Tess
October 3, 2009 at 12:23 pm
First’ ¦I think it is offensive that Chris thinks people are so naive that they need his advise’ ¦especially when it is so specifically directed and that he uses examples from people he has minimal if any contact with.

One person’s definition of success is not another persons. I can understand where Chris is coming from but I think his blog should have been directed to those still waiting to audition for Idol and he could have done without the references to past idols.

I don’t think people are as ‘unenlightened’  as Chris seems to think they are’ ¦and what worked for him isn’t neccessarily what will work for someone else. And everyone defines success differently, whether it be monatarily or just gratification. And I would hazard a guess that many Idol top 10 finalists were after the ‘big one’  and are now content to just have singing a little side light in their life.

Personally, I don’t think someone like Megan will care if she ever does an arena show again. I think that she would just like to earn enough to keep her small family going and will use what networking she has been able to establish to keep her toe in the game. And as far as season 7s cast’ ¦.other than Ramiele, they have all kept going in the music field, including Chikeze, and they all seem pretty happy for what they have.

I know that when Chris first showed up on Idol that he turned me off big time’ ¦he just seemed to puff himself up like a marshmallow and always spoke as though he ‘knew’  more than anyone else. And people that comment on their own looks all the time, like he does, really have a bad self image, IMHO. I think he thinks he ‘knows’  it all and that he needs to be the knowledgable Professor. Nope, I ain’t buying what he is selling.

This is what I meant only much better written. Thanks Tess!

The last info I have on how much Phil Stacey sold, as far as his country cd, is 66,000, and was reported, if I remember correctly, by Ken Barnes from USA Today’s Idol Chatter, before Brian Mansfield took over. They may have increased some due to his doing the AI8 blog. I still don’t know how much he has made so far with his new cd, but I don’t think he is doing too badly. While I appreciate Chris being honest and realistic, he did coms across as somewhat negative to me. And like SpenserJ said, I’m not sure I like that “numbering system” he used, either.

Exactly. I think he’s a little quick to judge and a little too self-involved. I’m not saying his premise of hard work isn’t valid, but duh. I think that’s a given and his blog was mostly self-agrandizing, not advice.

I’m going to go with PJ on this. I think Chris’s expert “advice” was filled mostly with common sense. He wasn’t telling anyone anything new. And, his comments about his own success did indicate to me that the guy could use a dose of humility.

Chris knows exactly how his AI related blog posts are received. He’s been in the center of this particular storm several times before. That’s why he’s the king of backpeddling & clarifying. He always needs to amend and edit himself for some reason.

He seems like a nice guy, and a hard worker. Obviously, the song he wrote for Rascal Flats was quite successful, so good for him. The blog post was kind of dickish to me, and the point where it became that way was when he tried to rank himself in relation to his castmates and those of other seasons. His mistake was in using that little numbering system at all. He could have made his legitimate points without trying to keep score.

One person’s definition of success is not another persons. I can understand where Chris is coming from but I think his blog should have been directed to those still waiting to audition for Idol and he could have done without the references to past idols.

I don’t think people are as “unenlightened” as Chris seems to think they are…and what worked for him isn’t neccessarily what will work for someone else. And everyone defines success differently, whether it be monatarily or just gratification. And I would hazard a guess that many Idol top 10 finalists were after the “big one” and are now content to just have singing a little side light in their life.

Personally, I don’t think someone like Megan will care if she ever does an arena show again. I think that she would just like to earn enough to keep her small family going and will use what networking she has been able to establish to keep her toe in the game. And as far as season 7s cast….other than Ramiele, they have all kept going in the music field, including Chikeze, and they all seem pretty happy for what they have.

I know that when Chris first showed up on Idol that he turned me off big time…he just seemed to puff himself up like a marshmallow and always spoke as though he “knew” more than anyone else. And people that comment on their own looks all the time, like he does, really have a bad self image, IMHO. I think he thinks he “knows” it all and that he needs to be the knowledgable Professor. Nope, I ain’t buying what he is selling.

Friends would tell each other what their house, car, etc. are worth, eveyone would know the numbers

I agree. That’s why I think that he knows what their numbers are. They told him. He certainly knows what his numbers are.

But they are all friends. While he’s been kind of dickish so far, he’d be a mega-dick to post on his blog what his friends have told him in confidence. Just as you or I would be if we posted on a blog read by strangers what our friends were worth or all their secrets.

We are strangers to Chris. He has no right to tell us what his friends have privately told him. If the other Idols want to post their totals, that’s one thing. If we get them through official channels, that’s fair game. But, private correspondence between friends should stay private, IMO. Even if people are calling you a liar if you don’t spill.

Maybe it’s just me, but one doesn’t go around listing facts about how one is more successful than one’s friends (friend one’s house only costs $600k and they bought their car on credit while friend B does own his car, but his house is only worth $580K). It’s one thing to say that out of all your friends, you’ve been the most successful (kind of boasting and not really the best etiquette), but entirely something else to lay out the facts.

Er, no, it would be exactly the opposite with my friends. Friends would tell each other what their house, car, etc. are worth, eveyone would know the numbers, the facts don’t need laying out, but they would never claim they are more successful than their friends. That is something implicit, and someone could seriuosly lose their friends if they make such claim, it just put people’s noses out of joint. Chris became a dick when he dissed other contestants in his season (and Season 7) by loudly (and I do think falsely, unless there are facts to prove otherwise) proclaimng his own success over the others. The offence lies with the claim, and the only way he can get out of this is to show that what he said is actually true.

Well, if Chris does indeed have access to the numbers in some ways (and I do seriously doubt that he has), the best way to resolve this controversy would be for him to release those numbers so he can justify the claims he made.

That would be kind of dick move if you ask me. IDK, I read his blog a while back and it seemed to me that his point was that it doesn’t really matter where you finish, it matters what you do with what little fame you garnered. He simply used himself as an example. The dude who barely got on the tour and is most likely remembered only for his Teletubbies comment (if at all). Did he puff himself up a bit? Sure. It’s Sligh we are talking about here. But, his fundamental message is that the person who comes in 10th isn’t doomed to be the 10th most successful Idol of his season. If he’s really only the 5th most successful Idol of his season (instead of the 2nd or whatever he claimed), then his point still stands. Heck, it still stands if he’s the 9th most successful (which, he’s got to be doing better than that).

Releasing the numbers, if he has complete numbers (rather than having just talked to so-and-so and they said they sold around 20K or whatver), to prove his claims would just be kind of mean, IMO. Maybe it’s just me, but one doesn’t go around listing facts about how one is more successful than one’s friends (friend one’s house only costs $600k and they bought their car on credit while friend B does own his car, but his house is only worth $580K). It’s one thing to say that out of all your friends, you’ve been the most successful (kind of boasting and not really the best etiquette), but entirely something else to lay out the facts.

That way we can satisfy our craving for any tidbits of Idol sales news (yes, I really really want to know how many albums Michael Johns has sold), and it’ll stop me from thinking him dishonest.

Well, it might stop you from thinking he’s dishonest, but I can tell you that many people in the Idolsphere will still think he’s dishonest and accuse him of making up the numbers. Unless he gives us all money so that we can get our own SS accounts, he will still have people who will think he’s lying. That’s just the way it works. Even Ken and Brian have been accused of making up the numbers (or purposely under-reporting one Idol to make another look bad. And this is just with the SS numbers, not even the Christian numbers which are reported in a different manner).

Perhaps I am gullible in believing what Ken and Brian write on USA Today, but at some point, I have to believe something. Their numbers have been backed up by other sources (e.g. BB articles, press releases and leaks from other sources). If they are willing to buy what the publicists were saying, I will too until it is proven to be false.

I appreciated Sligh’s blog for its tell-it-like-it-is honesty. I found it an interesting read actually.

Ken (or maybe it was Brian) also spoke with Mandisa’s people to get more accurate numbers. I can’t remember exactly when, but I’ve seen a post updating us on her numbers and Ken/Brian saying it was from talking to her people. I just don’t see anything nefarious going on here. The simple fact is that a lot of Christian CDs are sold at bookstores that don’t have scanners. The artist gets paid for those. That’s what matters to the artist in the end.

Since we have no idea what those with small independent labels do to sell their albums (for example, what specialist shops they may sell in), I think it is odd to give special treatment (yes, it is special treatment) to Chris or indeed Mandisa. The numbers are skewed and distort any kind of comparison. This is only my very vague recollection speaking, so may not be entirely trustworthy, but I think it was mentioned that numbers from Christian shops were discontinued and no longer available anywhere, is that true?

Ken appeared to have access to the full database, whereas Brian only the BB200 (which by the way you can get from the internet, albeit a day or two late, mainly via some guy in UKMix. I posted one in the numbers thread because Brian didn’t do it this week). He can only get the numbers outside BB200 via special request and so far has only done it once as far as I can tell, meaning it is not easy to get them.

I just don’t think it’s outrageous to believe that somebody in the industry might have more access to numbers than us.

Well, if Chris does indeed have access to the numbers in some ways (and I do seriously doubt that he has), the best way to resolve this controversy would be for him to release those numbers so he can justify the claims he made. That way we can satisfy our craving for any tidbit of Idol sales news (yes, I really really want to know how many albums Michael Johns has sold), and it’ll stop me from thinking him dishonest.

So I didn’t misremember (well, not completely anyway), Chris Sligh’s numbers came from his own publicist. That can’t be right, can it? I don’t remember any other case of sales figures in Idol Chatter coming from a singer’s publicist, is that any other?

Ken (or maybe it was Brian) also spoke with Mandisa’s people to get more accurate numbers. I can’t remember exactly when, but I’ve seen a post updating us on her numbers and Ken/Brian saying it was from talking to her people. I just don’t see anything nefarious going on here. The simple fact is that a lot of Christian CDs are sold at bookstores that don’t have scanners. The artist gets paid for those. That’s what matters to the artist in the end.

The fact that Mandisa and Chris are in the same format and Ken/Brian treat their numbers in the same way (and get updates from their people) indicates to me that exceptions aren’t being made for Chris.

Soundscan. As far as Soundscan numbers go, as I understand it, it costs a lot of money to have access to the full Soundscan database, and very small labels normally only get the numbers for their own artists which would be much cheaper.

Yep, that’s exactly what they do. SS access is expensive as new Idol fans find out each year to their dismay. Although, I imagine most people in the industry have a friend of a friend who can get them a few stats if they don’t bug them very often. Remember, USA Today doesn’t have access to the SS database, but they manage to produce numbers every week. They aren’t trolling the internet for leaks. I don’t know where Brian gets his, but Ken definitely mentioned that a friend was getting them for him. I just don’t think it’s outrageous to believe that somebody in the industry might have more access to numbers than us.

IDK. Chris may not be as successful as he thinks, but he did write a number one country song (with some cross-over success) and that’s nothing to sneeze at. His singles for his album did fairly well on CAC (I know that “Arise” went to top 10) and CAC airplay moves a fair number of albums. So, I believe he sold some in Christian bookstores. He’s probably downplaying the success of a few of the others a bit, but he’s definitely had more success than many.

LOL. I don’t even like the guy. I’m just in it for the numbers.

Anyway I continue to…Chuckle. that dude just gave himself a major marketing spike with that controversial little bit of idol advice!!!!
Hope it helps!!!!Hee!!!!

Idol Chatter ‘“ August 29th, 2007 (when Chris Sligh was still on tour and months before he released an album):

Well, it doesn’t make sense, so you made me go back and look through some old posts of Ken’s, and this is one I found –

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2008/06/51925132/1

The Chris Sligh numbers came from his publicist today (or at least I saw them today): total sales for the album this week were 1,473, 1,000 or so of which were from non-SoundScan accounts. His total from SoundScan and non-SoundScan accounts is 14,560.

So I didn’t misremember (well, not completely anyway), Chris Sligh’s numbers came from his own publicist. That can’t be right, can it? I don’t remember any other case of sales figures in Idol Chatter coming from a singer’s publicist, is that any other?

It means that Chris is likely directly involved in inflating his own numbers in Idol Chatter, it also means that he knows what goes into his Idol Chatter numbers is not official numbers of any sort. And no, I don’t think Chris knows the numbers of other idols, Soundscan or not Soundscan. As far as Soundscan numbers go, as I understand it, it costs a lot of money to have access to the full Soundscan database, and very small labels normally only get the numbers for their own artists which would be much cheaper.

As for Whoopie….. Girl! What on earth has happened to you of late? I’ve always been a fan but…..damn! You didn’t even bother to pronounce Chris’s name right. And what was up with that defending Polanski thing? It wasn’t rape-rape? ?????? Gotta say you lost me for good on that one ‘“ as in permanently. Anyway ‘“ like others before me, I don’t want to derail the thread – so I’ll leave off…..but ‘The View’ seems to be suffering from extreme lack of leadership these days. Time for Barbara to shake things up once again, I’m thinking.

Chris probably is making more than Lakisha and no other blog he has written has hit like this one before so why now? And why did he think this would happen.

Chris has had a few blogs that have stirred the Idol fans. This isn’t the first. He knows what he is doing.

I have no idea how much Lakisha makes. I’m not particularly invested in her, per se. But he dismisses her so casually without even thinking about what it might be like to be trying to have a family and a career at the same time. Talk about hard work! Does he expect her to tour in dive bars like he does? To me, a stint on Broadway and a self-released album makes more sense for her.

Again, if he doesn’t know what’s going on with his own castmates, how can he consider himself the cream of his season’s crop?

And not only did her success take some time, it was initially through acting, which he kind of dismissed in that addendum you posted. Jennifer was able to achieve a lot because of that, including a record deal and awards.

Exactly. I think he’s a little quick to judge and a little too self-involved. I’m not saying his premise of hard work isn’t valid, but duh. I think that’s a given and his blog was mostly self-agrandizing, not advice.

Also, I think Babs had a good point about Jennifer Hudson. If she had been in his season, Sligh would have dismissed her. It took her a few years.

And not only did her success take some time, it was initially through acting, which he kind of dismissed in that addendum you posted. Jennifer was able to achieve a lot because of that, including a record deal and awards.

Chris wrote true things about reality and for some reason the media doesn’t approve.

At least that’s how I remembered it, what’s the earliest date you have of the extra Christian numbers?

Idol Chatter – August 29th, 2007 (when Chris Sligh was still on tour and months before he released an album):

Mandisa falls 122-129, selling 5,000 for a total of 36,000. (Here’s the deal on the screwy sales total I quoted last week. For technical reasons of some sort, SoundScan’s cumulative sales totals don’t include Christian bookstore sales on Christian-oriented albums. However, the weekly totals do include them, so I can keep a running total going that will be, when rounded off, accurate. Which I shall strive to do henceforth.)

The thing is that the numbers are unofficial, and the unofficial numbers simply should not have been added.

They are the weekly official numbers for SoundScan (as shown in my post before). All Ken is doing is adding the weekly numbers together. The official numbers that SoundScan has on their official report. He’s not making the numbers up.

Chris Sligh did not sell more than Melinda Doolittle or Phil Stacey as far as official record goes. We may never know their actual numbers, they could be have been much higher, and the only way we can compare their numbers honestly is with another official number.

I suspect the Idols know how much they sold. I’m sure it shows up on their royalty statements. We are just trying to look inside a black box.

I don’t even know what Chris is claiming. I just know that Ken wasn’t do his bidding by jacking up numbers.

I can’t help but think that Chris may have stated his accomplishments to validate what he was saying. Otherwise people would be saying, why is he giving advice to others? Oh wait, they are saying that and not looking at his accomplishments. Hmmm, oh well, izzzz good he’s getting this publicity. Go Chris!!!!

I could buy that if he actually looked into the accomplishments of his castmates and gave an honest appraisal.

Lakisha just had a baby, but not much going on on the music front.

No matter that she did put out an album and had a stint on Broadway. I see he added a disclaimer after the fact (not about her particularly), but dude is obviously not paying attention to peeps in his own season and is writing about their success or lack of it without all the facts.

He’s also a liar or incredibly stupid if he didn’t think this would make the rounds of the interwebs. He backtracks:

ETA: A lot of people have asked me why I wrote this blog. Honestly, I didn’t realize that it was going to get as much interest as it already has by outsiders. I figured my blog readers would read it and I’d try to pass it on to the other top 10 Idols from this year through some of the guys I’d met from this season. The reason I wrote it is because I genuinely want for the Idols to read it, heed it and do well. Not everyone is trying for a career in the fashion I’m pointing out here…if the Idols want to do Broadway or acting or anything other than being a pop (inclusive of rock, r&b, etc) performer, this article/blog entry isn’t for them…

I know he’s web savvy (hi Dave!), so I call falsehood about not knowing that this would cause a stink. Riiight. Sorry Chris.

ETA: I don’t care if Idols are asshats, but be a genuine asshat, okay?

I also give Cris credit for speaking out on Adam’s behalf when the Westboro Baptist Church freaks were protesting against him.

That certainly paints a much different picture.
With regard to Polanski that is

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-30/polanskis-lost-alibi/

Besides, I don’t think you can argue with a rape call when you give a 13 year old girl champagne and qualudes and then have sex with her. I’m sorry. That’s rape. I see no gray area, and I’m one of those people who does look for gray areas. Also, he wasn’t 17. He was in his 40s. He’s a sex offender and pedophile.

Back to Chris, I don’t have so much of a problem with what he said, but how he said it. He really dismissed his fellow Idols, without even knowing what they were up to. That’s pretty sloppy blogging. I think he’s buying into his own hype again.

I actually think he’s talented and wish him well.

Chris Sligh did not sell more than Melinda Doolittle or Phil Stacey as far as official record goes. We may never know their actual numbers, it could be have been much higher, and the only way we can compare their numbers is with another official number.

I hear Corey Clark sold more out of the trunk of his car, but they don’t count either. Damn that soundscan!

Chris Sligh had absolutely nothing to do with Ken Barnes doing that. He started doing that with Mandisa who had a CD out long before Sligh.

I can accept what you said about Ken to be true, I could have misremembered something he wrote. But the thing is that Ken did not put out a separate number for Soundscan and one with Christian numbers added until some time after Chris Sligh released his album. At least that’s how I remembered it, what’s the earliest date you have of the extra Christian numbers?

Christian artists are a classic case that the RIAA can point to when saying they certify on shipments rather than SS numbers because SS numbers overall miss 10-15% of sales (except for digital sales). If I buy a CD at the local bookstore, mini-mart or hardware store, it’s not being counted in the totals. Even many small record stores do not have them.

The thing is that the numbers are unofficial, and the unofficial numbers simply should not have been added. It is the reason why when we argue here about numbers, we don’t say for example that Taylor Hicks sold a million even if it is certified platinum. Chris Sligh did not sell more than Melinda Doolittle or Phil Stacey as far as official record goes. We may never know their actual numbers, they could be have been much higher, and the only way we can compare their numbers honestly is with another official number.