Taylor Hicks Is Laughing All The Way to the Bank

By Jo Piazza Posted May 23rd 2010 01:00PM

Now that 'American Idol' is once again down to the top two, we'll be seeing a lot of those 'Idol' lists. Most successful 'Idols,' most album sales, fan favorites. There's only so many times we can read about Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, no?

Well 'Idol' success comes in lots of shapes and sizes. You have the Carrie and Kelly set. They've each sold over 10 million albums and reached superstar status.

There's the Chris Daughtry business model, which involves consistently churning out good albums that sell well to a certain group of fans. It's more modest than Kelly and Carrie's model, but it has still made Daughtry a household name and a millionaire many times over. Then there's the Taylor Hicks business model.

Hicks is often unfairly derided for the path he has taken after 'Idol.' Last year, the New York Times kicked off a story about 'Idol' success using Hicks as a cautionary tale. "It is doubtful that any of the remaining 24 contestants on 'American Idol' hope that they will be playing the Teen Angel in a touring production of 'Grease' in Milwaukee three years from now. But that's what Taylor Hicks, the 2006 'American Idol' winner, is doing. And it shows that winning the most popular talent competition in the country is no guarantee of superstardom," the Times wrote.

And it's true that winning 'Idol' is no guarantee of superstardom, but I think any of the 'Idol' constestants would be pleased as punch to be pulling in, according to insiders, the $3.5 million that Hicks has brought in during the past 18 months for his tour, album and merchandise sales and appearance fees.

Hicks' business model is different from those of other 'Idol' contenders. He has been on the road since he won 'Idol' in 2006. His things are still packed away in boxes in his parent's basement.

Hitting the road means building a fan base, and from those 18 months of touring, Hicks has made personal contact with nearly 1.1 million fans in 48 cities across the country. That number becomes 2 million if you factor in personal appearances.

After each performance of 'Grease,' Hicks performs a song off his album, 'The Distance,' for the audience. They can buy his music and his merchandise in the lobby. And since that album is under his own label, he sees more than 50% returns on each sale, at least 30% higher than an artist signed with a label. Since the start of the tour, more than 100,000 copies of 'The Distance' and a second album off Hicks' label, 'Early Works,' have moved -- half of those hand delivered from Taylor.

You can't buy better publicity than that. And he still gets paid in the five figure range for appearances. Not too shabby.

"Four years after winning 'Idol,' I still have fans who are interested in my endeavors," Hicks told me the other day as he was preparing to do his final show on the 'Grease' tour. "I don't think that success should be measured by how many records you sell, but by how many lives you can touch."

And the lives Hicks has touched will translate into a lucrative fan base for his next project. Hicks is now mulling television and movie projects that he plans to pursue once he gets off the road, gets a place of his own and settles into a nearly normal life.

"The success that Broadway has given me has allowed me to be able to parlay that into music, some television and film, but I think you have to pick the right role and it has to be the kind of role that will bring along my fans, the 'Idol' fans and the 'Grease' fans," Hicks said.

One of the most valuable assets for any celebrity is the intangible strength of their brand. It is paramount to make sure that this brand is properly managed along the way to maximize value and brand equity. For an artist who wins 'Idol,' the value of their brand is determined by the customer. The brand value creation process begins at the moment that the celebrity makes contact with the consumer.

"I think winning 'Idol' allows you the opportunity to become a household name and after that you have to have a hard work ethic. The branding process begins when you start the show, and a win gives you an opportunity to take that in any direction you want. There are ups and downs and peaks and valleys obviously, but if you work hard it will pay off," Hicks said.

So sometimes an 'Idol' win isn't a golden ticket, but it's a good place to start. The hard work comes in translating the win into marketplace dollars. Hicks' strategy of fan building may look like a slow burn now, but he's laughing all the way to the bank.

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Tags: American Idol, carrie underwood, chris daughtry, grease, kelly clarkson, taylor hicks

Comments

(63)

Sunday 23 May

By Preston

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I think that some people have derided Taylor Hicks for a couple of years because his first album on a major label didn't sell a million as they were hoping. But I am pleased that he has been successful with Grease on Broadway. And because his Distance album is on his own label, he can make money and returns from it and not a major label like his major label Matt Serletic-produced album.

By catspeak

Glad to see this positive article on Taylor Hicks. The mainstream press hasn't always been kind to him and he deserves more of these good plugs.

I haven't always agreed with decisions that Mr. Hicks has made, but have always acknowledged him as a talented performer who deserves all the success in his life.

Thank you Pop Eater on a job well done!

By Olive

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Saw Taylor Hicks in Grease on Broadway. I have seen the show many times throughout the years. It has had many revivals on Broadway. I took my teenage daughter to see Hicks. I have to say, he was terrific in the role. BUT....when they cast came out of the stage door to greet the fans after the show, he was the most arrogant, obnoxious man I have ever seen. My daughter was so upset and almost threw the playbill at him until I caught her arm! Needless to say, he is LAUGING AT US all the way to the bank. I would NEVER spend another cent on this man or his music. When another cast member came out later on, I thanked him for being so kind and told him to tell Taylor to leave his ego at the door, this actor got a fit of laughing and gave me a look of "you are not kidding".

Monday 24 May

By rosiemario

I'm sorry to hear that you feel Taylor was arrogant after the show that you and your daughter went to see. This is definitely not like him, so perhaps he was having a bad day, being rushed by his bodyguards or something happened to upset him. I saw Taylor in NY both at a solo concert at the Beacon Theatre and then later on when he was teen angel on Broadway. Both times he was cordial, happy to interact with his fans, truly thankful for the support and signed tons and tons of autographs with a smile.
I do sympathize with yours and your daughter's disappointment but please don't be so quick to judge him; we all have our off days!

By NotTrue

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We know who you are. Give it up. Its just not working anymore. Hundreds of recaps to Taylors shows Grease and otherwise prove what a caring man to the handicapped and kind and patient with his fans that he is. None better.

By Redrosebud

I think that Taylor has done a great job! He is happy with what he is doing and his successes, that is all that matters. Love him or hate him it dosent really matter he stands above rather you like it or not. Personally I think he is wonderful, I have loved him from the first time I saw him at Flora-Bama and he has only gotten better. Don't ever stop doing what your doing Taylor stay true to yourself and the rest will follow as you have already seen :)

By RYAN

who?

By Arthur Hollifield

I would like to see Taylor have a variety type tv show..Like the ones they had back in the 80's.

Saturday 29 May

By medolark

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That's interesting as I thought the same thing. Didn't Tom Jones do something along those lines years ago? He had all kinds of talent on the show and got to sing with many of them. I remember my older sis watching it. Ü

By ofalaska

Oh, yeah, and Stallone married a nineteen year old twenty years ago when he was 45. They're still together too.

By Gr8fulheart

How wonderful to see a solid article. Taylor has said from the beginning that his career is not a sprint; it's a marathon. His business sense & drive have kept him moving forward. He has been willing to take the remarks; whether positive or negative, to learn from them, & is not afraid to branch-out into new adventures. Taylor has not allowed anyone to change who he is as a person; as well as an artist. Good for him! There will always be those who want to 'remain in the box' of typical faux music; but Taylor is the 'Real Deal'!

By Rick

I voted for good ol' taylor back in 2006. He was much better entertainer than Mcphee ever was atleast back then. Seems he is doing his thing and actually winning fans and money as well. It shows to prove that you don't have to be a major song artist to be successfull. Give this man another 5 years or so to tune his craft and he will be the one to watch in las vegas ect. Good luck Mr. Hicks you earned it !

By patricia

I congratulate Taylor on his very successful run with Grease. I'm glad he's earning a great living doing what he loves and doing it all on his terms. His future holds endless possibilities because he is such a great and talented performer. He was born to entertain. Next on my agenda is to see him live at Epcot in October with his band, if not before. He totally rocked it last year.

By bakermf465

I'm not a hater and if he can do that, great. But I never liked to here him sing and really disliked watching him perform. I was puzzled at his American Idol win and I still am.

Tuesday 25 May

By lexi

cool hes doing good!
VOTE LEE DEWYZE 2NIGHT!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday 02 June

By enny

Great article!

Thursday 27 May

By pattycupcake

I can't believe he's not disappointed at not having number one hits but i think by now he must have made his peace with it. he probably didn't make the best choices back when he was the media darling (i'm not being snide, i voted for him), but we all live and learn. the main thing, he's making money and that has to feel good.

i like his voice a lot, when he has good material, and i hope he will find a good project. since he seems to know a lot about popular music history, i'd like to see him host some kind of music show that spotlights great people in underserved genres like old time blues, soul, roots music, etc. he seems to have a good sense of humor too so i could see him in some skits. anyway, i think tv might be a good choice for him and i do wish him well. but i'm not surprised that he has been called arrogant and aloof, and i also think he's prone to bad decisions, so i hope he doesn't shoot himself in the foot.

Bad decisions? Examples? He could have done pop like AI wants everyone to do but he stayed true to himself. I respect that. Ü

By nancymunchkin

I was lucky to see Taylor in Grease, 3 times and to see him perform in concert, with solo tours and the American Idol tour, 6 times, it was worth every Penny! Whether or not people like the path that he has taken, he is going to end up in the right place. I voted for him on American Idol and will keep supported him as long as possible, Nancy

LOL Me again, noticed a typo in my last post I meant to say that I will keep supporting Taylor as long as possible! I can't wait to see what he does next! Nancy

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