Maggiemags

Long and interesting article on Brand Republic about sponsors and advertising. This is the relevant bit for this thread: The Pop Idol format earned owners 19 Management and Simon Fuller £615m in 2002 alone. Much of that came from its international rights - it has been commissioned in 21 countries to date.

Singles details and release dates now added

Singles details and release dates now added

WooHoo! Amazing! Welcome indeed

Not really, no

Tiny bit from the BBC's report on the Times Rich List: ... Pop Idol mogul Simon Fuller has seen his wealth plummet from £220m last year to £75m after selling his entertainment company 19 for less than expected, according to the Sunday Times.

Clearly Very interesting article from USA Today.com. lots of facts and figures. It's long, but, i think, worth having. 'American Idol' zooms from hit show to massive business By David Lieberman, USA TODAY LOS ANGELES — Anyone who remembers The Monkees or The Partridge Family can appreciate how tough it is to build a sturdy business from a prime-time TV program that's also designed to sell music. People watch for a few years and snap up recordings, T-shirts and lunchboxes. Then tastes change, or someone's ego gets too big, and the enterprise collapses. But don't tell that to the executives behind the hottest show on TV: American Idol. They've launched an ambitious campaign to turn Fox's talent contest, now in its fourth season, into a diversified money machine that will last years. "Everyone sees this now as a long-term situation," says the show's creator, British music impresario Simon Fuller. "I'm on the cutting edge of entertainment and how you exploit it." Idol is the undisputed champion of television. The Tuesday show, when contestants perform, ranks No. 1 in prime time with an average of 28.9 million viewers. The Wednesday show, when the contestant who got the fewest call-in votes is eliminated, is No. 3 (just behind CBS' CSI) with 25.6 million viewers. And that has led to a financial windfall. Idol and the singers it has made hitmakers — including first-season winner Kelly Clarkson, second-season winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken, and third-season winner Fantasia Barrino — generated more than $900 million last year in sales of TV ads, albums, merchandise and concert tickets, USA TODAY estimates. The Idol business runs through several companies that are privately held or are so large that they don't have to break results down by specific projects. It's also hard to separate American Idol, which airs in 85 countries, from the 33 other iterations of this global phenomenon, including Canadian Idol, Indian Idol and Britain's Pop Idol— the show that started it all. American Idol's co-producers, Fuller's 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia North America — a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann — got serious about long-term business plans last summer. They were determined to defy expectations that audiences would tire of Idol. Now, Tom Gutteridge, who resigned last week as CEO of FremantleMedia North America, says, "Idol is part of American culture, like McDonald's or Starbucks. If the brand is carefully handled, there's no reason it can't last indefinitely." The producers tweaked the format of the show by allowing older singers to compete and shaving the series this season to 37 hours from last season's 42 1/2. They also made the production slicker by beefing up the backup band. The result: Total viewers are up 8% vs. last season. "There's not another show I can point to that has had growth in the fourth season. It's really remarkable," says Gail Berman, who until last week was head of entertainment at Fox and is negotiating to join Paramount Pictures. Even Idol's caustic judge, Simon Cowell, a music executive who helped develop the show and gets a royalty on every sale of an Idol-related recording worldwide, is buoyant — with a caveat: "If we all decide to stay together and make a commitment to keep this show successful, it could run another 10 to 20 years." Still, it's hard to turn Idol into Idol Inc., uniting a diverse collection of companies and people behind a long-term strategy. And Fuller's an unlikely candidate to lead that. Considered Britain's most powerful and controversial music manager since Brian Epstein handled The Beatles, Fuller made his fortune handling trendy, short-lived acts such as the Spice Girls and S Club 7. He'll continue to oversee all things Idol as part of a six-year contract with Sports Entertainment Enterprises, run by former radio and concert mogul Robert F.X. Sillerman, which just paid about $200 million in stock and cash for 19 Entertainment. Here's how Idol Inc.'s businesses work, and the challenges ahead: •The show. This is still the golden goose. Indeed, Fuller says, "American Idol has saved Fox." Fox should see at least $444 million this season from national ads. It sells about 10 minutes an hour at an average price of about $600,000 per 30-second spot, says Jon Nesvig, president of sales for Fox. By contrast, 30 seconds on the next-most-expensive show, NBC's ER, go for nearly $480,000, trade magazine Advertising Age estimates. While Fox gets nearly all of the ad sales, it splits with the producers an undisclosed share of the millions the show's main sponsors — Coca-Cola, Cingular and Ford Motor — pay beyond ads to have their products shown and mentioned on the show. Idol also boosts ratings — and, therefore, ad prices — on programs that Fox promotes during the show and airs after. Also, Fox-owned stations and affiliates have three minutes an hour to sell for local ads. Yet Idol is a bargain for Fox, which pays 19 Entertainment and Fremantle about $40 million a season — not even a tenth of the national ad sales — for the show, say two executives familiar with the terms. Fox's relationship with Fremantle and 19 Entertainment has hit some speed bumps. Last year, Fox objected when 19 and Fremantle lobbied to cut this season's run by 51/2 hours, trimming the Wednesday shows. "We did quite a bit of research with our viewers last year, and the reaction to the padded (Wednesday) results shows was quite poor," says Fremantle's Cecile Frot-Coutaz, one of Idol's four executive producers. They pushed for just half an hour on Wednesdays because, "Ultimately, it's our show. For (Fox), it's like heroin." Berman says Fox has "the right contractually to do a certain number of hours, and we compromised." The network might have to compromise again if Cowell demands a big raise to extend his three-year contract that expires after Idol’s next run in 2006. Considered key to the show's success, he makes about $8 million a season, far more than fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson see, according to an executive familiar with the contracts. Cowell declines to discuss his deal. If he walked away, he'd still have plenty to do. He has a record label at Sony BMG Music Entertainment that handles non-Idol performers, and he produces TV shows in Britain and the USA. "You have to take this business a year at a time," Cowell says. "My priority is my record label. That's more important to me than anything else. The hardest thing when you're on a blockbuster like this is trying to make sure that every entity remains happy equally. It's difficult." Sillerman says he's confident that Idol would be fine without Cowell. "It's the TV show that is the success," he says. Besides, Fuller "has ideas and embellishments for the show that go into the eighth season. It's a juggernaut." •The music. There seems to be more harmony among the companies involved in nearly $100 million in sales from recordings by 10 Idol-related singers last year. The contract contestants sign gives Fuller the right to manage winners' careers for three years and sign them to 19 Entertainment's record label. He also has first dibs on runners-up. His dual role can only short change performers, say critics such as journalist Eric Olsen, who in a 2002 Slate magazine article called the finalists "Slaves of Celebrity." But Fuller says they get a great deal. "All their fame originates from American Idol," he says. "When they leave Idol, we represent them with a three-year contract. But we don't double dip. If we own the record rights, we don't act as agents." The company won't disclose its management fee. CD rights are licensed by 19 Entertainment to Sony BMG, which must handle the winner and has first dibs on others. "We do the deal with 19, and they do the deal with the artist," says Tom Corson, general manager of Sony BMG's Arista/J Records. In return, the music giant pays a royalty to 19 and Cowell. To improve the odds for success, Fuller and Cowell persuaded Sony BMG's Clive Davis — who has shepherded artists from Janis Joplin to Alicia Keys — to help shape the singers' careers. "When you've got Clive running the artists' careers, you don't need to get too involved," Cowell says. The plan is to nurture long-term careers by having them sing nothing too trendy. "We have a pretty common agenda," Corson says of Sony BMG's relationship with Fuller and Cowell. "It's their show and their idea. But they aren't trying to tell us how to make albums for Americans." •The concerts. Ticket buyers spent more than $28 million last year to see Idol performers, according to Billboard magazine. About 40% came from a 49-show tour by the 2004 finalists. Another 40% came from 30 performances of an Aiken-Clarkson double bill. The group-show sales were relatively disappointing: an average 5,277 tickets per show vs. 10,025 for a similar 2003 tour. But they remained impressive results for such relative newcomers. "That's unheard of," says Billboard senior touring writer Ray Waddell. "It's revolutionary." What's more, all the concerts are profitable. Because the singers use one band, the shows are relatively cheap to stage. •The rest. Consumers spent about $215 million on Idol-licensed products last year, Fremantle estimates. Most of the 35 deals by 19 Entertainment and Fremantle are for typical pop-culture fad products: toys, candies, trading cards, games, a magazine and books. The companies share proceeds after paying the singers a royalty for goods with their images. Now the companies are hatching more ambitious ideas. Fuller's mulling a theatre show, possibly as a fixture in Las Vegas, in which audience members compete for prizes. He'd also like to transmit Idol-related shows via the Internet. "There's so much more you could see — rehearsals, choosing what clothes to wear, the tears," he says. His company doesn't miss a trick. For example, 19 Entertainment trademarked the names "Ruben Studdard" and "Fantasia Barrino" for commercial use, according to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filings. This long-term thinking has made makers of sophisticated gadgets feel comfortable gambling on Idol. For example, Digital Blue offers a $100 digital camcorder with software that lets buyers edit videos to appear as though they're Idol contestants. Expanding the brand, carefully "American Idol truly is a brand," says Digital Blue CEO Tim Hall. "There could be decades behind a program like this." Yet 19 Entertainment and Fremantle must weigh each marketing decision carefully. Gutteridge says, "There was a lot of heart searching" when Mattel proposed its new American Idol Barbie. The issue: "Does it skew the brand too young and lose us credibility with 16- to 24-year-olds," the core audience? The companies are sure to face even more vexing questions as they shift gears and try to persuade people to think of Idol more broadly as a symbol of a young, hip lifestyle. "Our goal is to create a brand that exists outside of the show," says FremantleMedia licensing chief Olivier Gers. "It's all about reinvention and freshness." To that end, stores carry an Idol line of clothing, jewellery and fragrances. Gers says there's some thought about offering Idol furniture. Such efforts could backfire if overdone, but Fuller says he's on top of that. "I'm the one holding things back," he says. "We've never gone overboard in doing things quickly." If Idol Inc. defies the odds to stay on top, it can write the playbook on blending TV and record sales into a sustainable business. It also could break a few rules of conglomerate-dominated show business. "Independent entrepreneurs can set the tone in how the 21st century might look in entertainment," Fuller says. "I don't want to be part of the establishment. I want to create my own establishment." Again - interesting last sentence

"Business Speak" Does Snowdrop's translation help?

This has been reported in a separate thread, but I'm putting it in here for completeness. There's masses of articles about it on the internet, so I've picked three of the better ones. From the BBC: Music mogul Fuller sells company Pop Idol supremo Simon Fuller has sold his 19 Entertainment company to an US entrepreneur in a $156m (£81.5m) deal. Robert Sillerman's Sports Entertainment Enterprises, which is to be renamed CFX, recently also bought an 85% share in the estate of Elvis Presley. Mr Fuller has been appointed to the CFX board and will plan and implement the company's creative strategy. The 19 firm handles a roster of music artists, TV shows and PR strategies for stars including the Beckhams. The deal sees Mr Fuller receive £64.5m in cash and about 1.9 million shares in Sports Entertainment. There will also be a further £19.2m in either cash or stocks by the end of the financial year in June. Mr Fuller has signed a long-term agreement with the company which will see him continue to expand and develop entertainment brands. He said: "This is a hugely exciting new partnership for myself and 19 Entertainment. "CKX will provide 19 with a powerful platform for global growth and allow us to fully take advantage of all the amazing opportunities that lie ahead. I cannot wait to get started." Canny marketing Mr Fuller was the creative drive behind Pop Idol and its US offspring American Idol. 19 Management runs the careers of many of its successful contestants including Will Young, Gareth Gates and Kelly Clarkson. The company was set up 15 years ago by Mr Fuller, taking the name from his first successful single - 19 by Paul Hardcastle. Fuller was the driving force behind the Spice Girls phenomenon, using canny marketing and catchy pop songs to secure their place as the most lucrative girl group in history. He then put together S Club 7, who had their own TV show as well as a music career. Mr Sillerman's deal to buy the Presley estate sees him control the operation of Graceland, as well as money from the late star's music and films. Presley's daughter Lisa Marie retains possession of Graceland and many of her father's "personal effects". and from the FT, reported on MSNBC: American Idol impresario sells business CKX to buy 19 Entertainment for about $192 million By Tim Burt Updated: 2:36 p.m. ET March 18, 2005 Simon Fuller, the music entrepreneur behind the Spice Girls and Pop Idol, has sold 19 Entertainment, his privately-owned company, to CKX of the US for about $192 million. CKX, the New York-based entertainment business, sealed the takeover within weeks of listing on Nasdaq and only three months after its high-profile acquisition of Elvis Presley Enterprises, which controls the assets of the Presley estate. Fuller will become a senior director of the group which controls the commercial use of the Elvis name and likeness. CKX also operates the Graceland Museum, and earns revenues from the rock icon's TV shows, films and some of his music recordings. "From the very first day we met it was clear that we shared the same dynamic vision for the direction of the entertainment industry," said Fuller. The impresario shot to fame as the creative force on Pop Idol, the talent show contest that became a worldwide phenomena and spawned American Idol, the top-rated show on Fox in the United States. He also managed artists including Annie Lennox and Will Young, a former Pop Idol winner. 19 Entertainment also boasts a branding joint venture with David and Victoria Beckham, one of Britain's best-known celebrity couples. Recently, however, Fuller hit the headlines in a legal dispute with Simon Cowell, his one-time business partner and vitriolic Pop Idol judge, over Cowell's involvement in X-Factor, a copy-cat TV talent show. Robert FX Sillerman, chairman and chief executive of CKX, said the takeover of 19 would help it increase its entertainment business internationally. The U.S. company, which began trading on Nasdaq earlier this month, had previously vowed to acquire rival groups with existing entertainment content. CKX is paying about $124.4 million in cash along with 1.87 million shares for 19 Entertainment, augmented by a further $36.9 million payment in cash or stock following delivery of the UK group's results for the year ending June 30, 2005. In the last financial year, pre-tax profits at 19 rose 3.5 percent to $13 million even though sales fell from $102.5 million to $92.7 million, according to figures filed with Companies House. Fuller owns 75 percent of 19 Entertainment, with the remainder held by Ingenious Media, the boutique media investment bank. The disposal marks the first exit by Ingenious Ventures, the private equity arm if the Ingenious Group, since the fund was launched in 2001. The company also advised Fuller on the sale, from which he could earn $144 million. And from Media Bulletin: Pop Idol mogul Simon Fuller sells 19 Entertainment for up to £100m by Jennifer Whitehead Brand Republic 18 Mar 2005 LONDON - Entertainment impresario Simon Fuller has sold 19 Entertainment, the company behind 'Pop Idol' and the Spice Girls, to the businessman Robert Sillerman, in a deal worth a possible £100m. Sillerman has taken control of the company through CKX, which also owns Elvis Presley's name, image, films and the Graceland museum. It has paid £64.5m in cash and 1.87m shares to acquire 19 Entertainment, with a further £19.2m to be paid after results are delivered for the year ending June 30 2005. The deal will see Fuller taking a role as a director of CKX as well as continuing to control 19 Entertainment, where he plans to continue world domination of popular culture. "CKX will provide 19 with a powerful platform for global growth and allow us to fully take advantage of all the amazing opportunities that lie ahead," Fuller said. His company, founded in 1985, is behind artists such as the Spice Girls, Annie Lennox, S Club 7 and former 'American Idol' participants such as Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken. It also has deals with Victoria and David Beckham and owns the 'Pop Idol' franchise, which is now in use in more than 30 territories, including the fantastically successful 'American Idol'. Sillerman said: "As we grow our business, the content that 19 owns, controls, is developing or develops in the future will become important elements in our effort to refocus the relationship between the creators of content and the distributors of that content." Thought that last sentence was interesting

Anyone see TJ performing on TOTP? ... strange

Not sure to be honest - I don't know much about her From Sunday Times Online today: Pop Idol boss aims to sell for £100m SIMON FULLER, the media mogul behind the Spice Girls and the Pop Idol TV format, has put a £100m price on his production company, 19 Entertainment, writes Mark Kleinman. Fuller, who paid himself nearly £4m last year, could be in line for a windfall of almost 20 times that sum if he completes negotiations to sell the company, which also represents the commercial interests of David and Victoria Beckham. Sources close to 19 Entertainment said Fuller had been trying to sell the business for several months, and was close to securing a deal with an unnamed American company. Fuller, who is being advised by Ingenious Media, the advisory boutique that owns a 25% stake in 19 Entertainment, is thought to have held talks with Germany’s Bertelsmann. “A deal is close, it’s just a case of thrashing out a price along with the finer details,” said a source. The company made a pre-tax profit of £10.1m in the year to June 30, up 6% on a year earlier.

From The Guardian: Simon Fuller fronts £20m indie move Dave Simpson Thursday February 24, 2005 Simon Fuller, the creator of Pop Idol, has teamed up with other music industry figures and investment/ advisory company Ingenious Media to launch a new venture capital fund offering 20 independent bands £1m each to help launch their careers. The idea - which reflects the growing shift towards independent-style music - is that bands will be able to approach major labels armed not only with talent, but with a pot of money for marketing and recording. The band does not sign to the major label as such, but gains access to its global distribution network. In turn, the majors can minimise the risks and finances involved in signing and launching a new act. They will also make money back from sales. According to Ingenious, the ideal is a situation where both sides win. There is always a limit to the amount of money even companies as big as Sony and Universal can put into launching new bands. "Because Ingenious brings both talent and finance to the table, the majors can spread their investment across more new acts," says Patrick McKenna, chairman of Ingenious. "So more bands can get into that distribution network and hopefully succeed." Ingenious will spend the next 12 months raising capital for the scheme and the following year investing it. Bands will be chosen by a committee, including McKenna - former chief executive of Andrew Lloyd's Webber's Really Useful outfit - and Fuller. Although Fuller is just one of the advisors, it is a shift in direction for the man most associated with manufactured pop in the UK. Also - found this little snippet from an article in The Mirror about Cheryl Tweedy which explains the Brilliant 19 (Darius' Management) set up a little: Feb 21 2005 By Eva Simpson Before being picked to be in the band she was signed to Nikki Chapman's management company Brilliant - now part of Simon Fuller's entertainment powerhouse 19.

Seriously, I think that's one of the sexiest pictures I've ever seen of him. The whole looks / style / stance thing he's got going on - and just how natural he is. Utterly gorgeous.

We said we'd let you know when we received a response to your monies we sent off just before Christmas - it arrived today Just to put it all in context, I'll also post our correspondence: We sent this letter to the volunteer we're in touch with: So, in response to that, the following arrived today - the first is the 'official' letter: I think they copy and paste bits of things together, so it doesn't read terribly well (eg the bit about the news about the new building), but you get the drift! And an accompanying hand-written card from the volunteer: Unfortunately then, no idea of the price of the pins for those of you who were interested in them, but I'll chase that up and get back to you. Link to the thread re what this is all about for those of you who may have missed it

Thanks Gazfan Received and replied

Stunning isn't it? It's my desktop pic at the moment - lovely

Blimey! Anybody else's heart skip a beat when they read the title of this thread???!!! Not over-enamoured with the hair, but as Snowdrop says - we'll just swerve that one ... Other than that - he's just so gorgeous. Completely at home in any situation. And good for Wendy - what a woman! Where on earth does she find the time to train to be a midwife???! Brilliant article - thanks for posting Rach

And a lovely bit about him too Apparently he 'out beat' the other nominees for the MTV Asia Award. Bless Thanks for posting

Thanks Moondance! Your cheque will take us (after expenses) to over £800, which will give Body and Soul well over £1,000 when they claim the Gift Aid. Well done everyone!!!

Indeedy Just counting the second order then, am I Rach?

He's just so utterly Thanks for telling us Rach

I know we said we'd concentrate on the interview bits, but I watched the songs too - superb. He's just so ... ace! LOL. Anyway - on to the interview bits ... Well, he's gorgeous, for starters. But I guess that goes without saying. Loving hearing him talk about the 'new album' and how involved he was with the whole thing. He clearly loves it and it's good to know that he's had that opportunity. The whole thing about how much more he wants to become involved is so exciting - I hope it's happened on album three There's so much on here that we've seen/ heard elsewhere - it's lovely to have it all in one place - the filming of SIIS and Sunshine (with his sexy girls) etc.. his explanation of the lyrics to 'Enough of Me' cracks me up - he's so Whilst his speech is good - there are all sorts of little tell-tale signs that it's nowhere near as fluent as he is today. So proud The whole thing has got me so excited remembering back to GYOW being released and how much I loved it - I remember being so, so thrilled that the tracks I liked the best were the tracks he wrote. Can't wait for the new one!

Fabulous! The sun never sets on Gareth's World