EBA Conference panel on "How Reality TV Has Affected the Music Industry" brought together Scott Siman of RPM Entertainment, left, former American Idol contestant Melinda Doolittle, Barry Adelman of Dick Clark Productions and Paula Abdul. (John Partipilo/The Tennessean)
By Jaquetta White
The Tennessean
Paula Abdul, formerly a judge on American Idol, spoke on the EBA Conference panel on how reality TV shows continue to affect the music industry. (John Partipilo/The Tennessean)
In 2007 as Julianne Hough and her partner, Olympic skater Apolo Ohno, were climbing to the top of the pack on season four of ?Dancing With the Stars,? a team behind the scenes was working to determine just the right time to release ?Will You Dance With Me,? Hough?s first single.
They wanted the release timed to capitalize on Hough?s success on the popular show, which was beamed into homes twice a week.
Scott Siman, president of RPM Entertainment, who worked on the release of Hough?s single, told the story Monday to illustrate the power of reality television on the music industry, particularly in the launching of a new act.
?The connection of television and music is phenomenal,? Siman said. ?It?s here to stay and it?s something we all need to recognize and deal with.?
Siman was part of a moderated discussion on how reality television, specifically singing competitions, affects the music industry. The panel also included former ?American Idol? judge Paula Abdul, former ?American Idol? contestant Melinda Doolittle, and Barry Adelman, executive vice president of television at Dick Clark Productions.
Although recent singing competition contestants haven?t achieved successes as great as their predecessors, and an abundance of similar shows have diluted interest in them individually, reality television still is a potential star-making vehicle, panel members said Monday.
Former American Idol contestant Melinda Doolittle was also on the panel and talked about her American Idol experience. (John Partipilo/The Tennessean)
Hough went on to win ?Dancing With the Stars? in 2007, and her song appeared on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. The album that followed peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
?Even relatively unsuccessful shows can turn stars,? Siman said, citing as an example Miranda Lambert, who got her start on ?Nashville Star,? which ?by all television measures was not a successful show.?
Reality television singing competitions have won over many early critics, who saw the shows as damaging to the music business because they quickly promoted artists who had not spent years rising through the ranks, Abdul said.
?We were accused of potentially ruining the music industry,? Abdul said of the early days of ?American Idol,? which launched a decade ago. Now, performers believe that to make it in the music industry they need to make it onto ?American Idol? or its newer competitors like ?The Voice? and ?The X Factor,? Abdul said.
That is because when the television shows end, many contestants have a ready-made fan base that can include millions of people, Doolittle said.
?It?s just priceless the kind of support you get being on a television show,? Doolittle said. ?It?s the most priceless gift I?ve ever gotten.?
After the show
Still, Abdul believes the shows could do more to ensure contestants? post-show success. Record sales and radio airplay, for instance, indicate that recent finalists are finding it more difficult to achieve success than their predecessors did. The proliferation of singing competitions has made it more difficult for a show to attract a large audience dedicated to promoting one singer.
?I?m the person that wants to root for all these singers,? Doolittle said. ?But four nights a week? I?m tired.?
During her tenure on ?American Idol,? Abdul said, she would have preferred that winners began working immediately on their albums instead of spending so much time on the mandatory ?American Idol? tour that follows the season. She also criticized the show for forcing contestants to record and release ?some of the worst songs? as their first singles.
?You have to protect the brand of the show and you have to give these kids a chance,? Abdul said.
Siman agreed that the shows sometimes squander the interest they build throughout the season by not investing properly in the music produced by the artists who make their shows successful.
?Certainly the demand is very high initially. Ultimately, it does get back to having hit songs on radio,? Siman said. ?You have to have hits at radio. Television can sustain you for a certain time.?
Still, panel members agreed that some incarnation of the music-focused talent competition will persist on television and continue to have a place in the greater music industry as long as fans are watching.
?It?s about connecting with the audience,? Adelman said. ?The viewers have created them. They take tremendous ownership of them.?
Contact Jaquetta White at 615-259-8071 or jwhite3@tennessean.com.
Source: http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2012/10/09/tv-shows-boost-singers-to-fast-stardom/
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