What's Next For Taylor?

AL.com
Posted by Mary Colurso January 11, 2008 5:00 AM

What a difference a verb makes.

Dropped. Split. Left. Went different ways. Asked to be released from a contract.

This week, "American Idol" watchers have been buzzing about Birmingham's Taylor Hicks, the 2006 winner who's no longer signed to J/Arista Records.

Rumors about changes in the Hoover native's recording deal have been circulating for months, mostly among the hardcore faithful in his fan club, the Soul Patrol. They care greatly about everything Hicks does or says -- from his record sales to his golf score -- and they take pride in tracking and revealing even the tiniest facts.

The latest news item was big, however.

Big enough to affect Hicks' entire career, change his bank account and alter his status in the music industry.

Did the famously gray-haired singer want to leave J/Arista, linked labels owned by Sony BMG and connected to the "Idol" franchise? Was Hicks forced out? Is it possible that both sides sat down and amiably agreed to part company?

We'll probably never know for sure. Moving through the music business at this level, as Hicks does, is a complex and subtle proposition. Outsiders don't have access to his professional contracts -- all that Byzantine legal paperwork -- nor can they listen in to private meetings where such career issues are discussed and decided.


Also, if you're not part of the industry, it's hard to gauge the real-deal implications of any public statement made by artists, producers, managers or record companies. PR spin runs rampant. Millions of dollars can be involved, not to mention huge egos.

In a way, breaking with a record label is like ending a romantic relationship. Both sides have different impressions of what's going on and who did what to whom. If the public receives any information about a split, it's a usually a vague and filtered announcement -- a compromise position -- that artist and label have agreed to confirm. Or, it's a "he said, she said" clash without a satisfying resolution.

On Monday, Hicks' former publicist at J/Arista, Liz Morentin, cautiously spilled the beans to the Associated Press, telling reporter Erin Carlson that Hicks would record his next CD on his own. Speculation among reporters and fans started to percolate and soon reached an online fever pitch, under the assumption that Sony BMG had given Hicks the boot.

Sales of Hicks self-titled debut disc for Arista, after all, haven't reached the 1 million mark since its release in December 2006. ("Taylor Hicks" has sold nearly 700,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.) Going platinum -- or better yet, multi-platinum, seems to be the yardstick for success applied to "Idol" winners and runners-up.

For graduates of the TV franchise, a gold record (marking 500,000 in sales) simply isn't enough. Not for the label. Not for the media. Not for the general public.

It's an interesting phenomenon, and one that's been spurred by the enormous success of the "Idol" TV show. Its frenzied hype -- promising to turn an unknown singer into an international superstar -- leads viewers to believe that celebrity and riches will stick to "Idol" winners like stardust, even when the season ends and cameras turn their focus elsewhere.

The new bunch of hopefuls showcased in the reality series' seventh season, which begins Tuesday, are likely to learn that the hard way.

Sometimes, the massive attention endures. Look at Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson, both of whom have forged top-level, radio-heavy careers in mainstream music genres. Each has sold several million copies of her albums, securing an A-list niche in the country (Underwood) and pop (Clarkson) worlds.

Others, however, have discovered that the "Idol" glitter begins to fade -- sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly -- when they no longer can rely on weekly exposure on one of the highest-rated series on television.

Worse, graduates of the show find that their professional efforts continue to be judged by the ruthless, breathless "Idol" yardstick. Respectable sales and more modest success, which would be celebrated by musicians in other contexts, appear shameful or shabby.

Birmingham's Ruben Studdard, for example, recorded three CDs with J Records after his 2003 "Idol" win. His first, "Soulful," went platinum. (In fact, it nearly went double platinum, selling about 1.8 million copies.) His second disc, "I Need an Angel," went gold. His third, "The Return," has sold about 235,000 copies. Studdard and his label announced the dissolution of their deal in December.

It's tempting to think of Studdard on the downward end of a career spiral, slipping into relative obscurity, but that's mean and nasty fortune telling. It's also short-sighted. There are plenty of ways to effectively navigate through the music world that have nothing to do with "Idol," J Records or Sony BMG.

Everything depends on the perspective that an artist chooses, and how he or she defines success.

Basically, Studdard has to muster his resources and reconstruct his career -- perhaps earning a greater return on each CD sold with a smaller or indie label -- and hope for a revision in our perception of him. No longer an "Idol," he's simply a working musician.

The same goes for Hicks, who said this week that his break with J/Arista was a mutual decision. Through a brief statement from his team at Career Artist Management and a message to fans posted on his MySpace page, Hicks dispelled the notion that he was callously cut from the Sony BMG roster, or nixed while begging for J/Arista to keep him.

That's what "dropped" implies, doesn't it? You want us; we don't want you.

But let's not forget that Hicks, who spent many years as a struggling nightclub performer, always expressed some ambivalence about his "Idol" status. Although expressing gratitude to the franchise for bringing him to national attention, Hicks wore the "Idol" mantle uncomfortably at times.

It diminished his hard-earned street credibility. It forced him to sing sentimental dreck such as his coronation ballad, "Do I Make You Proud." It evoked an image tinged with cheesiness.

Leaving his TV title and its implications behind, or downplaying them considerably, could be a savvy career move for Hicks. But will the music industry let him do it? Will "Idol" fans allow him to set down the crown? Will critics keep pointing to it as battered and tarnished?

Over the past six seasons, we've learned that "American Idol" thrives on both positive and negative publicity. Hicks must be savvy enough to do the same, finding a new and secure footing on the risky tightrope of his fame.

I thought this was a pretty good article about Taylor. So much is being assumed about what really happened but regardless I know this move from J Records will be the best for our guy. Finally he can do it his way and frankly speaking I have always like his prior cds to American Idol better than the one he made after winning the title. Do not get me wrong I really like that cd but just felt the first two showed Taylor's soul side better.

Needless to say I am a Taylor fan for life and will always support him in whatever the future holds for him. I can hardly wait to get my hands on that DVD and new cd he will be releasing. Simply adore this man!

I totally 100 percent agree with you. I think the move from J records is what he needs. In my eyes he's already "made it"

I too think his pre idol cds were a lot better. I like the new one, but it's just not the same.

He will always be my #1