“American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard has signed to Clive Davis’ J Records, and runner-up Clay Aiken will join the first “Idol” winner, Kelly Clarkson, on RCA Records, which Davis also oversees. The RCA Music Group, which includes J Records and RCA Records, has exclusive rights to sign the stars from the “Idol” franchise. The label’s close ties with the show stem from its parent company BMG’s long-standing relationship with “Idol” creator Simon Fuller. Additionally, Fremantle Media, the TV production arm of BMG parent Bertelsmann AG, partnered with Fuller’s 19 Entertainment Group to create the show. Davis, who founded J Records… Read more »
Ruben Studdard outsang Clay Aiken to become the new “American Idol.” The cuddly mountain of soul aced out his lanky, spikey-haired rival for the title in viewer voting. The results were announced during Wednesday’s conclusion of the wildly popular Fox amateur hour. “I feel great, man! Thank y’all!” said Studdard, 24, of Birmingham, Ala. Then, filled with emotion, he sang a song of gratitude, “Flying Without Wings,” as the crowd roared “RUU-ben, RUU-ben!” As expected with the two highly appealing performers, the margin dividing them was slim. Of 24 million phoned-in votes, 50.28 percent were for Ruben, putting him 130,000… Read more »
While the World Health Organization said that it believes the worst of severe acute respiratory syndrome is over in Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam – which got a clean bill of health on Monday for being the first nation to contain the virus – SARS is still affecting tour and promotional plans for many artists who were set to visit those regions. The Rolling Stones were the first to pull out of Asian concerts – their first-ever concerts in China – when news of the disease broke in March, though they did play two shows in Singapore. They also… Read more »
‘Tis the season for holiday radio shows. As much a tradition as eggnog, mistletoe and broken resolutions, December always brings a bumper crop of all-star shows in which bands give back to their fans (and the radio stations that play their music) by jetting around the country and serving up short hit-heavy sets. The month of December will be especially star-packed for those living near Indianapolis, San Diego or Philadelphia. If you love Good Charlotte, Coldplay, Destiny’s Child and Queens of the Stone Age, you might want to cash in some frequent flyer miles, because those bands are among a… Read more »
Rapper/disc jockey Angie Martinez discovered she wasn’t tough enough to be an “American Idol” judge. Martinez, who was to join original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul (news) and Randy Jackson for the Fox talent-search show’s second season, quit after the first few auditions. It became “too uncomfortable for me to tell someone else to give up on their dream, especially when I realized that many of them have supported my musical career,” Martinez said in a statement. Fox will stick with a trio of judges and not fill Martinez’s slot, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. The first edition of “American Idol,”… Read more »
Justin Guarini may be known all over the world as “Mr. Runner Up” from hit TV show “American Idol,” but RCA Records is betting the floppy-haired singer will be a winner on the record sales charts. RCA, a unit of Bertelsmann AG, on Wednesday said it will release the solo recordings of Guarini, 23, following the label’s success with the release of a single by the show’s champion, Kelly Clarkson. The bubbly 20-year-old’s rendition of “A Moment Like This,” the song Clarkson performed on the final episode of the show, has topped the charts in recent weeks. RCA said Guarini… Read more »
Terrorism struck the United States on a Tuesday, the day labels release albums, and that day had its share of potential blockbusters: Jay-Z, Bob Dylan and Mariah Carey were among the artists who released records on September 11, 2001. The first anniversary of the attacks, by contrast, will pass quietly in the nation’s record stores, with no big-name releases hitting shelves this week and retailers predicting that new records will be the furthest thing from fans’ minds. “It just seems to be in bad taste,” said bassist Joe Escalante of veteran punk band the Vandals, who chose a September 17… Read more »
“American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson may have the magic to put RCA Records back on top. All the major record labels are pulling out their big-gun releases for the fourth quarter in hopes of hitting some high numbers to make up for the year’s extreme sales dip. RCA has been struggling overall because of a weak release schedule. The label has thus far scored hits only with Dave Matthews Band’s “Busted Stuff,” which has sold more than 1.2 million units, and critically acclaimed postpunk band the Strokes, whose “Is This It” has passed the half-million mark. Clarkson’s two-sided single release,… Read more »
They say behind every successful man stands a woman; with House of Cards season 6, behind every successful woman is the ghost of man’s past mistakes.
New York – As U.S. pop radio stations begin to embrace the Backstreet Boys single “Incomplete,” Jive Records has set June 14 as the release date for the vocal group’s fourth studio album, “Never Gone.” The new album features the writing and production talents of Five For Fighting’s John Ondrasik, Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes, Max Martin, Billy Mann (Pink, Sting), Dan Muckala (Jump5, the Afters) and John Fields (Switchfoot), as well as John Shanks, who in February won the Grammy Award as producer of the year for his work on releases by Sheryl Crow, Clarkson, Hilary Duff and Ashlee Simpson.… Read more »
