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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

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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

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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

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5.0 No Guarantee Success

5.1 Possible Reasons

5.2 Names of Unsuccessful American Idol Alumni Artists

6.0 Conclusion

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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, Britain’s 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 show’s

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

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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 show’s 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.

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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 show’s 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 contestant’s 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 Frot-

Coutaz 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

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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 contestant’s 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 contestant’s 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 show’s reputation is also

heightened up since once a successful American Idol alumni has emerged in the scene, the

artist’s 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 artist’s 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 artist’s personality (Rogers, 1986).

Exposure is really important for the artists, it doesn’t 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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We’re 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 don’t 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 post-

American 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 artist’s 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 wasn’t 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 hit-

making 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 doesn’t end during the show’s finale. It starts after the finale, when

each alumnus would launch his/her music careers. The real success depends on their post-

American 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 didn’t 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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