With all the hullabaloo going on around the judges that will be pulling up a chair at the table next beginning at auditions this month, many have been overlooking the developments on the music release and distribution front, which for Sony Music Group ended abruptly following an eight-year relationship.
After letting Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment do most of the talking on the issue, Sony had the following to say:
"After enjoying a successful relationship, Sony Music Entertainment wishes Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment well in this transitional period for the 'American Idol' franchise. We look forward to continuing our relationships with the many artists on the Sony Music roster who have graduated from the 'American Idol' system, including Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, David Cook, Adam Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Jordin Sparks and David Archuleta among others and we are excited for the upcoming albums later this fall from Season 9's winner and runner-up Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox."
I guess Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta were either dropped or they're covered under "among others." It's not surprising the quote didn't name Blake Lewis, Bo Bice, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Justin Guarini and Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks.
As for the beneficiary of SMG's demise, Universal Music Group, they understandably seem to be singing a happier tune at the moment:
"We like delivering hits and new artists...UMG and 'American Idol' is the right combination at the right time. Pairing the renowned expertise of Simon [Fuller] and Jimmy in developing and marketing musical talent creates a truly winning combination that will allow 'Idol's' artists to realize their fullest potential."
But is this a good bet on Fuller/19E's part? True, it's probably a cheaper deal for them in the long run, but Geffen, Interscope and A&M, while each having their own heavyweights, haven't always been at the forefront of major releases. Time will tell if this deal works in favor of next year's Lee or Crystal.
Showing posts with label sony bmg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sony bmg. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sony Music Group responds to the end of its relationship with 'Idol'
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Danny Gokey finally gets a record deal
Although it took until September, Danny Gokey has finally revealed to the public that he will in fact be recording an album - a country one at that - thanks to his signing with 19/RCA Nashville.
In a story by Brian Mansfield that appeared earlier today on USAToday.com, the exciting news was reported in a manner that raised some points that are worth reiterating. Firstly, Mansfield said this the first time labels under the Sony-BMG umbrella have signed all Top 4 finalists. This is technically not true, considering the Top 4 from Idol's first season all had deals with labels within the Sony-BMG family, with Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini and Nikki McKibbin being signed with RCA and Tamyra Gray signed with Simon Fuller's 19 Records. Putting this aside, it is amazing to think that Idol's fifth season, which is often used as the gold standard, had only three of the Top 4 finalists signed to an Idol-related label (Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee), so this is a big feat for Danny, Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert.
Secondly, the fact that Danny performed songs of the country genre only three times over the course of his run on Idol is enough to raise a few eyebrows. He always seemed more like an Elliott Yamin-like R&B crooner, but he has been getting good feedback for his Rascal Flatts tunes on the tour, so maybe things won't be too weird. Plus it does not hurt that fans of country music are loyal album purchasers, just ask Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Bucky Covington.
As for the release date, that should not be of too much concern. It would be ridiculous if Danny were to record an album - a country album mind you - in about a week in order to have it out in time for the holiday shopping season, but it has been done before (just ask Kristy Lee Cook).
Regardless of how each of the eighth season's Top 4 members' albums fare, it is a healthy signal that the four of them have been snagged by labels under jurisdiction of Sony-BMG. Hopefully they're high on quality and short on gimmicks.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Allison Iraheta second S8 alum signed to Jive
Although she was only the fourth Idol finalist left standing this past season, Allison Iraheta is now the third alum to sign a recording contract from the eighth season. It was today made public that the fiery-haired rocker girl is the newest member of the 19 Recordings/Jive Records family, joining Kris Allen as the two latest Idol alums to appear on label's roster (Jordin Sparks and David Archuleta were each signed following their placings on their respective seasons).
The following is an excerpt from a post on People.com's "TV Watch" blog:Barry Weiss, the CEO of RCA/Jive label group also commented on Iraheta, who is the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants and lives in Downey, Calif. “Her bluesy, powerful voice, spunky attitude, and edgy star power immediately captivated us and it didn’t matter where she ranked on Idol,” he said in the statement, “we knew we wanted her to join our amazing crop of young talent at Jive.”
So, this leaves a sort of elephant in the room, as everyone has been picking up on the fact that second runner-up Danny Gokey has yet to be offered a record deal. While it would be a semi-shock for Danny to not get signed, it's more debatable as to whether or not 19E or a Sony-BMG umbrella label will bite at the chance to scoop him up. If this is the case, wait for an announcement to come many weeks from now.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Analysis: Producers demonstrate pure genius with Joanna debacle
Now that news of Joanna Pacitti's abrupt ouster from the Top 36 of Season 8 is making the rounds, it is a good time to take a step back and digest what this all means for the competition.
It was only yesterday that many (including IDOL LIVE) believed Joanna was not only a shoe-in for the Top 12, but also that she was your next American Idol. She had all the qualifications necessary to validate her as a credible champ, combining beauty, youth, a unique name, a great voice (taking Hollywood Week out of consideration), previous recording and performing experience, friends in the industry and so on and so forth. So how could things turn sour?
Before recycling the same old "omg she was a plant ya see!?" argument, it's important to realize this was never a problem with the producers. They very blatantly stressed her past brushes with the music industry over the course of the show at every possible chance, something they neglected to do last season with Carly Smithson (showing that they did in fact learn their lesson this time around), so that was surely not the problem here. Instead, it was the rumblings that were generated by Star magazine that Joanna knew a few 19 execs, specifically Roger Widynowski and Michelle Young, whom she shared an apartment building with, that was the final nail in her coffin after months of reports on her platny past.
But the producers certainly know what they're doing in this isntance, as they've had a while to mull exactly how to carry out this cut. Why else was Joanna hardly shown during Hollywood Week? Because they did not want to waste precious screen time on someone they knew very well would not be part of the show once the important voting rounds began.
In fact, this is pure genius on their part. Now Joanna will get the public's sympathy for coming "so close, yet so far away" once again (following her elimination from the Broadway revival of Annie as a little girl and her failed record deals with MCA and Geffen), which will prop her up to be signed by a label under the Sony-BMG umbrella, and 19 will be able to manage her successfully thanks to the renewed wind that will be blown in her sails.
The scandal will also be a boon for Idol, as many who were upset at the fact that the judges allowed Joanna to advance so far will now be satisfied, providing a more focused and content audience that will only have to deal with Tatiana and Nick as distractions. Add to this the fact that every time Idol creates or suffers a scandal, ratings jump.
This will also benefit Idol in that Felicia Barton will be seen as an underdog, and if she fails to make it through to the Top 12 on her first try, you can bet your bottom dollar that she will be included in the wild card round. And to make things even more interesting, she will be chosen as one of the judges' picks to the Top 12 (again barring the fact that she does not make it into the Top 12 on her own). This will keep the dark horse dreams alive and will be an interesting storyline throughout the season.
To many, Felicia seems like an odd pick to succeed Joanna. But she was in fact the logical choice to replaced Joanna with, as she shares a few qualities with the latter including similarlity in age and appearance (to an extent) and a personable demeanor. She has also attained a healthy amount of online buzz despite the lack of screen time she has received up until this point, which the producers must have taken note of. And the fact that her raspy vocals are something so different than the vocals of a cookie-cutter contestant makes her that much more interesting. And then there's the whole "Joanna was a shoe-in for the Top 12" idea, which opens up a spot that was all but guaranteed for her and will now allow another "favorite" to make the cut.
It will surely be interesting to see how things pan out in the next few weeks, but just don't think that this is the last we'll see of Joanna Pacitti and that Felicia will be nothing more than a placeholder. That would be a mistake to the greatest degree.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Phil Stacey signs with Reunion
After parting ways with previous record label Lyric Street last November, Phil Stacey has announced via his official music MySpace blog that he has signed with Christian label Reunion Records, a sub-label of the Sony BMG umbrella. Per his blog entry, Phil said:
I am working on the record with producer Brown Bannister. He is amazing at what he does and we have some phenomenal material to work with.Phil also stated he is hoping for a summer release but there is nothing set in stone.
Phil's debut album sold roughly 36k copies before he left his former label. This is the second Idol re-signing in three days, coming on the heels of news that Katharine McPhee has signed with Verve Forecast.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Ruben in the red
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The second season's champion is following in the footsteps of Wesley Snipes, as he has failed to pay $193,650 in taxes to the state and federal government. Ruben Studdard, who was dropped by J Records last December, has not yet commented on the matter.
The majority of the taxes, according to court documents, are from 2003 when he did not pay $19,581 in state income taxes and $163,836 in federal taxes and was also issued property liens for $2,149 in state and $8,083 in federal for the 2005 fiscal year.
Ruben's tax woes comes on the heels of his marriage to Surata Zuri McCants in June. He is also involved in a legal dispute between his former record company, Sony BMG, and apparel line Louis Vuitton over the former's illegal use of the latter's trademarks in Ruben's music videos and on his third record, The Return, which Sony BMG has agreed to stop producing.
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