This new interview with Ian Pirie, president of 19 Entertainment offers a revealing look into how 19E works with Idol alums once they leave the American Idol bubble. Read it at Songwriter Universe.
Ian is the man who helped steer the careers of Idol alums like Chris Daughtry, David Cook, Kris Allen and more.
He also co-manages the careers, with Red Lights, of Pia Toscano, Haley Reinhart (signed by UMG and working on records for 2012), James Durbin (ready to release an album through Wind-Up Records).
Stefano Langone and Casey Abrams are also co-managed by 19E and Red Lights. Ian reveals that they are currently working on securing label deals for the duo.
Ian also has a hand in managing the careers of Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina, who signed on with 19E founder, Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment after they were crowned American Idol 10’s winner and runner-up, respectively.
Also part of Ian’s duties are working closely with the label to find the right songs for his clients.
For example, with Daughtry and David Cook, I worked closely with (A&R execs) Ashley Newton and Pete Ganbarg on their projects. I recently worked very closely with Universal Nashville for Scotty’s and Lauren’s albums. I work closely with Carrie Underwood on her albums, including finding songs and setting up co-writing sessions. I have a good rapport with the vast majority of the “A” list songwriters. and we work together to come up with the best songs for our artists.
A busy guy, Ian is instrumental in mounting both the American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance tours.
