Melinda Doolittle has signed with a company that will promote her vision for her career, not the stockholders’ dividend dreams or the Big Giant Heads of record industries’ ego-driven fantasies. Melinda has been busy in the public eye since she left the Idol tour - no one will forget about this Idol-legend. Blake, Ruban, Taylor and other Idols signed and then discarded too easily still have a huge leg up on unknowns struggling to be knowns; and they have revealed the fallacy of a system geared only at the pop charts: life after Idol can be sweet for the savvy contestant (Broadway, product endorsements, etc.) Hey, regardless of where it comes from, the money still spends; and that’s the best reality of all.

personally, we luved blake and thought his cd was great. hope we hear much more of him.

personally, we luved blake and thought his cd was great. hope we hear much more of him.

Blake does have talent, if any of you tried to beat box i am sure someone would die. I am absolutely positive he will sign another deal in the next year or so.

By the time AI comes around by the next season, there is a new Idol crop to fawn over. That’s the real reason. In the meantime, last year’s winner has been out of pop culture — presumably because they’re busy in the studio learning and recording other people’s songs.

Kelly Clarkson is the only one who seems to have survived this — first, she has the honor of being the *first* Idol, the one to whom others must be compared. Second, she made an attempt, however lame, to stay on the cultural radar with a piece of stale summer fluff (with her AI rival slash love interest). Third, she actually showed unique, individual talent, and not just a good job at singing other people’s songs — she’s even written some herself, fancy that.

Oh, and like Underwood, she has country cred, which is apparently a requirement these days — though thankfully, unlike Underwood, she doesn’t make this the sole or even significant part of her identity.

I don’t think Clarkson will be dropped anytime soon. Three platinum albums in six years? Uh uh. She’ll shine as the Idol among Idols while Underwood is swinging a coffee pot at a roadside Oklahoma diner.

I can’t wait to see Hal get hit by a bus!

Honestly, why all the negativity about Blake? He is a Phenomenal talent. Just because there’s a lot of production on an album doesn’t mean that the guy isn’t completely an original and a HUGE talent in his own right. Arista didn’t market him correctly. Just go watch what he’s doing with BT and you’ll see a better fit for him. You may not understand beat-box and all of the incredible sounds that come out of Blake Lewis’s mouth, but that really doesn’t give you the right to cut down something you don’t even understand and quite frankly have never even heard! I’ve got news for you, those are not EFX on his voice, I’ve heard him do his beat-box (for lack of a better word/description) and it is ALL HIM.

Every one has something to give talent-wise in this world, so if he’s not for you, support the people who are, but don’t disregard some one’s obvious brilliance just because it isn’t YOUR idea of talent.

Also, I’d like to see the dumb-A** whose cutting down Archuletta’s singing at age 17!!!!!!!!!! Keep those positive lines coming IDIOT. I wonder what YOU sound like?

And on to the A.I.’s and the “where are they now” file……..the music industry is in utter shambles. With in the next 5 years, there will only be one major label left because of all of us independents. 300,000 is AWESOME for overseas and for an independent, but in today’s market with the record industry in basic ruins, I guess the “majors” think it isn’t worth it. The thing is this, the labels have been raping us artists for YEARS. I say, go out on your own, you’ll make a lot more money and keep your integrity in the end.

The other problem is, people think that music if FREE. ASCAP is on the forefront of battling this belief and helping the artist and songwriter make a living from their talents.

RS should do a story on this. All of the people mentioned plus Bo Bice had 1st record sales that would be considered awesome for a new artist under the usual circumstances, yet they were dropped.

He never wanted to be on a major label!? He’s full of shit, if he wanted to be some kind of indie star then he shouldn’t have gone the American Idol route.

Maybe ‘Velvet Revolver’ will pick him up. He can do his beat-box routine while Slash does his solos.

There are a few points to be made regarding A.I. contestants getting dropped and those that do well sales-wise. Do to the fact that everyone has varying opinions on musical talent we wont discuss those issues. But you can’t expect an album to sell with out proper marketing or promotion. I only bought the album initially b/c I felt bad that I didn’t even know the thing had existed until I saw it in a store one day. The fact that they had Ryan Tedder (lead singer of One Republic) as a co-writer for the majority of the album as well as a song featuring Lupe Fiasco (for those that don’t follow hip-hop, he’s kinda a big deal) and yet released a single and gave it the C-List treatment of a video and radio push, I’m amazed he broke 50,000 let alone 300,000. Hell that makes him a platinum selling artist in the U.K.

All of the artists who were dropped by their varied SBMG labels were victims of little to no marketing after the fact. Regardless of whether or not the album has any musical merit nothing sells if people don’t know it exists.

This is shocking news, to say the least - I’d no idea that either Blake Lewis or Arista Records even existed anymore.

Hey..do you hear that?

It is the sound of talentless peoples’ mediocre music silenced.

Manufactured creativity. An oxy-moron if ever there was one.

Shelley,

I completely agree with you about Melinda Doolittle, she has a fantastic voice but has never been signed by a label yet. She is one of the best singers in the show’s history. Someone please sign her!

I can’t wait to watch David Archuleta fail!

I can’t wait to watch David Archuleta fail!

American Idol is a strange machine, and it’s true people’s memories are short. Once the season is over, most contestants are simply forgotton, including those with big talent. Melinda Doolittle is a perfect example. Unless they can score a really great agent to promote their talent and keep them on the front page, it’s all over.

It’s because American idol is a giant karaoke competition. When it comes down to it, no one coming off that show has any REAL music talent, just good voices.

I don’t understand how they can expect these kids to sell tons of records without any promotion. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t recall seeing Blake or Taylor with videos being played on TV, and I never hear any of the 4 mentioned on the radio. I just don’t think that it is fair to expect the show to be the only mechanism used to plug these artists.

Blake Lewis isn’t even qualified to work at McDonalds. Please Blake just go away.

I hear Blake Lewis is now looking for a new job and has applied at his neighborhood McDonald’s seeking a full time job flipping burgers. Damn, talk ’bout stepping down.

Dead-on, SOB, 300,000 “units” should be applauded, especially in today’s climate, when going platinum is a major feat for an established artist!

I don’t care for Blake’s “style” of music, but I do think it’s pathetic when an artist is thrown to the wolves after doing so well sale-wise without a hit.

No wonder record companies are dying. I will gleefully dance on their collective graves.

Did you ever think that he might have been dropped because he sucks? About this time next year I also see Archuleta being dropped by his label 19 Entertainment. The #2 finishers have sucked so far, that includes Archuleta.

this kids got talent, and a real nice set of lips…..

300,000 WITHOUT A SINGLE IS PRETTY DMAN GOOD.

Kelly Clarkson dropped yea right. She is the best to come out of the show.

Even when its off the air its still doling out the schadenfreund.

This may or may not be a shame. Lewis’ album was actually pretty good and if it fell short of “great” I would let it slide as he at least co-wrote every single track on the record. If he didn’t want to be on a major then there you go. He’s a talented kid, and I think he’ll work it out.

You got that right Gabi

Granted, people have short memories, but the talent generated by American Idol is bland and easily forgettable.

Let’s see how David Archuleta fairs in his post Idol career

Well this was to be expected. People’s memories are short and once an artist is out of the public’s eye (e.g., out of the American Idol limelight) then you can expect a decrease in popularity and attention. I wouldn’t also be surprised to see Clarkson and eventually Cook dropped from their respective labels. Underwood is the only former Idol artist I see with a prolonged musical career.