Taylor Hicks Dropped By J Records
January 5, 2008 by Jeanne
Taylor Hicks has been given the Ruben Studdard treatment by J Records. Both American Idol winners have been dropped by the label in the past month. Ouch!
Entertainment Weekly is reporting that a label rep has said the following: "Taylor is going to record his next album on his own. He is no longer on the J Records roster."
I’m kind of worried about some of the other Idol alums now. What does this mean for the future of record deals for former contestants? I know it’s business and labels are going to keep the ones who make them money but I know from my Idol Stalker readers that Taylor does, indeed, have fans.
What do you guys think?
Technorati Tags: taylor hicks,taylor hicks american idol,taylor hicks dropped from label,j records,american idol
“I’m kind of worried about some of the other Idol alums now. What does this mean for the future of record deals for former contestants? I know it’s business and labels are going to keep the ones who make them money but I know from my Idol Stalker readers that Taylor does, indeed, have fans.”
Let me discuss this in reverse.
Taylor does have fans indeed, but internet fans are a small portion of the fan base you need and it is the non-internet fans that buy most of the records, etc. Taylor has been touring a lot, but not getting all that much press or television coverage and is not played much on the radio. This does not help continuing sales. Did he even get a video? I don’t remember it.
BMG considers the first album sales as anomaolies because of the huge ratings of their season of AI, the sales are expected to drop off a lot without a tie in to a movie or TV show for continued exposure.
Taylor had the shortest contract of a maximum of 3 albums, which shows that lack of expectations/support of BMG. He was the first winner who was not signed by 19M. He is not a cookie cutter kind of guy, he is not what is “popular”. It was posted on a message board that Jordan has a one album contract, but I have not seen anything in print myself. Prior to this it was alternately speculated the idol contracts were 7 or 5 albums.
The future idol signing – well, I think Daughtry and Pickler show show that the label has to sign the winner, but will still sign anyone they think they can market. It is possible being the runner up no longer guarantees a contract, but anyone can be selected. Jordan and Blake sales show that just because people vote for you, sales are not a sure thing.
The article did NOT say he was ‘dropped’. Taylor mentioned back at least 3 months that he wanted to buy out his contract. This came from one of his inner-circle, so I’m convinced Taylor either bought out his contract or asked to be released. Taylor is no puppet. He will do what he wants to and what’s best for him. Thank goodness he has the BALLS to stand up for himself and flip ‘ol Clive ‘the bird’.
Ohno, I agree with you. Enough of haivg to record all hese stupid songs when you have great voice, whats the point?? Go on your own Taylor
Sorry, the title of the article and this blog uses the term dropped – perhaps discontinued relationship would be better.
Usually when someone buys out thier contract (Nikki McKibben not withstanding) they have another announcement of a new label out at the same time to make a positive out of it and not to let people dwell on the negative.
So will this affect the DVD?
Um, the referring article from Entertainment Weekly uses the word “dropped.” I think it’s more than fair to assume that this is what has happened.
I disagree Jeanne – EW likes to sensationalize stories, so the headline of “dropped” sounds more dramatic than “Taylor buys out record contract”. Taylor has been dropping clues for months about this departure, both in song tags and clues, so there is no doubt in my mind that he gave Clive the boot – not the other way around. Ultimately tho, it doesn’t matter. What will matter is the quality of the next album and with him have complete control, I look for a brilliant album.
Ohno – I’m so sorry. Did you have a link to a story that said Taylor bought out his contract? I would be thrilled to add it to this post so that people don’t get confused. Artists get dropped all the time and it’s not a reflection on them as an artist so I don’t think there’s a need to get defensive. What if he really was dropped? Does that mean he’s less than what he would be if he bought out his contract? Not in my eyes…
I’m looking for a good album from him.
Jean – I understand your first comment. I should have explained that I hoped the fact that he has fans who are willing to send me lots of emails and defend him meant that he had a ton of non-internet based support. You are right, though. He has not been well promoted. I talked about this recently but people disagreed with me.
I also think you are right – if Taylor had bought out the contract, it probably would have been announced. It’s a big deal to get dropped but I think it’s a bigger deal when an artist tells a label to get lost. Look at the sh*t storm about Kelly Clarkson last year.
Kelly C. is prolly on the phone now with Taylor asking him how he freed himself! haha!
that headline with the word “dropped” in it has a question mark after it? like as if they were ASKING if he were dropped.
the text of the article says he “lost” the cotract, he could have lost that in many different ways I suppose. hmmm
But, so what if he was dropped? If it turns out that he gave the label the old heave ho then I will make sure I write a whole thing about it and apologize for my choice of words. It definitely could mean a lot of things but, in my eyes, particularly after what happened with Ruben, Taylor has been dropped.
In the meantime, I was hoping we’d be talking about what happens now for Taylor and future Idols (and underperforming ones like Jordin Sparks).
Someone on another board made a very compelling point. If Taylor was not dropped, he would not be allowing the label and the media to spread the news that he was. I think this makes a lot of sense.
Taylor’s future.
I think he will do better than Pre-Idol, but not as good as the first year off Idol. Touring has been good to him fothe most part. Oddly enough, the two ones I could hav attended were cancelled for sales and they were in very large venues so it sounds like booking errors. It happens.
Guessing, I would say he needs a label that is familiar with his style and how to market it. It doesn’t have to be a major, but it has to have a track record in his music style.
Underpreforming AI’s left,
Katharine McPhee, but she has a movie coming out and theat can prod sales
Jordan is too new and we have to see what happens this year
Blake, unless they get his music as the good bye song on AI or another high profile gig, I think it is over. Maybe another 8 months for sales to ick up. he needs some major promotion and perhaps some training TV cameras, the video from Leno looked like he stepped out of his marks and the camera did not follow.
Coletta – From your mouth to my ears. Thanks for leaving that comment because that was my reasoning.
Jean – THANK YOU for answering my question. I have to agree with you, too. Blake did have some scary moments on Leno so I hope he looks at them and corrects the mistakes
Hopefully Taylor Hicks will be picked up by another major record label because if not then he will have to return to releasing indie albums like the ones before Idol. I doubt his career is over, but it will be harder than before for him to get back in the mainstream with his next album. If there is anything good that will come out of this it is that he will get to record his own music and not have to deal with Clive Davis and his people. I wish him good luck and I as a fan of his look forward to his sophmore album where ever it comes from.
Taylor is a beyond original and a phenomenal entertainer. I wish him all the best for a continued bright career. I hope a new CD is released in ‘08, as well as the “Whomp at the Warfield” DVD. ( I still have the HDNet airing from the October 7th airing). I’ve watched this show a number of times and it’s just brilliant!!!
No one compares to him today. I did see him live myself twice last year when he was on the west coast, as well as meeting him. (Taylor, I hope you liked the CD’s I gave you).
I definitely plan to see him again this year when he hits the road. I eagerly look forward to the new cd. I’ll keep tabs with other soul patrollers.
Taylor, your fans are the BEST and will ALWAYS
be there for you!!!
Im with you Jeanne, who cares if he was “dropped”? Fans (and Im a fan of Taylor) ALWAYS try to put spin on the term “dropped” to make themselves feel better but its not the end of the world either way.
Anyhoo, Im absolutely appalled at the way they treated him. He might as well not had a major label do from the beginning.
Oh and also it’s absolutely absurd to say things are over or looking down for Jordin and Blake. For new artists theyre doing fine and they’re releases are still new, sheesh! Why do people expect ther albums to go platinum in 2 weeks??
Taylor Hicks may have won ‘American Idol,’ but he lost record deal
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK – Taylor Hicks might have won “American Idol,” but he doesn’t have his record deal anymore.
The soul singer, who claimed the “Idol” title in 2006, has apparently been dropped by J Records, a label within Sony-BMG, which signs the show’s singers. “Taylor is going to record on his own for the next album,” said J Records publicist Liz Morentin, who did not give further details regarding Hicks.
Another “Idol” winner – Ruben Studdard of season two – left his contract with J Records late last year, but continues his contract with 19 Entertainment, the company managed by “Idol” creator Simon Fuller.
Studdard is now at work on an upcoming album, but it will not be distributed by J Records, Morentin said. Studdard’s previous album, 2006’s “The Return,” has sold only 236,000 copies.
Roger Widynowski, spokesman for 19 Entertainment, did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages seeking comment on Hicks’ situation.
Hicks’ self-titled, post-”Idol” album, released in December 2006, debuted at No. 2 on the charts. In the weeks after it was issued, however, the disc slid down the charts. While it sold a respectable 699,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan data, it did not reach the one million mark, unlike all the other debuts from previous “Idol” champs. It also did not register a hit song, unlike other “Idol” winners.
Taylor Hicks Splits from AristaJanuary 07, 2008
‘American Idol’ winner Taylor Hicks is splitting from Arista. They released his self-titled major-label debut in late ‘06. The set has sold 699,000 units in the United States.
Hicks has decided to record his next album on his own. He said he signed his 3-year deal straight out of Idol because it was all he could get, and at that point he had no reason to turn it down. He said he’ll continue to hustle to get more gigs, and he’ll be releasing another album in 2008, and hopefully go on tour.
Mr. Hicks was not dropped by his label, as has been widely reported over the past couple of days. His lawyers were able to get him removed from his contract for a variety of reasons, including breach of contract and failure to comply with promised promotion, among other things. Mr. Hicks has agreed not to reveal the terms of the separation for a specific period of time. In other words, J Records/RCA didn’t give Hicks what they promised, he wants more artistic freedom and better promotion, he was able to get out of his contract and he has agreed not to reveal any details at this time. Bear in mind that the new season of American Idol is coming up, and they can’t afford more negative publicity – look how badly their treatment of Mr. Hicks impacted last season’s show.
———- hollyscoop.com
——————————————————————————–
This is total hogwash. Taylor was dropped by J Records. There are true insiders who post on some of these boards and it is common knowledge what happened. Don’t try this ridiculous phony spin because it only makes you and Taylor look foolish.
Coletta,
Your reply seems a little defensive and threatening. I would be a fool if I believed it is common knowledge about what happened. I posted the article because it contributes more information and it couldn’t possibly have anymore spin than the article above it. Either way Taylor wins, because he believes in his music, and has more integrity and class in his little finger than the label and those associated with it will ever understand.
You didn’t just post the short article, you posted the long comment to it, without any separation. The comment was probably written by you. Whoever wrote it is extremely naive. Your post made you a laughingstock. If I were a Taylor fan, not in my wildest dreams would I make up a story like that, unless I knew how to state facts in a professional, believable manner. That’s assuming I HAD any facts. It’s hilarious that this bad writer claims to know that Hicks agreed not to reveal any details, although she just stated the made-up details above. Do you get it now? The post is a sham, so poorly written that I assumed at first that it was a joke. Now do you get it?
Coletta,
I didn’t write the comment. Yes, I get it. I apologize for not separating it, but I guess I assumed the reader is intelligent enough to discern the difference in style and context. I had no sinister plan but I did think it could generate some interesting discussion. I never claimed it was fact. I’m sorry you missed the possibilities of such a discussion and don’t understand your over-reaction. I’m outta here. Have a nice life.
He wasn’t dropped by the label, Coletta. If my post ever gets out of moderation, you can see links and the additional statements made by both camps regarding Taylor/J Records split.
Or maybe we can’t post links here? Is that why my comment has been in moderation for over an hour? Just curious and confused – post at 3:04 seemed to go through okay. Post at 1:49 still shows to be awaiting moderation.
I have read all the links and statements, and I laugh when I see that some people are still trying to say Taylor was not dropped. You are in deep denial. What do you think “mutual agreement” is? It is the label telling Taylor they’re dropping him, and him saying OK, bye. Now I hear that he isn’t really doing much in the way of writing right now. I think he needs some time to mourn.
Colette, I know how you feel. People like to pretend ,they think it will go away. Thats how we go “Bush”in the white house.
Haha! Good point, GerriG. I don’t think they will believe Taylor was dropped until they see him serving up burgers at McDonald’s.
It started on Thursday, January 3, 2008, with Shirley Halperin’s EW article
titled “Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard dropped from J Records?”http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008…omment-96209426
From the article, this was the only quote by a label rep: “Taylor is going to
record his next album on his own,” said a label rep. “He is no longer on the J
Records roster.” That quote started the rumor that “he had been ‘dropped’ by the
label because of poor sales”, and is still being spun negatively by news media
and blogs over a week later. Additional statements were revealed, which disputed
the notion they dropped him, but that the two camps reached a mutual agreement
for his next album.
—————–Tuesday, January 8, 2008 ~ OK Magazine article titled “Taylor Hicks
Parts with Record Label”http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/3681
Taylor Hicks has split with his record company, his rep announces.
“American Idol winner Taylor Hicks has announced that he and Arista Records
have mutually agreed to part ways,” reads a statement from his camp.
No reason was specified for the separation nor was a new home for the singer
announced, but the statement goes on to say the 31-year-old is currently working
on a new album to be released later this year.
——————–
Tuesday, January 8,2008 ~ Taylor Hicks My Space announcement – “Statement
from Taylor”http://www.myspace.com/taylorhicks
A statement from Taylor:”To all my fans and The Soul Patrol, I want to take a
moment to talk about the recent news that my label and I have mutually parted
ways. The important thing for all of you to remember is that I’ve been a working
musician my whole life. This is turning the page on a new chapter of my career.
Artistic freedom and control is an exciting prospect. The things that are most
important to me is creating my art, performing it, and my fans. With the
momentum that all of you have created over the years, Taylor Hicks is not going
to stop anytime soon. I’ve started working on the new album, writing and
scheduling exciting collaborations. The DVD, Whomp at the Warfield, is in it’s
final stages, and will be released soon. So as one door closes, a new one opens
for 2008 with more excitement for all my fans than ever before. Sit tight,
because the best is yet to come!”
———-Wednesday, January 9, 2008 ~ Shirley Halperin’s EW article titled
“Katharine McPhee: the latest Idol to go indie”http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008…rine-mcphe.html
As for this recent spate of Idol exits, a rep for the RCA Music Group (which
includes Arista, RCA, and J Records) tells Insider, “With respect to Taylor, we
have an understanding that he will come back to us to play music once he’s
finished writing his new material.”
————Friday, January 11, 2008 ~ NY Daily News article titled “Katharine
McPhee voted off by RCA”http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2…off_by_rca.html(quotes
pertaining to Katharine, Ruben and Taylor)
KATHARINE ~ “We put millions behind Katharine. Many of us at the label still
love her songs. But we’re in the major leagues. We didn’t think she could break
into the mainstream. We would rather be honest.” (McPhee is talking with another
label and is due to star in the movie “I Know What Boys Like.”)
RUBEN ~ “The exec noted that Studdard put out three albums, “but there comes
a time when we have to recognize the market for adult-oriented albums is tough.
We allowed him to be a free agent, to make the record he wanted to make.
TAYLOR ~ “The same thing with Taylor Hicks. We didn’t want to shove any songs
down his throat. We wanted to make an album in the style he was comfortable
with. We mutually agreed that he’d work on an album [on his own], we’d listen,
and we’d see where we go from there. There’s no acrimony.”
————
Saturday, January 12, 2008 ~ Reuters article titled “Idol dilemma — ratings
up, sales down”http://www.reuters.com/article/tele…lBrandChannel=0
As for the “Idol” alumni jettisoned by RCA, Corson says “the door is open” to
Hicks, once he completes his album on his own. As for Studdard, “it was business
as usual,” he says.
Chris was chosen well before AI ever got underway to be crowned (after that season, is there anyone who believes that it’s not one big marketing scheme?) That Taylor upset their choice made TPTB scramble. So they gave him the minimum required, very little press, and dropped him at first opportunity. So what? They care nothing about the music, only about marketing and $. He is better off this way — he’s not in it for the money. He’ll be a Jimmy Buffet — smaller, but solid, fan base, in it for the long haul and coming up with music that lasts.