It is being reported by EW.com that both American Idol season 2 winner Ruben Studdard and American Idol season 5 Taylor Hicks have been released from their major label deal with J Records. (link) While artists across the music industry are being released from their major label recording deals due to the fall of the music industry and the reorganization/downsizing of most of the major labels, it is especially sad to hear that the American Idol brand is not as successful as one might think.
Actually, The Blot could care less if the American Idol brand disappeared completely from the pop culture landscape, but I do hold a soft spot in my hear for Studdard and Hicks as a fellow Alabamian. The state took great pride in their winning of American Idol and it is a little sad they were not able to turn that nationwide popularity into successful music careers.
This late breaking news combined with the major label release of American Idol season 4 runner-up Bo Bice, another Alabama native, makes for a very sad day in Alabama and the Alabama music scene. (link) Hopefully 2008 will be a better year artistically for Studdard, Hicks and Bice and all three Alabamians will see new recording contracts come their way. On the bright side, I am sure all three will have headlining spots waiting for them this year at City Stages, Birmingham, Alabama’s “world-class music festival.” (link)