The first time Mo’Kelly heard Jacob Lusk sing, it wasn’t on TV. It was singing
together in the tenor section at the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship here in Los Angeles. He was just as genuine, full of smiles and singing talent then as he is now. So can you imagine Mo’Kelly’s pleasant surprise to see him blowing away the competition on American Idol?
That said, you think you want Jacob to win, but really you (and I) don’t. Many think that winning American Idol is the best way to launch Lusk’s eventual career, but Mo’Kelly is here to tell you that it most likely isn’t.
Not all that glitters is gold. It is undeniable that American Idol singlehandedly has catapulted unknowns into the world of music stardom. As well, it is equally inarguable that “not winning” has been a blessing in disguise for a number of Idol participants. The reality though is that American Idol by most accounts has jumped the shark and its best years are in the rear view mirror. The simultaneous exit of uber-villain Simon Cowell and the creation of competition program X-Factor says Mo’Kelly isn’t alone in this view.
Understand that this commentary is coming from someone who worked a number of years for a number of different music labels within the industry.
The business is as cutthroat and unforgiving as any VH-1 Behind the Music or E! True Hollywood Story would have you believe, if not worse.
Presently, the winner and runner-up are required to sign an exclusive management contract with 19 Entertainment (a producer of American Idol) and variations of that agreement (for lesser money) are also offered to top finalists. The key distinction is “offered” versus “required.”
Industry estimates are that Idol winners make anywhere from $650,000 to more than $1,000,000 in their first year.
By all accounts, such are impressive numbers. At the same time and also by all accounts, Jacob Lusk is a generational-type of talent…as in “once-in-a-generation” and often characterized as the second coming of balladeer Luther Vandross.
What most people don’t know is that the contracts for the winner and runner-up lock them into a 7-year deal, more than twice that of any average, first-time management contract. Meaning, Ruben Studdard’s 2003 deal would have just recently expired and arguably did nothing for his career in the final five years.
That’s a bad deal.
The contract locks the artist into ancillary marketing, royalty and licensing deals which allows 19 Entertainment the ability to make money off the artist for as long as ten years.
That’s a bad deal.
In more balanced management relationships, the manager works for the artist, not vice-versa. The artist has final say as to the projects in which he or she participates, not vice-versa.
For the heretofore unknown singer with finite options available, the 19 Entertainment deal would seem to be a sweet proposition. That is only until an artist realizes he/she is giving away his professional life and negotiating leverage for periods long after an artist’s shelf life.
If you think 19 Entertainment was giving Ruben Studdard the necessary attention and promotion in the development of his career while doing the same for the “more recent” winners of 2004-2010, you’d be a fool. If you think Studdard has any leverage now to broker a new deal elsewhere and re-start his music career after disappearing from the spotlight, you’d be a fool. If you think Jennifer Hudson wins an Oscar much less charts her own path if she were managed by 19 Entertainment, you are also a fool. She too is a generational talent. If you think that the 19 Entertainment deal likely offers fair-minded incentives, commensurate to an artist growing into a superstar, you also are a fool.
19 Entertainment is fool’s gold.
Just FYI, Idol 1 winner Kelly Clarkson allegedly cut ties with Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment because the management team wasn’t “focused” on her career. Regardless of how much stock you put into Clarkson’s supposed reasons for parting ways, the fact still remains, she dumped them and hasn’t looked back.
And before you ask, Fantasia Barrino is no longer managed by 19 Entertainment either. These aren’t coincidences. It smacks of artists being used to serve a one-sided purpose, not a mutual agreement which benefits both parties long term. 19 Entertainment incurs no risk and reaps most of the reward in perpetuity.
It’s a bad deal.
Rooting for Jacob Lusk to win is rooting for Jacob to sign away his professional life to 19 Entertainment. History has shown that it is a bad idea all the way around.
Not all money is good money.
There is a reason why the NBA Players Association negotiated for a rookie contract to last not more than three years; to keep ownership from holding rights to talent on a pay scale below players’ worth, well into their careers. The same principle applies here. The deal in year one for an Idol winner is wonderful for a struggling 20-something trying to live the dream. That same deal in year 5 and beyond for hopefully a superstar is usually seen for what it really is. It’s paying for a rookie artist at a rookie pay scale for 7 years. There’s a good signing bonus and perks but effectively handicaps the artist from ever growing his or her career beyond the association to American Idol. It’s simply unconscionable for any artist whose career goals include longevity.
In other news, no word on whether Ruben Studdard successfully paid off the 200k in IRS taxes owed from his Idol winnings.
Not all “cheddar” is tasty.
The American Idol “management” deal is a contradiction in terms and a conflict of interests. A typical deal requires a “manager” to work on behalf of the client, to generate maximum business opportunities, revenue and best position the artist to succeed. The 19 Entertainment “management” deal precludes the artist largely from doing any outside the realm of American Idol-related or sponsored activities. (i.e. Disney World Idol Experience, 
reunion tours, compilation CDs, etc.). The artist is not allowed to maximize his/her earnings potential, only the American Idol brand. That’s not management, that’s ownership and there is a distinct difference in the roles of an owner and a manager.
Just imagine if Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert were also in charge of managing LeBron James’ career.
Exactly.
Keeping the 7-year management comparison going, now imagine if LeBron played all seven years in Cleveland under his rookie contract AND not renegotiated it after three with Gilbert as his manager/owner. 19 Entertainment wants all of its draft picks to play seven years for them under rookie contracts.
It’s a bad idea and more importantly a bad deal when signed.
Does anyone actually believe that the American Idol brand will mean anything in 2018, much less have a TV show on Fox near the end of this decade?
2009 winner Kris Allen stands to suffer mightily for the next 5 years after his inauspicious musical debut. Will he be guaranteed some level of “work” with the American Idol franchise? Maybe in the short term, but it is laughable to argue Allen will ever be a priority for his “management” going forward. Every subsequent winner or newly-signed finalist would command a higher level of
attention than the 2009 winner, including Allen’s runner-up Adam Lambert who outsold him. Again…see Ruben Studdard (and his runner up Clay Aiken).
And speaking of Clay…
What has been less discussed is Aiken’s successful lawsuit to be released from his 19 Entertainment contract and subsequent ban from all Idol-related events. Idol 4 finalist Mario Vazquez also sued to be released from the grip of 19 Entertainment. The added controversy was that Vazquez was rumored to have left the show early specifically because of the contract stipulations.
The underlying question to be asked is when exactly participants are approached to sign the management deal and whether that impacts the selection of its eventual winner.
The American Idol dangling carrot is in its national exposure for contestants, not its brand or management deal. The devil is definitely in the details. Jacob Lusk is a bonafide star in his own right, not if and only if he entrusts his future to 19 Entertainment. His level of talent deserves the opportunity to seek out the best deal available to him, from a manager concerned with the fullness of JUST his career, not simply his first album and little more afterward. If signing with 19 Entertainment were a good idea, its Idol winners would neither sue to get out of their (bad) contracts or at the minimum re-sign at their expiration. History has spoken volumes.
Lusk has more star potential than the last three winners combined and those in the music industry already know this to be true. It is not in Lusk’s best business interests to to have a producing arm of American Idol cater to its own interests in the development of his career.
You “think” you want Jacob Lusk to win American Idol…but really you don’t. If you’re like Mo’Kelly and truly rooting for Lusk, you will not root for him to “win” American Idol; you will root for his career to come into alignment with his immense talent. Winning American Idol will all but assure it doesn’t and history has proven this to be true.
List of previous winners HERE.
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The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For more Mo’Kelly, https://mrmokelly.com. Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at [email protected].
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13 responses to “Why You (and I) Shouldn’t Root for Jacob Lusk to Win American Idol”
You couldn’t have picked a more recent and flattering picture of Mr. Aiken? The one you chose has terrible lighting and he is puffy from some medication he was taking at the time. He deserves better than to be so disrespected.
It’s a press photo. It’s not my job Greg to pick that which is or is not flattering to an artist or deduce whether he/she was having a bad week, an acne breakout or is on medication or feeling bloated because her menstrual cycle had started. By the way, there are far worse pictures out there of him.
And no, he doesn’t “deserve” anything when it comes to my blog and column. When Clay pitches in on the writing, editing, maintenance and publishing of my work, then and only then does he “deserve” something here. If Clay doesn’t want to be photographed, then he shouldn’t pose for publicity photos such as the one used. That’s not my job, it’s his job. It’s not my job to be a “fan” it’s my job to provide insight and commentary.
What you say may have some merit but what you fail to acknowledge is the reason so many “winners” have fallen off the edge of the cliff never to be heard from again is they just weren’t that talented. The “best” singer doesn’t always win. That’s happened over and over again. American Idol has long stopped being a singing competition and instead has become a popularity contest. Their audience prefer the cookie cutter all American boy/girl next door type like Carrie Underwood to someone like Adam Lambert. Jacob Lusk won’t win, just like Adam Lambert didn’t win or Jennifer Hudson or Clay Aiken, etc. because Jacob Lusk is just not mainstream enough. He’s too different, too unique. The likes of Lambert, Lusk and Hudson come along once in a generation. They will all be successful, regardless of Ent.19 because they have TALENT. Fans of the “losers” have long realized that.
I disagree Vickie. We can go back and forth about whether previous Idol winners (and finalists) are truly talented and to what degree, but we can’t really disagree on whether 19 Entertainment does all it can to make these singers stars after the fact. The agreement precludes it because it does not allow for the maximization of talent.
For example, Fantasia can’t go on tour with “The Color Purple” with 19 Ent. as her manager. That’s a huge opportunity missed to display talent. Jennifer Hudson can’t appear in the Dreamgirls movie…that made her career. Not only that, she doesn’t come out with a CD with the backing of Clive Davis with 19 Ent. as her manager.
It doesn’t matter to me who wins or who doesn’t win. What I know for sure is that Jacob is a star and has less chance at success if 19 Ent. is in control of his career. Because 19 Ent is only concerned with 19 Ent. succeeding, not necessarily Lusk. A TRUE manager wants and needs the client to succeed first and foremost. 19 Ent. is not that.
Winning or losing American Idol is neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things. By the time you get down to the end, singers will have been on national TV dozens of times and literally have millions of people who know their names and their sound.
Quick, tell me the names of the last five Idol winners…
Exactly.
But you surely remember Fantasia’s and Jennifer Hudson’s…because they could maximize their career, having nothing to do with Idol…and therein lies the difference.
I totally agree with you. Rihanna wouldn’t have make it to AI top 10. But yet her management and recording label is one person, Jay-Z. She has new materials on her own and with other artists out every single month and she is a mega star in the world. My question to you is since all non idol artists collaborate with other artists (ex: Eminem w/ Rihanna, Perry w/ Kanye, Lopez w/ Pitbull, etc.) can any of the Idol finalist collaborate with non-idol artists to record hit tracks on their album?
Jordin Sparks did and had a hit with Chris Brown on the song “No Air.” Rubben Studdard also did some collaborations with a couple of gospel artists after his first two (?) CDs. Not sure if any others have but seems like it’s allowed. Seems like question would be if established artists would want to record with idol artists.
I never said they can’t do “anything.” But I am saying and Idols have said publicly it is quite restrictive. Restrictive, meaning the commercials in which they can appear, the artists in which they can collaborate, the products in which they can endorse, the movies in which they can appear…all have to be consistent with the supposed “Idol image” and approved by “Idol.”
Think of it as winning the Miss America title and abiding by their rules for 7 years, with no renegotiation of the contract, even if you become a huge superstar…
But a true manager could get endorsements from wherever the artist feels comfortable, not vice-versa. A true manager would open more doors than those that he/she closes.
19 Entertainment is about protecting 19 Entertainment. That’s not a manager’s job. A manager is to help an artist fulfill his/her artistic vision, not vice-versa.
A label tries to make as much money as it can for itself and spend as little as possible in the process. When the label and manager are the same, they are by definition working against the interests of the artist.
And as for Chris Brown…
I bet given the change in Chris Brown’s (ahem) image…no other idols will be allowed to work with him.
Rihanna just woke up and is getting rid of Jay-Z as her manager. It’s bad business and she’s finally realizing it. A lot of people don’t understand, I’ve studied the business of music for decades now. History repeats itself again and again. TLC ended up broke in large part because their “manager” was Pebbles, the wife of L.A. Reid, president of “the label.” Once again, a conflict of interests. You can’t have a manager dipping in the pocket of the artist while married to the head of the label. The artist will always lose…and they did.
Managers and labels must be independent of one-another. But what happens is, people get sucked in wanting to live the dream and people like Jay-Z can greenlight people’s careers…but it comes at a very steep price.
[…] The Mo’Kelly Report – Why You (and I) Shouldn’t Root for Jacob Lusk to Win American Id… “The American Idol “management” deal is a contradiction in terms and a conflict of interests. A typical deal requires a “manager” to work on behalf of the client, to generate maximum business opportunities, revenue and best position the artist to succeed. The 19 Entertainment “management” deal precludes the artist largely from doing any outside the realm of American Idol-related or sponsored activities.” […]
I agree with a lot of what your saying. Not all of it, but I really don’t know enough of the business to put up much of an argument. 🙂 Example; I think part of Ruben’s lack of promotion with 19E was because he gained a lot more weight after Idol and was not cooperative to put himself out there. That is what I read and I also saw myself a noticible weight gain where he was sweating like crazy from the effort of trying to sing just one song.
Anyway… I think you need to get it out to Jacob’s supporters that they STILL have to vote for him to keep him in the competition as long as possible (top 5 at least)! Having that (21 mil.) audience and platform is priceless. He will be in jeopardy if he can’t get a big fan base to support him on or off Idol. I’m afraid his fans might read an article like this and not vote at all. The Idol voters are really monsters with the voting.. 3 or 4 votes for your favorite won’t help much.
It’s a catch-22…if he gets within the top 3 or 4 he most definitely will be locked in with 19 Entertainment…and it’s meant to be that way.
And Ruben was “big” even during Idol. I’m not sure being “bigger” tanked his career. But I will concede that Ruben does play a part in his own lack of success along the way.
And trust me…the people who “vote” for American Idol are largely unaffected by this commentary. People who vote aren’t interested in critical analysis of winners and their career as an artist. They just want (insert name) to win and that’s all there is to it.
The equation of music industry success is not just exposure. It matters, but having hits means more. There are plenty of people who can sing who didn’t have hits to sustain one’s career. And there are plenty of people who can’t sing who’ve had hits forever. Jacob needs to be paired with the right producer and management team to get that right. He already has more name recognition than 99% of first time artists today. Remember, most superstars BUILD their career and grow, not just start out as stars. If he’s in this for the long run, he will do just that. Black singers don’t start out as superstars for many reasons…just simple math and demographics. The standard of success for a Ruben Studdard will always be different than for a Carrie Underwood…let’s be real and let’s not forget it.
I don’t want people to pin their hopes to an American Idol dream and become “upset” if Jacob doesn’t win. Winning this supposed talent competition isn’t the real prize, it’s having a career.
Thank you for sharing your expertise Mo. Now, as far as a talent like Adam Lambert. I’m sure you are aware that he pushes the envelope, hardly a “Disney” quality. And he headlined his own world tour, according to his own tastes, etc..right off Idol with his very first album. The ONLY Idol contestant (including actual winners) to ever do so. Then, there is the fact that he is still the ONLY previous contestant to be asked back to mentor (in Season 9, Elvis week)
I have the feeling that when it comes to someone like Adam (what am I saying? There IS no one else like him) his management team do NOT want to tie his hands or make him feel “trapped” in any way.
You say others have been able to break their contract with 19. If Lambert wanted to, how would (or could) this be accomplished?
So far, HE seems to maintain that they pretty much give him free reign, creatively.But if there are projects he wants to do and 19 denies him….does he have recourse? A way out? I’d really love to know, as would his Glam Nation.Thank you, ~Rose~
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