was inconsistent which resulted in a fewer income on her part. This explains the importance of a tour in the artists career. Despite success on the American Idol show, post-Idol success is not guaranteed, take example Fantasia Barrino. Though she won the 2nd season and her rendition of Summertime was probably the one of the best performances on Idol so far, she failed to make it in the music business. Although she has a respectable number of album sales, it still wasnt enough for Fantasia to make it big in the context of the music industry. According to producers, it is because she failed to come up with a breakout song, which becomes a massive chart topping hit that will make the listeners recognize you as an artist. In order to achieve success, artists must first have breakout song in order to emerge into the music scene successfully. Other non-winners who have failed to make a name for themselves are Taylor Hicks (season 5) and Lee Dewyze (season 9) who all have never achieved a gold status in album sales nor have made it into the mainstream scene of music. In conclusion, the American Idol talent show is not only an entertainment show that televises a singing contest worldwide, but it has an aim to find an undiscovered talent and turn this talent into the next global singing. The show is a platform to develop an aspiring singer and transform them into legitimate, star-powered artist. In the past decade, American Idol has produced several award winning and multi-platinum selling artists worldwide. According to an author on Billboard charts Fred Bronson, American Idol has produced the most number of hitmaking artists, and album/single best sellers. Not only in the Hollywood music industry have alumni artists succeeded, but several alumni have gone into Broadway such as Fantasia, Taylor Hicks and many more.

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The real competition doesnt end during the shows finale. It starts after the finale, when each alumnus would launch his/her music careers. The real success depends on their postAmerican Idol careers. Mostly, it is either the winner or the runner up that attains the success of being a superstar yet even several American Idol finalists have managed to make a name for themselves because of the American Idol platform. Season 2 finalist Kimberly Caldwell became a television host, Jared Cotter of season 6 co-writes songs with Jay Sean, Luke Edgemon is currently a member of the Warblers of the Emmy award winning show Glee. These are just some of the jobs achieved by alumni artists who didnt make it to the top 2 but all made a name for themselves. In short, being a finalist on American Idol could open doors and opportunities despite not winning the competition. It takes perseverance from the artist, if he or she really wants to make a name for his or himself.

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