Does Winning 'American Idol' Even Matter Anymore‪?‬

When "American Idol" first launched in 2002, the fairytale idea was that the show would instantly transform an unsigned unknown into the biggest pop star in the country. And for a while, that seemed to be the case the first winner, Kelly Clarkson, sold millions of albums and singles right out of the box, as did her immediate successors, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino. But, as Fantasia herself could tell you, life is not a fairytale. So as "Idol" churned out champs season after season, these singers started to experience the same struggles, setbacks, and sales slumps faced by any other musical act. Not even Kelly was immune.. And now, with "Idol's" NINTH champ, Lee DeWyze, selling approximately 40,000 copies of his album Live It Up in its disappointing first week and premiering at only number 19 on the Billboard chart (this makes him the "Idol"-winner with the worst first-week debut album sales yet), it's clear that an "AI" victory is no guarantee of platinum-plated success. Sure, "Idol" is a massive career springboard. A winner like Lee emerges from the show with a major-label deal, a crack team of press and radio hustlers at his disposal, and access to some of the best producers, songwriters, and stylists in the biz. But at the end of the day, he still has to work to prove himself and shift units. Success will no longer automatically happen overnight for anyone who wins this show, or probably any reality show for that matter. Ruben, who split ways with 19/BMG a long time ago, would tell Lee now: Don't expect to be a "superstar" just because you're an Idol. .