David Archuleta Inks Record Deal with 19 Recordings/Jive Records

The newswires and the Internet are buzzing with news that David Archuleta signed a contract with 19 Recordings/Jive Records. Surely no one is surprised at this turn of events. There is no way that record execs were going to let David Archuleta's massive appeal go to waste. They recognize that his school boy charm and doe eyes will translate into cold hard cash in the coffers.

It's not shocking he got a contract. I was more surprised it took as long at it did. Perhaps the biggest obstacle David Archuleta will face is the transition to an honest to goodness adult. During his time on American Idol some of his performances were quite mature and self assured, while others were very young and uneven.

However, when David is good, he's extremely good. He's wildly talented, young and cute. It's just when he strays into hip and happening territory that things go wrong. A case in point is his awkward performance of Chris Brown's single "With You". To be fair, I don't particularly like Chris Brown singing it either. Keeping that in mind I feel that he has the potential for longevity in this business. The key for David is finding the right producers to help him draw out the maturity in his voice.

Being a star that appeals to the young audience is great until your audience starts to get older. David Archuleta will be tasked with holding the interest of his youthful paramours as he grows up. He will also need to start to work on his image. It is problematic for even the most astonishing performers to stay relevant in the rapidly changing landscape of the music business. This is made ever more apparent, especially while watching the likes of Madonna cavorting around on the screen with Justin Timberlake.

The other factor is how much control he wants of his own music. This has been problematic for some Idols in the past. Kelly Clarkson's freshman and sophomore releases we chock full of radio driven mega hits. However, as Clarkson matured, so did her idea of what she wanted to sing and the control she wanted to have over her career.

Anyone who watched the results show where Clive Davis lauded Carrie Underwood while treating Kelly Clarkson as a mere after thought understands that David Archuleta is entering treacherous waters in placing his signature on the dotted line. The record execs at J and 19 are packaging a product and no one is happy when their product decides it's old enough to think for itself. That being said, I think David Archuleta is savvy enough, even at this tender age to give them what they want and still get what he wants. With the proper planning and good advisors he may even be able to make the music he wants to make when he's ready.

Source:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jV2sOULuVA0FVbahTvLMcgna9ElQD917GGIO2