Buy Adam's hair! 'American Idol' merch sales may predict this year's winner
Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Kids and Money, Technology, Celebs & Money
The season finale won't take place until next Wednesday night, but American Idol already has a clear winner: the cottage industries that have sprung up around the contestants.
A glitch in Apple's iTunes software in April temporarily dropped the cloak that usually veils the sales results of the American Idol songs, revealing just how well each contestant was selling. Adam Lambert was atop the list of most-purchased songs, claiming six of the top 10 spots; Kris Allen, with three, came in second. Actual figures aren't released, but considering songs fetch 99 cents each, and some 25 million viewers watch the the show each week, revenue is likely very high.
Idol worshippers have also jammed eBay with memorabilia in the run-up to the grand finales next Tuesday and Wednesday. Perez Hilton reports that fans of Adam Lambert emblazoned the rock singer's face on some 700 items for sale. He's idolized on 11 times as many items for sale as his top-2 rival; pretty-boy folkie Kris Allen has about 60 items to his name.
Both contestants appear on the expected key chains, posters, mousepads, buttons, and magnets, but no Allen items approach the bid levels of Lambertana. Bids for a Ken doll restyled as Adam, with 11 hours to go, were at $260. Other sellers, spotting a profit opportunity, were jumping on the bandwagon. One desperate seller put up his Donny Osmond doll for auction with the wishful come-on: "Paint on some black eyeliner and nail polish and put him in a goth outfit and you have an American Idol Adam Lambert doll!"
Danny Gokey, who was eliminated on Wednesday, was represented by about 70 pieces on eBay. Perhaps more tellingly, only one Gokey song appeared in the leaked-iTunes top 10, just behind second-placer Kris Allen -- perfectly predicting the sequence of his ouster.
The most macabre item of Idol iconography, though, has to be a lock of Lambert's hair, which the seller says was culled from the entertainer's hairdresser and has been incorporated into a piece of homemade jewelry. Bidding on the rock relic started at $10, but with bidding set to end this wekeend, it had passed $200. (Click here to see the auction, but be warned that the page plays Lambert's Freddie Mercury-style multi-octave crooning.) On last Thursday night's show, a kid from Adam's old children's theatre asked him the name of his hairdresser -- and Adam just smiled. Maybe it's the same person as his accountant.
Still, painted Ken dolls and hair scraps are nothing. No entity is cleaning up like Fox. The show rakes in an estimated $1 billion a year -- more than "the total economy of 17 countries," gushes Newsday. None of the eBay merch, it should be pointed out, will go into Fox's pocket at this point. Once the winner is announced, though, the official cashing-in will begin, starting with the annual concert tour and moving on to the winner's studio album. Simon Cowell is probably salivating so much he has to chew on cotton balls when the cameras are off.
Could these side sales be a sign of who's going to win? Very possibly. After all, markets make for a microcosm of democracy. At the least, they're a measure of the fervency of each contestant's fan base. And in a game like Idol, in which the audience votes for the winner, that fervency is everything.
Update: As of Sunday, Adam now has more than 800 items for sale, and Allen has over 100 (although some of those also mention Lambert). Adam's hair sold for $710.
Idol worshippers have also jammed eBay with memorabilia in the run-up to the grand finales next Tuesday and Wednesday. Perez Hilton reports that fans of Adam Lambert emblazoned the rock singer's face on some 700 items for sale. He's idolized on 11 times as many items for sale as his top-2 rival; pretty-boy folkie Kris Allen has about 60 items to his name.
Both contestants appear on the expected key chains, posters, mousepads, buttons, and magnets, but no Allen items approach the bid levels of Lambertana. Bids for a Ken doll restyled as Adam, with 11 hours to go, were at $260. Other sellers, spotting a profit opportunity, were jumping on the bandwagon. One desperate seller put up his Donny Osmond doll for auction with the wishful come-on: "Paint on some black eyeliner and nail polish and put him in a goth outfit and you have an American Idol Adam Lambert doll!"
Danny Gokey, who was eliminated on Wednesday, was represented by about 70 pieces on eBay. Perhaps more tellingly, only one Gokey song appeared in the leaked-iTunes top 10, just behind second-placer Kris Allen -- perfectly predicting the sequence of his ouster.
The most macabre item of Idol iconography, though, has to be a lock of Lambert's hair, which the seller says was culled from the entertainer's hairdresser and has been incorporated into a piece of homemade jewelry. Bidding on the rock relic started at $10, but with bidding set to end this wekeend, it had passed $200. (Click here to see the auction, but be warned that the page plays Lambert's Freddie Mercury-style multi-octave crooning.) On last Thursday night's show, a kid from Adam's old children's theatre asked him the name of his hairdresser -- and Adam just smiled. Maybe it's the same person as his accountant.
Could these side sales be a sign of who's going to win? Very possibly. After all, markets make for a microcosm of democracy. At the least, they're a measure of the fervency of each contestant's fan base. And in a game like Idol, in which the audience votes for the winner, that fervency is everything.
Update: As of Sunday, Adam now has more than 800 items for sale, and Allen has over 100 (although some of those also mention Lambert). Adam's hair sold for $710.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-14-2009 @ 9:38PM
rfb said...
You have to be kidding. Seems to me its how many times a person votes on Tuesday night, and since Kris Allen is new to the spot light and will probably get a lot of Danny Gokey fan votes also, doesn't really make since to predict a winner on the basis of memorabilia sold now.
Just sayin
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5-15-2009 @ 9:49PM
TC said...
ADAM WILL WIN...................AIN'T NO DOUBT..........WHEN YOU GOT IT, YOU GOT IT, AND THE MAN IS A SEASONED SINGER. SMOOTH.
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5-15-2009 @ 9:47PM
BOB said...
Kris is a great guy, but he is not consistent in his music. Adam is everytime, the man has got it, anyone who doesn't see it, does not know music.
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5-15-2009 @ 2:38PM
LANI said...
STOP ALL THE ADAM CRAP AND START VOTING FOR KRIS.
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5-14-2009 @ 10:06PM
DARRYL said...
TOO MUCH CRAP ABOUTADAM. I AM SICK OF IT ALREADY!!!! JUST VOTE FOR KRIS AND LET ADAM SELL HIS HAIR IF HE WANTS. HAIR? IT LOOKS LIKE A MOP TO ME.
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5-14-2009 @ 11:22PM
Bailey158 said...
It seems to me that the media is once again trying to make the decision for people. Maybe Adam is standing higher in the spotlight because he is the only Idol you hear about in the media. I think Adam will end up being one scandal after another....just what young people need is another Lohan, Spears or Hilton to look up to. Regardless....you will probably see more of the people from this year get recording deals and most of them will outsell some of the past idol winners! I will never buy anything from Adam, but I would camp out to get a CD from Danny Gokey or Kris Allen. Adam is a good singer, but he doesn't sing what I like and therefore I wouldn't waste my money.......the sales really come down to what music is preferred and liked and I think more people will like the style of Danny or Kris than Adam.
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5-14-2009 @ 11:40PM
David said...
I cant' stand Adam Lambert, never could have since he has been singing, He sounds like a Banshe in heat with his tongue hanging out and all. He should have went the other night, not Danny. If I have anything to do with it, Adam won't win. I don't get the judges ths year especially Simon. I think it is time for him to leave the show!
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5-14-2009 @ 11:45PM
Jazz said...
I support Adam 100% and I will buy any CD he makes. With the range he has and the ability to sing any genre, I know it will be awesome! Adam has star quality which has been apparent from day one! I am impressed by how appreciative he is of his support and how he always thanks EVERYONE! I already have my ticket for the Idol tour and I'm going especially to see Adam. He will be the star of the tour, just wait and see! Go Adam!! You rock my world!
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5-15-2009 @ 12:15AM
beaching home said...
Sorry But Adam is a screamerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I have to leave the room when he sings. Everything is a show. That is what people are looking at. It is like watching Kiss in the 80 every song he sings he opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue. He is no artist just a wanna be. Besides that he wears more make up than a drag queen. I guess he needs to cover up all that acne. It there no matter how much you try to cover it up. I guess Momma didnt tell you to much make up makes it worse. Sorry Adam you wont get my vote and I won't stand in line to buy a cd or anything you do . There is a difference between singing and screaming. Learn it know it sing it . Kris Danny and Allison they can sing and will go far. I heard Rocky Horror picture show is casting. Give them a call.
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5-15-2009 @ 10:39AM
elw said...
If Adam is managed correctly he will become a super star, even a legend. Kris is a good singer, he will make a good recording artist, but if American Idol is about finding the best than ADAM is the only clear choice.
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6-03-2009 @ 1:59PM
Two Talents said...
Kris is the American Idol. Kris is memorable. Adam is unforgetable.
Oh, and from the story above, it shows that there's a lot of junk on ebay lately.
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6-08-2009 @ 11:08AM
carlyNYC said...
this is AI, where voting blocks and palatability r more significant than talent/creativity/artistic challenge to the mainstream audience. of course kris won: he is easy listening, totally non-threatening, cute etc. -- (and do we know if he actually HAD more individual fans than adam -- one man one vote: THIS is america, not at&t and fox making money off texts and calls!). adam's charisma and awesome talent as a singer/performer should be key: -- they r simply reflected in the silliness that superstars illicit from their fans (but buying hair??!!).
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