Hmm, maybe there is a difference in perspective? (because there is really zero sign of him up here)
I think there is a difference. Not that he's household name. But you can't judge his popularity from MJ's blog, either. If you went to the last concert I went to and felt the excitement when he came out (only the opener, after all), the response to him, and the number of people waiting for him later or buying his merch - it obviously wasn't the Beatles, or anything, but it's not like he's got no recognition factor. He's more like (to me, anyway) somebody who can really take off big if he keeps pleasing people on that same level and keeps working and getting the right opportunities. I would say most people seem very impressed with him as a talent.
In terms of tweets. Yes, he could do that. Otherwise, there are only so many hours in a day. I think he works his butt off, mainly presenting his music but also interviews and promotional stuff. He's so laid back on the surface I think he may make it look careless or easygoing. Well, anyway, I agree with you about tweeting the name of the venue, etc. - but I don't think he uses twitter for that - so if he has a manager, the manager or some intern should be doing that. Or he should ask some friend or family member to do it.
I know he believes strongly in the advice he got in the AI 'star school' about just being oneself. I know he knows that's why he won, and why he's gotten anything he's gotten since then. I think if he started to deviate from that he'd be lost, and I think he'd lose his fans. So I think we have to accept that warts and all that's who he is and if it loses him publicity and even money, so be it, that's it. He's got to be that way.
I think twitter is an okay way to give out info, but to tell the truth I know surprisingly few people who are on twitter, anyway. I work with two kids - one 17, one 19, they aren't on twitter. Neither are any of the adults I work with. Of my friends, only three or four are. Maybe we overestimate the importance of it, in publicizing anything. After all, you have to be on twitter, following the person, be in the area where the show is, be logged in at the right time to notice the tweet. Sometimes I think it's kind of useless.
About what the artist can do, alone. If you take the situation where Adam is getting publicity in Canada and Kris isn't (and Adam is getting more here, too - or so I'm told - I'm not sure where, I never see it) - - this is really not due to any special effort on Adam's part. It's much more due to who's managing him and what they're doing to get him airplay. He created his persona on Idol, which creates its own buzz, but since then, I feel a lot of money and effort has been spent getting him recognition and it wasn't anything he had to do himself. All of it (except performing, and the occasional attention getting stunt) has been done for him. I'm not taking away credit from him for attracting audeinces himself. I don't mean it that way. I mean he got a big push, and he's still getting it. Don't forget he was given the closing spot on the AMAs. And was the only ex-contestant ever to mentor on the show and he did it less than a year after his season ended. A show that's seen in over 200 countries, by millions of people. Huge stars complete to perform on the show in hopes of getting publicity for their singles, and this non-star was given the whole show in one of the Top 10 weeks to showcase himself and his single.
There's very little Adam has done, or can do, without that big machine behind him.
And there's very little Kris can do alone. It's big, corporate stuff. I just basically refuse to blame Kris, himself, when we all know he's gotten shafted in that regard and a lot of it has been more like shoveling **** against the tide. And still he's managed to get a great deal of positive recognition for his obvious talent, personality, and attractiveness. But how much more could he have benefitted had he not been treated like a mistake.
As for Brian, I think he's talented but I don't think winning Canadian Idol has ever meant much. Unlike the AI winner, the CI winner never has had international exposure. CI is even unknown in the USA. AI is seen everywhere so the exposure is tremendous. Plus, there is not a lot of effort made to turn the CI winner into a recording star, it seems.
Most of these kids are virgins when it comes to the record business and they all (Canadian and American Idols, and all newcomers, anywhere) have got to put themselves in the hands of the label and the management. Then eventually they do learn the business, but no way do they learn it in six months or one year.
If you look at how Hedley was developed, I saw the fine hand of publicists or managers or the label in everything they did. I really doubt they thought a lot of it up themselves. They were completely marketed. They also happened to be spontaneous, funny, attractive showmen and musicians. But they were pushed very hard. They had to work hard, but the game plan was probably out of their hands, at first. They relied on good management.
Of course I'm talking out of my ass, here, because I have no idea. It just seems obvious, but I'm sure I'm wrong about a lot of it.
I do think Kris knows, but I don't think it interests him all that much. He's not much of a marketer our Kris.