JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum American Idol 2009

Tom,

You said:

"...you dont become a great singer doing karoke...........you need strength and depth in songwriting."

I have to disagree with that statement. It doesn't apply to Idol winners for one thing - they have hordes of writers in the wings. Even beyond Idol, songwriting is not a requirement to be a great singer. How many legendary singers (besides Elvis, Frank Sinatra, et al) didn't write a lick. Carrie Underwood seems to be doing just fine without much writing ability. Country is like that. Pop and R&B used to be like that. R&B is mostly still like that. However modern pop and rock does seem to require a modicum of songwriting ability - if you are the artist. However, Pop/rock artists who are weak in songwriting can always team up with a co-writer.

I also think you're wrong about the "churn 'em and burn 'em" approach you think Idol uses. Yeah, it's a tough business, but they can go into obscurity for many reasons: not enough talent is certainly at the top of the list; but there are other factors such as perseverence and drive; maybe the music biz isn't what they thought it would be (too many weirdos or something); or maybe they simply didn't want to stay away from their family any longer.

Why else would Idol bother to keep track of former Idols AND contestants like Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Kat McPhee, David Archuleta and other Idol "alumni". They even have a whole section on the Idol website about Idol alumni and what they're doing.

I believe the Idol producers DO want a long-term artist. They also want short-term ratings (yes, they ARE greedy). However, my understanding of the contract is that you are tied to 19 Entertainment for quite some time after you leave the show (probably seven years - a typical contract length): they get a percentage of your earnings as a manager, so they are more than happy to help someone like Carrie Underwood continue to make millions for the next 40 years if possible. For instance, Kelly Clarkson just got out of her 19 Entertainment contract (isn't it about seven years now?) and was therefore able to make a CD of music without Idol's approval of the material - and she changed her style if you'll notice.

I think these shows are by far the BEST possible investment of time a young artist could make if they are inclined to sing popular music of some type and perform it live. Where else would someone in that position get to perform and/or appear in front of 25 million people twice a week for 2-3 months. They will all get their names in People, US, Entertainment Weekly, go on major talk shows, and on and on...it's not 15 minutes of fame, but more like 9 months if you include the Idol tour. If they still have staying power, then they start their own record deal, rehearse new material, and then do a tour or at least a series of shows. What an incredible opportunity for someone with absolutely no connections - or simply not enough connections!