How much does 'American Idol' REALLY have their finger on the musical pulse of consumers?

Six seasons of American Idol have come and gone, with each season's premise being "to find the next superstar". The following are the six winners of the crown, thus far. Kelly Clarkson : Superstar, certainly, but only once she got out from under the ironclad 'Idol' contract. Ruben Studdard : Reduced to performing at boat shows. Fantasia : Does well in the R&B market, wouldn't call her a household name. Carrie Underwood : Successful, without a doubt. Strikes me as an industry puppet, however (just what they want). Taylor Hicks : Essentially forgotten shortly after his season concluded (and largely overshadowed by 4th runner up Chris Daughtry) Jordin Sparks : Still awaiting her first album release, but absolutely no buzz regarding her. American Idol prides itself on unearthing great talent, but in my estimation, they are 1 for 6 so far, with Sparks' fate to be determined. Your thoughts?

Public Comments

  1. I don't think they've checked my pulse yet. :) The pulse that they have checked, though, is the that of the fickle, teenage audience. With their short attention spans, it's a case of out of sight, out of mind. I think the only reason Kelly and Carrie have been successful is that they have also appealed to some of the adult market.
  2. Exactly. I was thinking the same exact thing. The only person I actually liked who came out of Idol was Chris Daughty.
  3. It's just a glamorized karaoke contest. The general public has a memory span of, oh, about 3.8 seconds. The best thing going is only good until the next best thing rolls around. I've never watched the show, so I don't know how much promotion they do for their former winners, but it must not be very much, or else we'd still be hearing from some of these names. I'd say that as far as captivating the viewing public, and getting the most out of the limited attention span of those viewers, they're doing a fabulous job of creating another generation of one-hit wonders. NP: "What Price" - Dokken
  4. This show is yet another sign of The Apocalypse & the scourge of the earth. I've been hearing murmurings that it's fixed too. I dunno. I've ranted SO much about this crappy show. What I don't understand is why the masses seem to eat it all up. I know it's just entertainment, but imo, there's good entertainment & there's bad. I guess this falls under "So Bad It's Good" (to the masses) or they actually *like* it on face value.
  5. No of course they don't. They have their finger on the entertainment pulse...yes they do. Those idols shows are just a quest for ratings, plus it is keeping manufactured bands/ performers alive. It's just about getting your 15 minutes of fame I guess. It's just a reality show but I have no remorse for the people who know this and still participate and end up becoming worse off at the end. The "Idol" series have been going on for years, American Idol and Pop Idol (original British version) and its like an assembly line at a manufacturing plant...spewing out what they see as appealing to the general public. Yes they produce what they call "talent" that has a short life spam...then quickly replaced. Its got the usual sob stories, predictable hopefuls etc etc. More like a soap then anything!
  6. Unfortunately a lot more than I care to admit. Not my pulse nor most of the people in this forum. The problem I have with A.I. is obvious in that rock is not well represented on that show. It's more of what we don't need like a bunch of Ashlee Simpson clones or bland R & B singers. Also, I don't think winning the show is as important as getting your name out there. Some of the runner-ups may end up with the better careers. A.I. is just another example of scoring big by reaching out to the lowest common denominator.
  7. ofcourse they don't know what they are doing.... they said no to ME three times; it's obvious they don't have their heads on straight.
  8. I stopped watching american idol after season 3. I dont think there is any guarantee that each winner will become a star. kelly and carrie are the only ones who you actually hear about. just being a contestant can help you if you wan to be a star,like you said Chris Daughtry is bigger then that taylor guy. I just wonder if he views REALLY get all the say in who goes home.
  9. A.I has an ability to find talent,: however, they don't always win because of the "public" vote. I am a little bit of a conspiracy theorist in that if they find someone really good, that person is removed from the competition. Jennifer Hudson - faulty phone lines? Daughtry - Too much Rock? If they have talent beyond teenage buyers, they are removed to prepare albums or oscar nominated career moves. Kelly and Carrie are very good and have a strong buying core!
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