Earlier today I came across this article on Fox News - 'Idol' Singer a Ringer? David Cook's Album Already Out
I knew right away what the writer, Roger Freidman, was referring to David Cook's independent album Analog Heart being the #1 Amazon MP3 Album (by the way David Cook also now Amazon's #1 Amazon MP3 artist).
I will answer Friedman's first question right away.
No.
How could Cook be a ringer? Was there anything to suggest he would become as popular as he has, before he was on the show. Not that I can find. Friedman's is also incorrect in saying Cook "already has an album out." Analog Heart was not released by a major label. Cook independently produced his own album, two years ago, and he is selling it.
Anyone could do this. Right on Amazon's MP3 music page you can click on Music Label and Artists Guide. From there you can go to where it says "If you are an artist or label currently without digital distribution" and click on one of Amazon's distribution partners like CD Baby or Tunecore, and you are on your way to selling music on Amazon.
How much of a ringer is "American Idol" contestant David Cook? His self-released album, "David Cook," is on the charts and the current season isn’t even over.
The only "charts" Analog Heart appears on is Amazon's own internal charting system, to show which of their products has the highest sales. Any retailer could make "charts" like that. The only charts that matter in the US are the Billboard charts. Those are the real charts.
Friedman states that because of Analog Heart, Cook should be disqualified from the competition. I guess Friedman is unaware that many Idol contestants have made independent albums. Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry and Bo Bice all had independent albums out before competition, and it was possible to buy them, even while they were competing.
More importantly, what happened to "American Idol" simply being a competition for totally unknown or undiscovered artists? What fueled the fantasy for the audience was the concept that anyone — the waitress down the street who had a nice voice — could suddenly become a superstar. It was one thing when Carly Smithson (nee Hennessey) was revealed to have released an album five years ago. But for Cook to have one out now, I think, disqualifies him as a true competitor.
American Idol has never been a competition exclusively for the "waitress down the street who has a nice voice." Yeah, she can audition, but so can the struggling musicians who've been playing every bar that will book them, and scraping together enough money to make a demo. It's interesting that he gives Carly Smithson a pass, when she is the one who already had the major deal and marketing push.
You can also find pre-idol music on Amazon from:
and of course
Why didn't this happen in the previous seasons? It couldn't. Amazon didn't have MP3 distribution then. I'm sure Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Bucky Covington, or Bo Bice would have been happy to sell their stuff on Amazon during the competition too.
David Cook may be one of the smartest competitors American Idol has seen. I say he should keep on keepin' on.
David Cook
1 comments:
amen!
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