[Dixielandjazz] American Idol - Redux

[Steve barbone]

Here's a look at why this show is so popular among record producers and
fading music stars.

Now if they'd only book Re Birth, or Dirty Dozen with N.O. arrangements . .

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


April 19, 2006 - NY TIMES - By JEFF LEEDS

Music Labels Jockey for 'American Idol' Exposure

LOS ANGELES, April 18 ‹ Question: Who's going to get the ax this week on
"American Idol"?

The answer for many in the recording industry is: Who cares? More pressing
by far, in certain music circles these days, is who wins and loses among
record labels trying to land their artists and songs on the blockbuster
television show, now in its fifth season.

Most of the show's viewers may obsess on the drama leading to the coronation
of a new Idol. And music executives are watching too: the show tends to
bestow commercial success on its champions, who have the benefit of starting
their music careers with a built-in bloc of voters behind them. Viewers, not
to mention new fans, snapped up CD's from past winners, particularly Carrie
Underwood and Kelly Clarkson, by the millions.

But the show has become so popular that even the songs performed on the show
‹ either by established artists making guest appearances or by the
contestants themselves ‹ receive a sales boost in some cases. While the
exposure does not spark sales of every song or artist every week ‹ far from
it ‹ the sales spikes so far have been enough to turn "American Idol" into a
coveted booking for established artists looking to return to the mainstream
or maintain their public appeal. As a result, the on-screen anxiety over who
makes the cut each week is now being mirrored by off-screen hand-wringing
over how to tap the exposure offered by the show, which is due to close out
its season late next month.

For one clear measure of the "Idol" Effect, consider the Canadian
singer-songwriter Daniel Powter. In early February Mr. Powter, who had
enjoyed a radio smash in Europe last year with his song "Bad Day," had only
begun to develop fans in the United States.

But on Feb. 7 "American Idol" producers started using the song as a send-off
for departing contestants. Sales of the digital single of "Bad Day" have
since exploded, with the song logging multiple weeks at No. 1 as downloads
routinely exceed 110,000 copies a week, totaling more than 690,000 copies
through April 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. Mr. Powter's CD is
expected to have its debut on the national sales chart today in the Top 10,
a respectable start for a new artist.

Geoff Mayfield, a senior analyst at Billboard magazine, notes that the show
has appeared to spur sales for particular acts since its first season. But
this year, "as the show gets more established as a ratings giant, there are
more people in the consumer base that are reacting to it," Mr. Mayfield
said. "There's no longer a variety show like there used to be. Aside from
Leno and Letterman, what do we have on television that reminds us of what a
variety show used to be? It serves that purpose."

"American Idol," which has been averaging 30 million viewers a night, has
crushed every rival on the television schedule, including the Grammy Awards,
which has not gone unnoticed by music executives, who had viewed the
recording academy's annual telecast as the biggest opportunity of the year
to secure television exposure for artists. So as the stature of "Idol" has
increased, so has the eagerness of record labels hoping to place their
artists on the show.

Nigel Lythgoe, one of the executive producers of the show, said that in
choosing the themes and artists that will appear, "we've always said we are
going to introduce back to America the greatest songwriters in the world."

Yet the show also made a habit of picking artists who happen to have new
CD's to promote, including Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers and Shakira.

When it comes to determining which artists will have the chance to bask in
the show's exposure, the clout of "Idol" means that the producers can
largely choose whom they wish. "They're holding all the cards," said Monte
Lipman, president of Universal Records.

The show has a deal under which the winner's CD will be distributed by Sony
BMG's RCA Music Group. That label is also home to acts that are appearing
this season, including Mr. Manilow and Rod Stewart. But the producers have
been willing to spread the exposure a bit; they had an episode in which
contestants had to perform Stevie Wonder tunes (he's with Universal). And
Mr. Rogers, who records for EMI, has been a guest.

Artists do occasionally decline. Mr. Lythgoe said the producers had extended
an invitation to Prince, though it is unclear whether that famously private
star would be willing to spend time working up song arrangements with the
contestants, as past guests have. "He's a very shy man," said Mr. Lythgoe.

It was the show's obvious commercial power during past seasons that
encouraged the producers to make guest appearances a staple of the show this
year. "We realized we had this influence as well," Mr. Lythgoe said. "We're
giving them something back. They're not just coming on this corny American
show." 

Major stars, he added, "know longevity in this business comes from riding
the waves that come by you. At the moment, we are the wave."

The producers also carry most of the influence over which songs are
performed on the show. As Mr. Lythgoe explained it, the producers choose an
over-arching theme for each week's show, and then provide contestants with
extensive lists of songs to choose from that both fit the theme and have
been approved for use by music publishers, who control the song copyrights.

There are still efforts to game the system, as one senior label executive
affirmed, agreeing to speak only on condition of anonymity, to avoid
angering the show's producers. He said he tried to send packages of his
company's music to the contestants in the hope that one might choose to
perform one of its tunes. Mr. Lythgoe responded, "We've got a very good
security firm."

It is not clear exactly what determines whether a particular contestant's
performance will generate a sales spike. The results can be unpredictable.
On the March 1 episode, for example, the contestant Chris Daughtry sang
"Hemorrhage (in My Hands)," which had been a hit for the rock band Fuel in
2000. Sales of the digital single soared to more than 17,900 copies the
following week, up from just over 1,100, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Mr. Daughtry's timing was fortuitious: Fuel recently parted ways with its
lead singer, and is now auditioning for a new one. "It just came out of the
blue," said Paul Geary, the band's manager. "Our Web site lit up. This guy
gets on the air and nails the band's biggest hit. I think he'd be a
contender for the gig."