This blog is going to be the first of three parts (yes, my blogs have chapters now). I wanted to look at three of the key compenents of promotion where people can hear new music - TV, Internet and Radio - with regards to how they fit into the industry and, more specificially, how I think they apply to Clay.

So first TV.

The use of TV to promote music is certainly nothing new - The Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand were very influential back in their day, The Monkeys and the Partridge Family were "made for TV bands" and back in the early days of MTV (when it was actually Music Television), a good video propelled a number of bands to prominence.

However, I think that, today, the number of artists who got their start on television may be higher than ever before. In addition to the veritable stable of AI stars, you have Britney, Justin Timberlake & Christina Aguilera from the Mickey Mouse Club, you have Lee Ann Rimes and Usher from Star Search, Josh Groban got his start on Allie McBeal / Oprah / PBS, Jessie McCartney is on Summerland and Hillary Duff owes the Disney Channel for her start. Not to mention that Jessica Simpson used a TV reality show to revitalize a career that was tanking and Ashlee got her start as Jessica's sister. Even an established band like U2 got more play for their first single from their latest album on a television commercial than they did on radio.

As radio play lists get shorter and shorter, record labels are increasingly looking to television as a way to promote their artists. I also think that TV has another advantage over radio in today's environment. One of the major issues that the industry is facing today is illegal downloads. Now, certainly the industry has been very free with the "stick" - using lawsuits to try to scare people into buying the music, not just taking it. But what about the carrot? Dual Discs are attempting to offer bonus content that makes buying worthwhile. But I think the most powerful tool that the labels can have is if they can develop fans with a sense of artist loyalty, and I think TV excels at this - much more so than radio. When I hear a song on radio, I am reacting to that song - I don't really have a sense of who that artist is or what their personality is like. With television, you see the person and often get some sense of their personality as well. TV brings artists into your home and lets you feel like you "know" them a little (and I think AI establishes this sense of "knowing" better than almost any show around - I think that is the genius of the show). Let's face it, it is a lot easier to steal music from a faceless singer on the radio than it is to do so from someone who has a face and personality.

So how does this apply to Clay? To date, television has obviously been the most important influence in Clay's career - by far. Television, pretty much by itself, gave Clay a fanbase large enough to sell 2.5 Million of his debut album, to sell 1 Million of a Christmas album (very unusual these days), and to support mid-sized tours in a time when most debut artists are doing clubs. During the first few months MOAM was out, we saw a substantial sales bump every time Clay had a major TV appearance, and he saw a huge sales bump a week after A Clay Aiken Christmas appeared on TV. He has appeared on the cover of TV Guide more than any other single magazine, and, in many ways, I think he is still perceived more as a TV star than a music star.

Going forward, I think that TV will remain one of the most critical and influential elements in Clay's promotional arsinal. I also think that television will be the most important driver for early sales of his next album (much more so than radio). First, because most of his existing fanbase comes from AI, and many of those people may be more TV watchers than radio listeners (though those two audiences are obviously not mutually exclusive), I think TV is critical to allow him to inform and reconnect with those fans going forward. Second, I think Clay is an exceptional performing artist but is still learning and growing as a recording artist. He has a special charisma in live performances that doesn't fully translate onto recordings yet (and may never do so, simply because of the stop/start nature of recording today). Because of this, I think he has a higher chance of pulling in new fans through TV than he does through the radio. Quite frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if TV promotion was Team Clay's #1 priority for his upcoming album (not the ONLY priority by any means, but, yes, a bigger priority than radio). Television has been extremely good to Clay, and I see no reason for that to change in the future.

Next up....Radio - is it really necessary for success?