Indie Label Tries to Justify Releasing Adam Lambert’s Pre-Idol Recordings
June 25, 2009 by Jeanne
Wilshire Records, the independent label that released the pre-American Idol music of this year’s runner-up, Adam Lambert, is trying to defend their decision. Adam voiced his disapproval and 19 Entertainment issued the following statement on his behalf: "The work I did back then in no way reflects the music I am currently in the studio working on." 
It’s unfortunate because I can understand how having those songs released could be damaging to his career. He’s obviously grown as an artist and, after being on the world’s most popular talent show, he wants to craft his image to be aligned with who he is today. When you’ve got old stuff mixing with new material, it can confuse and even disappoint your audience.
Wilshire teamed up with Hi Fi Recordings to release, On With the Show, an album that will feature 11 songs that were recorded by Adam before he appeared on American Idol. Of course, Hi Fi has a different take on the situation. They told Usmagazine.com the following: "Adam is now enjoying the success that he and Wilshire Records hoped for. However, he is now represented by high-profile companies who released a statement in Adam’s name saying the songs on On With the Show were recorded four years ago and Adam only contributed vocals. This is simply not true.
The songs were recorded in a professional recording studio with top notch musicians and producers since the music was always meant to be released. Of the 11 songs that will appear on the album, On With the Show, Adam co-wrote eight with Monte Pittman (Madonna’s guitar player). As co-writer and performer, Adam will receive significant royalties just as any superstar artist would. He has the chance, finally, to make a fortune for his work — definitely more with this album than through a major label deal.
This pre-Idol work is a fantastic representation of who Adam is and what inspired him during the months before he became famous. We intend to see that Adam will still benefit from the success of ‘Want’ (on iTunes now), and from the sale of On With the Show, even though he is now part of a major franchise that only wants fans to hear the music Adam records for them."
That was a slightly snotty statement, if you ask me. Clearly, they don’t respect how former contestants are treated by 19 Entertainment but they shouldn’t assume to know what arrangements Adam has made.
Will you buy Adam’s pre-Idol music?
image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX
Wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Adam received more royalties on a per album sold basis from the indie album than from a 19 album.
Already did. I don’t care about the muck of business. Just wanted new Adam.
OH God HiFi is so desperate! Since when do you have to DEFEND your right to release an album? I guess they never ever dreamed there would be such massive bad publicity. And now they’re trying to paint their star that they claim to love so much as a liar? HiFi, you might as well just crawl back under your rock.
Good grief what a fuss about nothing much! Most Glambert fans have downloaded most of these songs from YouTube or similar sites AGES ago. So we have most of them and don’t need to buy the album to be put out by these greedy people anyway. Talk about blatant cashing in on a good thing! So why didn’t they release it ages ago then if they thought it was so good? Hmmmmm.
The only way I would consider buying it would be if I was absolutely certain that Adam himself would make a lot of money from the sales – and if he said it was okay to do so.