Canadian Idol Fans Watching American Idol

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ross 1

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Dec 21, 2008
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Adam is at #1 on Amazon again. He's also trending on twitter.

I think a lot of idol fans are basically just television watchers rather than real music fans.
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Very true! I'm actually kind of surprised at the number of Idol fans who are real music fans (like you guys, here). But a lot of them aren't. It's a funny thing, though. In the early years of Idol, everyone seemed to watch it (though I never did). Now, I only know a couple of people who do. No one I work with wtaches it, though a lot of them used to.

Ross, I'm not so sure most of Adam's fans are oldsters, although from what you guys have found online, it's obvious some of these people are ridiculously fanatic.
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I guess I was thinking af certain Idols, like Kalan Porter. He started out having fans of all ages, and I'm sure he still has, but his most loyal fans are mostly middle aged women. And some younger women, but not that many. To judge from his official website and forum. Jacob Hoggard also had fans of all ages when he was eliminated from Idol, but now his most dedicated fans seem to be young women and girls, and some youngish guys -- judging from Hedley's official website. Why things evolved in this way I don't know. The music they do? Their personalities? Or marketing strategies. Hedley was definitely marketed to a young audience.

Anyhow, it seems to be true that appealing to a younger demographic has helped Hedley achieve a lot of success, while appealing to an older one hasn't helped Kalan all that much (or Theo, who I think is similar in that way).

I've observed that often mainstream acts who end up successful will appeal first to a younger audience and have dedicated young fans. Then they seem to branch out and appeal to older or more sophisticated audiences. But the reverse doesn't seem to happen too often. When the most dedicated (or fanatical) fans are older, the act doesn't seem to go on to attract younger fans over time. Just a generalization,
I know.
 
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missaddicted

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Ross, I'm not so sure most of Adam's fans are oldsters, although from what you guys have found online, it's obvious some of these people are ridiculously fanatic. I think a lot of idol fans are basically just television watchers rather than real music fans. Whether they like Kris, Adam or someone else, their interest will likely wane when next season gets underway and they have a new group to obsess about.
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Oh, Jemma, I agree so much with this. First, Cook also has this "older-women" obsessive fanbase. The thing is, if you observe a regular crowd of concert-goers that goes to his shows, the age of the audience is pretty diverse. I think Montréal was a good example of that, since the lack of videos shows that "the regulars" were not there. And yes, the crowd was mostly female (70% to 30% male I'd say), but the ages were diverse. There were a few ladies who looked a bit out of place at a rock show I must admit, but they were still big enough fans to come to his show, so I can't really see it as a negative. Of course, the Idol audience is mostly female and the average age is what? Around 40, 45? So I guess it's normal that a good portion of the fanbase is in that demographic. The question always is: can they get other demographic to become fans? Only time can tell. If Cook goes less "pop" on his next record and a big more riff-based rock and more experimental, let's say, he will probably lose some of that fanbase who like the ballads and his "good-heart, nice boy" softer side. He might gain music fans who might not have listened to his first post-Idol CD though.

And I think the point about the fans who change obsessions often is valid. These are not the loyal fans who will stick with you because of the music. For example, the woman I met last night was talking to me about a fan who was following David like a crazy lunatic suddenly started following Ryan Star like a crazy lunatic. The fans who matter the most right now are the ones who will stick around because of the music and not the ones who think Kris is a total babe or who drool over Adam humping his mic stand.

Missaddicted, I'm so happy that David's first two Canadian concerts were successes. Frankly, given the fact that there was little lead time and publicity, I was a little worried for him, especially in Montreal where American Idol isn't all that big. I’m thrilled that things went so amazingly well – it bodes well for Orillia in November!
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Me too! I think they were playing a smaller club in Ottawa, but still. I was so happy seeing that crowd last night in Montréal. I'm still amazed that he came tom Montréal! Idols just don't come here usually. And that he played a big venue like the Métropolis!

What is going to be on the deluxe version of Adam's CD? Both Cook and Archie last year had some bonus songs available if you bought the CD at Wal-Mart and/or pre-ordered it on iTunes. It does make the fans want to buy more than one version, so it's good for the sales.
 
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SleepinIn

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I don't think we've talked about the deluxe version of Adam's CD yet. Does this surprise you? Is it a first for a first-time idol CD? Do you think Kris will have one, too? I'm guessing that's what all these photo-shoot locations are all about.
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I'm not surprised as I think I heard rumours from the tour that they were filming Kris and Adam behind the scenes. I wonder if Kris's footage ended up in the itunes pass (which makes it sort of a deluxe album) while Adam's was destined for his CD. I don't know if they'll put out a deluxe CD for Kris other than the itunes pass. It will probably depend on how his CD ends up selling. If it sells well enough to justify the expense then they will do it, if not, then they won't. I think I read somewhere that Jordan had a deluxe Cd.. I don't know if that's true or not, or if anyone else has had one, I haven't really follwed the CD sales all that closely.

I guess I'm saying that I think they both have a wide cross-section of support that can't be pigeon-holed into a narrow demographic.
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That's good to know Jemma.

I think a lot of idol fans are basically just television watchers rather than real music fans. Whether they like Kris, Adam or someone else, their interest will likely wane when next season gets underway and they have a new group to obsess about.
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I really agree with this. Also Idol is a TV show and some real talent comes out of it, but what they do on the show isn't necessarily who they are as artists so their fan bases change.

And Jemma, I'd love to hear your reasons for liking Adam and Kris and David too actually. :)

In the early years of Idol, everyone seemed to watch it (though I never did). Now, I only know a couple of people who do. No one I work with watches it, though a lot of them used to.
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I find it interesting that a lot of the kids auditioning at 16 like Allison, grew up watching Idol. That's a whole different perspective on the Idol phenomenon.
 
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missaddicted

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@nealfingtiemann: oh canada. i will try to sing your praises and sway the vote NOT to invade our northern friends for resources when the zombies attack.
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Oh, Neal. Love ya. And thanks.

*wondering if the guy is being his usual weird self or if he's making a political comment*
 
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ross 1

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I added a ****load to my previous post. In case anyone wants to go back and wade through it. Just saying.

Goin to watch Realite...
 
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missaddicted

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I've observed that often mainstream acts who end up successful will appeal first to a younger audience and have dedicated young fans. Then they seem to branch out and appeal to older or more sophisticated audiences. But the reverse doesn't seem to happen too often. When the most dedicated (or fanatical) fans are older, the act doesn't seem to go on to attract younger fans over time. Just a generalization, I know.
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I think that may be right for a lot of bands, but not in all cases. There is music that my mom listens to, that I would never listen to at all, but these acts are still super popular. Like Josh Groban maybe. I don't think he's appealing that much to a young audience (well, maybe he is, I don't know), but he's still a big star.

Also, the Idol situation is different. The first fanbase that the contestants get is the fanbase that discovers them on the show. So, if the show is watched mostly by middle-aged women, well, that's why they get older fanbases to start with. I don't think it means that they won't be successful in the long haul, just that they have to diversify their fanbase with their music. Reaching the widest audience possible is the key right now for all the ones who want to succeed.

ETA: Also, some bands who have younger fans may end up in trouble at some point. Will the Jonas Brothers still be popular in 5, 10 years? I'm a pretty big Hanson fan and have been since they released MmmBop 12 years ago and they struggled. They're still making music, but they produce it themselves and they're not really mainstream anymore. But, they're making the music they really want also. Younger fans can only carry you so far. They don't tend to be more loyal than older fans, they might even be less loyal.
 
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SleepinIn

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Reaching the widest audience possible is the key right now for all the ones who want to succeed.
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This is true. And regarding Kalan and Jacob, I wonder if their fan bases aren't defined more by their personality types.

When Jacob came off Idol, well wild is a bit of an understatement. That appealed to a certain age group - when you film a DVD of yourself hanging out of a moving van I can see where he's going to lose some of the mom vote - but not all. My former manager was a big Jacob fan and actually introduced him to her kids. LOL So it can go both ways. :)

Kalan, was so young himself and he was quiet. I think we discussed this before, where Jacob went out to press with a band Kalan was by himself so it was harder to learn more about Kalan. I had no idea Kalan was so snarky until I started reading his tweets, so I don't think the younger fans got to see that side of him.

Jacob's tweets pretty much just confuse me. :p
 
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Jemma

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missaddicted, that version of Avalanche was gorgeous. I'm so thrilled I'm finally going to get to see David perform. I've watched most seasons of AI and nobody ever touched me as he did. To me, he is the whole package -- an awesome, proven song-writer and musician (some of his pre-idol stuff was fabulous), great voice, fabulous interpreter/arranger, and he just emanates humility and "genuineness". He's also a great interview -- poised, articulate, humorous and warm. I could go on. David's not bad on the eyes either, and he has that kind of tough but vulnerable thing going that a lot of women find irresistible. God, I sound like a fanatic (lol!), but I actually haven't followed him all that closely since the 2008 show finished. I went to the Idol show at the Air Canada Centre last year and bought his CD, but have mainly been just patiently waiting for him to do some shows around here, and finally it's happening. The videos you've posted have just whetted my appetite!

The idol fan phenomenon is fascinating. Seeing the contestants on TV from week to week, getting to "know" them on some level, cheering for them, voting for them, etc., it's easy to assume a sense of "ownership" about them, and for some fans, this gets so exaggerated. I consider myself a big music fan and go to dozens of live shows a year, from small local events to arena concerts, and while there are loads of artists I admire and whose CDs I buy, I don't really know or care much about them outside of their music -- don't care if they're married, single, gay, straight, "nice" or not, etc. If I like the music, it's enough. With idol contestants though, it's a different story -- because we get to scrutinize these people so closely over a whole season and literally have them in our living rooms every week, the investment becomes so much stronger and our expectations can get a little unrealistic. I think fans almost set these people up to fail sometimes. I've really seen this with CI winners over the years.
 
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missaddicted

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I've watched most seasons of AI and nobody ever touched me as he did. To me, he is the whole package -- an awesome, proven song-writer and musician (some of his pre-idol stuff was fabulous), great voice, fabulous interpreter/arranger, and he just emanates humility and "genuineness". He's also a great interview -- poised, articulate, humorous and warm. I could go on. David's not bad on the eyes either, and he has that kind of tough but vulnerable thing going that a lot of women find irresistible.
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Jemma, I love that you're posting again! I'm not the only one to "fangirl" (said in a positive way) on David. I wholeheartedly agree with what what you said about David. I LOVE him. But not in a creepy way!

And a big WORD to your second paragraph. I'm pretty sure we've talked about this before on this board, but Idol is such a bizarre process when you think about it. I love the process, but it's definitely not usual.

I like that all four of us here seem to be big music fans in general. I think it definitely helps us having a bit of a different perspective on the music industry and how Idol fits into that. We're not only Idol watchers because we love the TV show, we do it because we like discovering new talents.

So, you haven't watched that many tour videos I take it? There are some gems out there and the fact that they change their playlist for almost all of their shows makes it even more interesting. I probably posted a few of these gems in this thread already, but I think I'll go video hunting (I should be working, but video hunting sounds more interesting!). Also, have you listened to MWK music? To Have Heroes? I'm so glad that his friends and bandmates are so talented in their own rights and I love their music too. Well, David joined Andy and Neal in MWK for a while, but it's mostly their music and Neal is an amazing songwriter too.
 
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missaddicted

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Jemma

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Wonderful videos, missaddicted!! Thanks so much for posting them. I followed David online for a couple of months after he won AI, but there was so much activity it became too time-consuming (almost overwhelming) for me. I seem to recall there was also some trouble on TWOP and a bunch of people were banned and started a new forum somewhere else. I guess I kind of fell by the wayside around that time. So happy to see these videos now though -- they're getting me in the mood for my concert. It's also great to know that David changes things up and doesn't do the exact same show every night.

David (or his people) did a very smart thing in marketing him after his CD came out. By having him tour college campuses, offering very low cost tickets to students, I think he was able to consolidate and build a younger “non-idol” fan base. I think I read that some of the older ladies were a bit put off and frustrated, but this was definitely a good move for his career. Had he gone the usual route, the obsessive older fans might have dominated his audiences, driving younger fans away and perhaps damaging his credibility in the music industry too. That's what happened to Clay Aiken and it's happened to others too. I recall hearing that for one of David's larger college concerts (New York U?), admittance was free, but you had to have a student card to get into the show. Some people were very pissed about this, but I think it was brilliant. Now that he's built a more "normal" fan base, it seems like he's starting to tour the regular venues where a cross-section of fans can see him. It’ll be very interesting to see how Kris and Adam are each marketed.
 
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missaddicted

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Jemma, if you want to see other videos from the tour, a girl posting on ross's favorite website (the Examiner) compiled a list of memorable tour moments with the help of fans on his official forum: David Cook to play the National but until then you can vote for his most memorable tour moment: Poll

I definitely recommend the "Anodyne" (MWK song) video from Conway, AR (sounds familiar?), filmed last February. Here is it:

YouTube - David Cook "Anodyne" Conway, AR 2/25/09

This video doesn't have close to 25,000 views for nothing.

Was I supposed to be working?
 
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ross 1

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Dec 21, 2008
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:angryfire: examiner.com. Don't get me started. lol

Hey, it never occurred to me that if Kris played a college show I couldn't get in to see it. Like, at BU, or whatever. That does suck. I guess it's a "good strategy" (the Cook strategy), but I can actually see why those older women got pissed. I mean, the only reason the guy is even getting the chance to do these concerts is because he won American Idol. And he won because these dedicated fans voted for him for hours every week. Then they're restricted from his concerts? That doesn't sit well with me, I guess.

I mean this happens regularly -- the "distancing" from Idol -- and I find it pretty awful. Because it's like duping and using the viewers. Basically asking them for their votes, making them into these people who give up hours of their lives to vote for you, and then: needing to distance oneself from all that. You know: Sorry, we don't need you, now, you've served your purpose. Thanks just the same.

Ha. Sorry for the rant. It's been a pet peeve of mine for a while.
 
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missaddicted

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ross, it was only a handful of shows that were restricted to students. Most were open to all.

And David is truly the last to be distancing himself from Idol, he's definitely not doing that so that's a bit of an unfair accusation.
 
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SleepinIn

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I thought the college tour strategy was a good idea. The Idol peeps really do need to diversify their audiences. As we've said the tv audience moves on when the next season comes around for the most part. So they're left with a smaller group of fans - although devoted fans - they do need to add to it and they need the casual fans because their word of mouth counts for more than the devoted fans.

I didn't know the shows were restricted to college students. But he's not the only artist to do that. I think a lot of colleges do - just so their students get a chance to buy tickets to shows that they are putting on for the students. It's not unreasonable to me. It would suck if you wanted to see someone, and couldn't go..but it is a good way grow the fanbase IMHO.

ETA: The distancing from Idol fans? Well, I think they want to keep the ones that aren't crazy or stalkers. The devoted they will keep.
 
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