A mistake to wait until the end of this year to release an album? Options

[Mgsolocup]

I read somewhere that Melanie's album won't be released until the end of this year(2012). I think it's a mistake, because Season 11 of idol will have come and gone and people will be more focused on the idol winner. Most will have moved past these contestants since a year will have passed. It's different in the UK because there are no other shows like this and people are more thirsty for the winners album. It's also a bigger show over there.

How would you feel about Melanie and the rest of the cast releasing their albums a year later? Will it hurt them a lot?

[aifanatic100]

I think it could definitely hurt her in the "strike while it's hot" sense. But it's nice to see a winner of a singing show taking time to record the album instead of rushing it out in a few months If the material and promo are good then she's still got a shot.

[Jasmine30]

I read somewhere that Melanie's album won't be released until the end of this year(2012). I think it's a mistake, because Season 11 of idol will have come and gone and people will be more focused on the idol winner. Most will have moved past these contestants since a year will have passed. It's different in the UK because there are no other shows like this and people are more thirsty for the winners album. It's also a bigger show over there.

How would you feel about Melanie and the rest of the cast releasing their albums a year later? Will it hurt them a lot?

I think they will be OK if they release singles before their albums come out and the singles are hits.

[jdrocks84]

Chris is actually in the studio right now with J.R. Rotem and Martell aka Marty James. He's re-recording Young Homie and releasing it as a single on Epic this month. He's also written a bunch of new stuff and has at least 6 or 7 songs he wrote before X-Factor that are just as good as Young Homie that he will most likely re-record as well. I won't be surprised if he has an album out within 3 months or less, especially if Young Homie does as well as it's likely to do. His audition video is still getting more and more views...over 11.5 million with no signs of slowing down.

On top of that, there is a really, really strong female contestant on idol (info from spoilers) who is a stronger vocalist than Melanie AND is way more current and has good presence and star power. If Melanie waits as long as you're implying she will wait then there could very well be a shift of attention to this girl who stands a very strong chance on AI 11.

[satchvai]

She has a deal with a major label. Losing some buzz won't really matter since she will get great promo when it drops. Maybe they finally learned Reality show watchers don't equal buyers and aren't too worried about it and will focus on a killer end product. No one hit wonder here, folks.

[istersay]

It might work out better for her than rushing out an album that's not that great, we've seen that happen with some Idol albums. She could have a single or two out way before that and have some airplay going to support album sales by then. Also things could go really well and they could get a good album out before then, you never know what will happen. Idol starts in a couple of weeks, if people are going to forget about her or any other contestants then it will happen soon anyway.

source

[bigjr6633]

If they're concentrating on actually putting out singles and actually promoting her and not just rushing anything it makes sense. It's not good to rush an album and have no one buy it, you need to take time in creating the best work and actually promoting this girl. I think for her it'll work better this way anyway.

[druth8x]

Ppl who forget about these ppl will have already moved on anyways. The Holiday season is the time to get albums out. Also yeah not rushing it means for a better album, usually.

Yeah, 2 or 3 singles esp in this single driven music business we are in would be a better way to go about it anyways.

This post has been edited by druth8x: Jan 7th 2012, 5:44 AM

[Jac92]

I agree with the original poster most of Melanies "fanbase" will shift their attention to the next premiere contestant not only showing their true colors but also showcasing that their is no such thing as true devotion amongst much of Idol's/X-Factors fanbase. They will gravitate to the next "it girl" not showing much thought of who they previously worshiped disregarding their previous favorites as relics of the past. Once a new contender comes along Melanie will be regarded as just that by much of the program's fanbase. I think she deserves better than that and I myself would never subject her to being treated in such a manner. Melanie may be dedicating extra time in producing this album to show how versatile she is. After all she was quoted as saying that this album will exist as a way to defy and contradict those who thought she was only limited to ballads. Much of this wanting to be versatile may stem from how inadequate she feels next to Chris and Josh who have versatility as artists in ways she doesn't.

Melanie has room to grow and is need of artistically maturing in ways that Chris and Josh have already have having years of an advantage over her. I am actually pleased she will try to show more versatility some of the previous Idol and X-Factor winners don't show much growth after winning the coveted prize because they are content with staying the same way that got them to the top in the first place. The one thing that you should have a deep admiration for when referring to the final three is that their is an eagerness and strive to grow and mature as artists where some contestants are to ignorant to understand that there is always room for improvement no matter how much talent you possess.

Melanie of course has a stronger stage-presence and vocal range than the two but when it comes to self-marketing, musical production, song-writing, understanding of musical theory, touring various venues, and use of instrumentation Chris and Josh have a visible advantage. Josh and Chris biggest advantage however may come from paying their dues and experiencing the hardships that one encounters as a starving artist. Melanie managed to skip that stage of her career and there's a good chance that most of the younger contestants will also have that privilege. That is where I have less respect for the younger contestants beyond them throwing tantrums when their at risk for getting eliminated. Everything will come so easily, the television exposure they have gotten will enable them to have very lucrative record contracts, and they will barely have to work for it in the same instance that Josh and Chris have sacrificed years for.

Anyone that thinks I'm being harsh on Melanie please don't its just obvious that she hasn't encountered the same hardships as Josh and Chris have spent years fighting and paying their dues along the way. She has the strongest vocal range along with Stacy Francis among the final seventeen, also Melanie is much more marketable than Francis which adds to Amaro's prestige. However as a musician she never conquered as much adversity as Chris and Josh did.

[druth8x]

TV fanbases move on that's the same with Josh and Chris etc.

I'm a Mel fan and will still support her. I am not your typical fan who moves on.

No need to single out Mel's fans though, all tv contestants have a portion that move on and a portion that stick with them.

Your next 3 paragraphs are not what my first 3 sentences refers to.

So Mel, Rach, Drew haven't had the same dues paid doesn't mean that they need to pay their dues. It's not a requirement it is just one of many helpful tools in an artists toolbox.

[toyall123]

I don't know how well Melanie's album will turn out, but looking at past X Factor winners in the UK, I don't know why Simon is saying it is a good idea to wait a year or two before releasing an album. The contestants that released an album sooner ended up becoming more successful than the winner. Has Simon not noticed the trend appearing on his own show?

[druth8x]

How much sooner are we talking about in the UK?

[jdanton2]

in the UK they all seem to release in the 4th quarter which is almost a year after the finale.

[Tusk]

IMO, they weren't entirely sure what to do with Melanie regarding her image/sound. They just knew she had a voice. A year gives them a chance to figure out how to use the voice and to give Melanie any PR, vocal, physical, choreography training.

I've heard others, and I agree with this, observe that no significant growth occured during XF with anyone, when you would see growth to Idol contestants usually. This year off for recording and training can only help her and the others.

[vanjess38]

I think it's a mistake to wait especially here in the US where there are so many shows now and we have so many artists releasing music around that time. They could get lost in the shuffle. I think it was a bad idea not to have a winner's single. I mean seriously, she's doing all these press rounds singing nothing. Waste of opportunity IMO.

She's going to need a song on radio soon and maybe another before her album drops. People are saying Scotty sold well because country sells but I think his roll out did help. He had a winners single sent to radio right after he won and had massive airplay for that song and sang it during all his appearances. It kept his name out there till his album was released and that's part of the reason he sold well.

We all know how the idol winners who had no airplay of their winners single fared when their albums were released. I think they should release a single for all the contestants they sign to keep their names out there while they work on their albums. Simon is out of touch lol! Saying best albums are made taking time is true but most of these people who get away with that are established artists not new ones. Also times have changed and things don't work out like that anymore.
The UK is totally different from the US.
I hope they release songs for all of them like they're doing for Chris.

[druth8x]

I agree there should be a winner's single.

However if they get lost in the shuffle just based on a few months then they weren't going to be "big" anyway.

[Tusk]

But, if you don't have a musical Identity, it doesn't matter if you put an album out sooner rather than later. The only "advantage" to putting it out sooner, is to sell to her XFUS fans, since they only know who she is. We've already noted ad nauseum that XFUS underperformed.

....so we want to hurry a song out to appease that percentage of XFUS underwhelming number of viewers that will buy Melanie's song? No matter it's quality or her musical identity, lets hurry out a possibly sub standard product from an unfinished performer to make her XFUS fans happy? Disregarding how the same rushed product will impact Melanie's perception by the general, non XFUS, public?

Using a baseball analogy, you don't put in a high school pitcher who throws 100 mph with no control. Putting him in the majors, against professionals, the odds are good he will fail and you may irrepably harm his confidence (the public's (non XFactor) perception of him).

This post has been edited by Tusk: Jan 7th 2012, 8:31 PM

[toyall123]

However if they get lost in the shuffle just based on a few months then they weren't going to be "big" anyway.

Probably, but normally, the typical winner would sell more of an album that is released three months later after his/her coronation than a winner whose album is released a year later.

[druth8x]

But, if you don't have a musical Identity, it doesn't matter if you put an album out sooner rather than later. The only "advantage" to putting it out sooner, is to sell to her XFUS fans, since they only know who she is. We've already noted ad nauseum that XFUS underperformed.

....so we want to hurry a song out to appease that percentage of XFUS underwhelming number of viewers that will buy Melanie's song? No matter it's quality or her musical identity, lets hurry out a possibly sub standard product from an unfinished performer to make her XFUS fans happy? Disregarding how the same rushed product will impact Melanie's perception by the general, non XFUS, public?

Using a baseball analogy, you don't put in a high school pitcher who throws 100 mph with no control. Putting him in the majors, against professionals, the odds are good he will fail and you may irrepably harm his confidence (the public's (non XFactor) perception of him).

Exactly.

Probably, but normally, the typical winner would sell more of an album that is released three months later after his/her coronation than a winner whose album is released a year later.

Yes but it's not like they are seling much anyways. It would be better to try and broaden the scope beyond the show and quality for a career not a one album with a few hundred K sales.

[Tusk]

I mean isn't that what they did with Pia? Wanted to take advantage of the Idol buzz? And Idol has twice XFUS' viewership. How did that work out for Pia? You might say, but Pia didn't put out her album right away....but the difference, I hope, with Melanie is that I would think they would work on some of the obvious things she needs to improve on to make it: Public Personality, Wardrobe, being able to emote during performance.....

Frankly I was aghast that when Pia came out with "This Time", it seemed they did NOTHING to work on her weaknesses. Since she was eliminated 9th place, she was exactly the same, in performance, when she debuted "This Time". Sure the song was a dud, but jeez Pia...did you learn nothing?

This post has been edited by Tusk: Jan 7th 2012, 9:02 PM