So I can make as many statements against Idol, claiming my opinions are accurate...but there's only one way to be convincing...and that's with facts. And there's one solid fact I can use to show that American Idol singers are nothing more than a fad...album sales.
Here's a look at the American Idol album sales over the past 7 seasons:
Kelly Clarkson (s1w) - had 4 albums - #1 sold 4 mill, #2 sold 6 mill, #3 sold 1 mill, #4 sold 500k
Justin Guarini (s1ru) - has 3 post-Idol albums - the best seller is 135K
Ruben Studdard (s2w) - 3 albums - #1 sold 1.8m, #2 sold 400K, #3 sold 250K
Clay Aiken (s2ru) - 4 albums - #1 sold 2.8m, #2 sold 1.4m, #3 sold 500K, #4 sold 160K
Josh Gracin (s2ru) - 2 albums - #1 sold 500K, #2 sold 80K
Fantasia Barrino (s3w) - 2 albums - #1 sold 1.8m, #2 sold 500K
Diana DeGarmo (s3ru) - 1 albums - sold 168K
Jennifer Hudson (s3ru) - 1 album (post Oscar) - 700K
Carrie Underwood (s4w) - 2 albums - #1 sold 7 m, #2 sold 2m
Bo Bice (s4ru) - 2 albums - #1 sold 600K, #2 sold 61K
Taylor Hicks (s5w) - 2 post-Idol albums - #1 sold 700K, #2 sold 18K
Katharine McPhee (s5ru) - 1 album - sold 300K
Elliott Yamin (s5ru) - 2 albums - #1 sold 500K, #2 sold 80K
Chris Daughtry (s5ru) - 1 album - #1 sold 4m
Kellie Pickler (s5ru) - 2 albums - #1 sold 700K, #2 sold 200K
Jordin Sparks (s6w) - 1 album - sold 1.5m
Blake Lewis (s6ru) - 1 album - sold 300K
Melinda Doolittle (s6ru) - 1 album - sold 20K
David Cook (s7w) - 1 album - sold 1.1m
David Archuleta (s7ru) - 1 album - 700K
In 7 seasons, these are the 20 best selling artists from American Idol. There are only 8 platinum selling artists. And only 3 of them have 2 platinum albums. And the biggest stars are the ones who have rejected Idol. Clarkson refuses to be associated with the show. Underwood rejected going pop and went country. And Daughtry went rock. That leaves only Clay Aiken...who just got dropped from his label.
I'll have a wrap-up tomorrow.
The 11 Best Songs By Green Day:
1. Basket Case (Dookie)
2. Jesus of Suburbia (American Idiot)
3. One of My Lies (Kerplunk!)
4. Holiday (American Idiot)
5. Scattered (Nimrod)
6. Longview (Dookie)
7. Hitchin' A Ride (Nimrod)
8. Minority (Warning)
9. When I Come Around (Dookie)
10. 86 (Insomniac)
11. Going To Pasalacqua (1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour)
Buy Green Day's new album, 21st Century Breakdown (only $4.99 for one week!!!)
Aiken was the first to dump the show and just dumped the label when the 5 years 5 albums contract ran out. (he wasn't dropped) Considering that they are all at the mercy of the 19 label and with each album get less and less promotion, who can blame them for cutting ties asap. Your theory doesn't work with AI because they manipulate the careers as much as they manipulate the show. It is always about the latest winner and the others get the shaft. You'll only get a true reading of success after they change labels and management. Aiken is the first major player to ride out the label contract and get a new label.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge American Idol fan. However, I am in the music business and if you think the music business in the toilet now, it would be much worse without all those recent American Idol sales. And for several of those AI platinum albums, you failed to mentioned how many times platinum several of them are. It's 2 biggest stars, Clarkson and Underwood, still have plenty to do with the show and have appeared several times (including this year).
ReplyDeleteGG - first off, you are correct that the label puts the newest artist first...but you can't honestly think the label would want the artist to fail? The majority of the artists who leave the label meet with total failure.
ReplyDeleteKouzie - If you work in the music industry, then you should know better. Would you promote a single for an artist then release the album 8 months later? When everyone has forgotten about them? The illusion of the music industry's downturn is to blame the internet. But Napster appeared in 1999. 40 million people were using Napster...yet record sales were going up. In 2002, the same year American Idol premiered, the industry saw its first decline. How do explain that from 1999-2002 there was no decline in record sales, yet illegal downloading was at its peak? Wait for my next post, and I'll pool my last three days together and make it all make sense.
good post.. i however disagree with minority being amongst the best.... could i hear your reasoning? i just feel like its such an expected and overdone type of song. warning or waiting or even macy's day parade were better singles.. in my opinion. or blood sex and booze was just an awesome track. also, the new album is good, strange, but good. i just kinda feel like after warning they lost all relation to what they were. not that it matters. i also feel that know your enemy is much like minority... expected and sorta repetative.
ReplyDeleteMinority was a tough call. It was a literally a toss-up between songs like "Warning," "Worry Rock," "Haushinka" and "Christie Road" over which might get in...but what I felt about "Minority" is that it really pointed a figure toward the direction that the band would take on the next album. It was their first overt step into political commentary from a band who had spent most of their career being anything but.
ReplyDeleteMy list (submitted after the release of 21st CB):
ReplyDelete(11)86 (Insomniac)
(10)She (Dookie)
(9) Holiday (American Idiot)
(8) Prosthetic Head (Nimrod)
(7) Letterbomb (American Idiot)
(6) Christie Road (Kerplunk!)
(5) East Jesus Nowhere (21st Century Breakdown)
(4) Macy's Day Parade (Warning)
(3) Jesus of Suburbia (American Idiot)
(2) Minority (Warning)
(1) 21st Century Breakdown