Like 100 American Idol alums, Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze get record contracts
May 28, 1:14

"Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze sign record contracts after successful American Idol 2010 run"

May 28, 2010 -- ...

.... "According to Billboard, Lee DeWyze signed with RCA/Sony and Crystal Bowersox signed with 19/Jive.

Both talents will now get set for some hard work that may not pay as much as other AI front runners in the past. According to Forbes, 'The pop music market...is showing signs of Idol fatigue. Earnings for some of Idol's top vocalists have nosedived over the past year.'

What does that means in dollars and cents?

Nobody knows for sure, but Forbes gives the example of 2009 AI winner Kris Allen, who made about $748,000 in music and tour sales since he won the TV contest.

Says Forbes, ' places 10th on our annual list of top-earning stars launched by American Idol.' "...

• RE: Lee and Crystal sign contracts,zazzy, 03:37 PM, 05-28-10
  • RE: Lee and Crystal sign contracts,zazzy, 03:39 PM, 05-28-10
• RE: Lee and Crystal sign contracts,zazzy, 03:43 PM, 05-28-10

"Crystal Bowersox, signed to Jive/19 Recordings Thursday, will have her first meeting about her debut album next week. "I'm ready to start working and get this underway," she told a group of reporters during a conference call Thursday.

As far as what her album might sound like, "It might be a familiar sound," says the 24-year-0ld singer, who counted Melissa Etheridge, Feist and Ray LaMontagne among musicians she admires. "Simple songs that people can relate to, enjoy and hopefully learn something from."

Expect Crystal to write some of those songs for the album -- if she hasn't already. Crystal proudly noted that her song Holy Toledo was the first original song by an American Idol contestant to be used on the show during the competition. She said she'll also be allowed to play the song when the American Idols Live tour comes to her hometown."

Crystal repeatedly praised the season's winner, Lee DeWyze, ...

...But when the questions turned to the possibility that she and Lee might date, she shut them down quickly. "No, that wouldn't happen," she said. "He's like a brother to me. I love him dearly, but not in that way." "

Note: Crystal and her boyfriend broke up the day of the finale.

"We wonder if there's any particular reason that Lee went to RCA and Bowersox went to Jive. Current Idols at RCA include Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert, while current Idols at Jive include Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen and Alison Iraheta. "

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1640281/20100528/story.jhtml

"That was fast. Less than 24 hours after winning season nine of "American Idol," Lee DeWyze signed a record deal with 19 Recordings Limited and RCA Records, while his pal and runner-up, Crystal Bowersox, inked a contract with 19 Recordings Limited and Jive for her debut major-label album.

According to Billboard.com, the pacts were signed on Thursday and will have DeWyze joining the label that houses such "Idol" luminaries as Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert. Bowersox will rub elbows with the likes of Kris Allen, Jordin Sparks and Allison Iraheta.

Last year's top two, Allen and Lambert, got their debut albums out in late November, so it's safe to assume both Bowersox and DeWyze will aim for the same timetable to quickly capitalize on the lingering buzz of the "Idol" finale and this summer's "Idol" tour. Both singers already have experience in the recording studio. DeWyze has released two independent CDs, including January's Slumberland and 2007's So I'm Told. Bowersox has recorded several dozen original songs with a folky feel, including an ode to her hometown, "Holy Toledo," which got some airplay during her "Idol" run.

In another sign of how quickly things are moving for the "Idol" top two, their debut singles were already serviced to radio and iTunes on Thursday. Billboard.com reported that Lee's cover of U2's "Beautiful Day" and Crystal's take on Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain" had already gotten a number of spins.

iTunes sales figures won't be available for a while, but the magazine asked experts to compare how the digital sales of recent winners have fared. Allen sold 134,000 downloads of his oft-criticized "No Boundaries" in week one, while Lambert's cover of "Mad World" moved 115,000 copies. The year before, champ David Cook's "The Time of Our Lives" sold 236,000, while runner-up David Archuleta's cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" sold 71,000."