thebacklot.com
Adam Lambert Walks Away from RCA (Exclusive ) HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
6:30 PM PDT 7/12/2013 by Shirley Halperin
The "American Idol" season eight runner-up says no to an all-covers album, which the Sony-owned label was pushing for.
The "American Idol" season eight runner-up says no to an all-covers album, which the Sony-owned label was pushing for.
Monday's news -- as reported by The Hollywood Reporter -- that American Idolseason eight runner-up Adam Lambert was being asked by his label, RCA Records, to consider recording an all covers album elicited an impassioned response from the legions of Glamberts worldwide. And it wasn't a positive one.
In what was a loud and fairly unanimous outcry, the rocker's fans took to social media, this site and popular American Idol debate destination MJs Big Blog to voice their distaste for the idea. The consensus for the most part being: that Lambert is an artist with his own musical vision who should be allowed to explore it to the fullest.
Now, THR can report, Lambert will be doing just that. The singer is walking away from his RCA contract after two full length albums, 2012's Trespassing and 2009'sFor Your Entertainment, along with several EPs and a live collection -- all issued by the Sony Music label.
Lambert revealed the news in a letter to THR, which follows in its entirety below.In it, Lambert notes "the oft-cited 'creative differences'" as they related to his next project, stating: "my heart is simply not in doing a covers album." To the contrary, Lambert adds that he's "deep into writing new material with some very talented colleagues," which will surely delight his audience of diehards.
The "evolution" continues, he says. "This music is where my heart is." But it won't be at RCA, where a typical American Idol recording contract stipulates that the artist and the label be on the same page creatively.
Read Lambert's letter below:
Dear Shirley,
Thank you for your continued interest in, and support of, my musical career. After reading your article on July 8th, and seeing the very impassioned responses, I thought it would be good to write and let you know what is actually happening with my next album.
I've had an amazing few years working with the team at RCA; I admire all of them a great deal, and truly appreciate the energy & enthusiasm that went into making both "Trespassing" & "For Your Entertainment" successes.
That said, at this point, we are indeed having the oft-cited "creative differences" as to what my next project will be. Your article was correct, the label is "pushing for an (80's) covers album," and feels that this is the only kind of release they are prepared to support. While there are lots of great songs from that decade, my heart is simply not in doing a covers album.
Over the past four years, I have been truly fortunate to work with an amazing roster of producers, writers and engineers. Thanks to them, I have grown as both a songwriter and a vocalist. Artistically & professionally, I think it is essential that I continue with this evolution. I am already deep into writing new material with some very talented colleagues for a brand new album, and I can't tell you how excited I am to share this new sound & direction. This music is where my heart is, and I believe that is what my fans want to hear. So after careful consideration, I have made the decision to respectfully part ways with RCA. My passion for the music & respect for the fans will always come first. I am excited to find a new label team who shares this vision.
Yours,
Adam
Looking ahead to a just-announced role on season five of Glee , it's clear Lambert, who found his voice in musical theater, has his sights set beyond just a recording career.
So there you have it. What say you now, Glamnation?
Twitter: @shirleyhalperin
PERSON IN THE KNOW EARLIER TODAY:
don't if this belong here or bert, from mjs right now
H.A. • 8 minutes ago
;)
H.A. • 10 minutes ago
Adam is moving to a new group. An awesome label.
I told you his people planted the story. DMG has been on this since the early part of the year.
H.A. • 19 minutes ago
"This music is where my heart is." But it won't be at RCA, where a typical American Idol recording contract stipulates that the artist and the label be on the same page creatively.
Adam has a new label. This has been in motion for months. I'm sure we will be getting a new label announcement soon.
;)
H.A. • 10 minutes ago
Adam is moving to a new group. An awesome label.
I told you his people planted the story. DMG has been on this since the early part of the year.
H.A. • 19 minutes ago
"This music is where my heart is." But it won't be at RCA, where a typical American Idol recording contract stipulates that the artist and the label be on the same page creatively.
Adam has a new label. This has been in motion for months. I'm sure we will be getting a new label announcement soon.
this is under the post of rca wanting adam to make an album of covers,
H.A. • 3 days ago
I'm expecting a "parting of ways" along with a new label announcement. Stay tuned. ;)
I'm expecting a "parting of ways" along with a new label announcement. Stay tuned. ;)
Adam fans are loud. RCA's email must of had their heads spinning. Just so you know Adam will be the first Idol (I think) to leave one label and already be signed to another. This isn't something that just happened it's in process for months. A lot of announcements coming.
My thought:
GOTTA WONDER IF H.A. IS SHIRLEY HALPERIN!
"This music is where my heart is." But it won't be at RCA where a typical American Idol recording contract stipulates that the artist and the label be on the same page creatively.
Shirley has always been a Bert. She probably wrote the
article about the 80's cover album as a plant, to help Adam. Then she probably read awful tweets and posts lambasting both the article and her. She may want us to know she wrote it to help Adam, which is why she mentioned MJ's specifically in tonight's article, not the Twitter explosion. And it's why "H.A" has a direct quote from HER article at MJ's. And the letters H A are not a coincidence, tho I guess a troll could be using them for that reason.
Shirley to MJ's (she may be covering her ass). The "tip" was probably from Adam's camp:
"There was no orchestration, MJ. I had the tip, asked Adam
directly at the Live Proud event, he wouldn’t comment. Same
with his rep and the label. Feeling confident in my sources, I
printed the story, the reaction came flooding in and it
precipitated a decision of whether to move forward with a third
album, or not. Both sides would have to agree on a creative
direction in order to move ahead with the recording contract.
That’s the god’s honest truth. Just good, old-fashioned
journalism."
My initial thoughts when I read the news:
YES!! @adamlambert says NO to cover album, leaves RCA!!! THEY DON'T DESERVE YOU ADAM. Yay! We have your back, always! ilu!!!!!
@adamlambert I have complete faith in you, as always! Only good things are in store for you! You'll get a label that will really back you!
@adamlambert I was chatting w fans from round the world today about how much we love and respect you. You never fail to do the right thing!
@OblaKickinIn Yes! Thank you, the pic of the night!
http://twitpic.com/d2bpd8
Obie @OblaKickinIn 28m
Adam was polite but it really means this to them http://twitpic.com/d2bpd8
Can't unfollow rcapromo, already did LONG ago. They never supported Trespassing, my fave album of the decade! @adamlambert
"My passion for the music & respect for the fans will always come first. I am excited to find a new label team who shares this vision." ILH
@adamlambert TY for living authentically in every part of your life. I'm so proud of you and thrilled rca's no longer a thorn in your side!
I've had faith in DMG and there's no reason to stop now. I believe they have Adam's back, like his fans do.
I'm so proud of Adam, I'm qvelling. He's a real mensch! (Sometimes, only Yiddish will do!)
I'm so happy. The rca thorn is gone from all our sides!
Adam Lambert Refuses to Do Covers Album, Splits From Label
By Lyndsey Parker | Reality Rocks – 1 hour 34 minutes ago
photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
It's been a busy week for Adam Lambert news here at Reality Rocks. First he reunited with his "Idol" streaker from Season 8; then he performed for AT&T's Live Proud event; then he announced that he'd joined the cast of "Glee." And now it has been revealed that he has parted ways with his label of four years, RCA Records.
Although that last bit may seem like a jolt of glum Glambert news, a personal letter that Adam sent to The Hollywood Reporter indicates that this split is for the best.
Earlier this week, THR ran an article addressing rumors that Adam's third album for RCA might be a compilation of '80s covers, and a firestorm of Glambert debate ensued.
Yes, the possibilities for awesomeness here were undeniable. Anyone who's heard Adam sing Tears For Fears' "Mad World" or Michael Jackson's "Black or White," or noted the funky new wave influences in his original songs like "Kickin' In" and "Cuckoo," knows that Adam does the '80s very well. I admit that I may've started my own mental wishlist of possible songs for the disc (among them Duran Duran's "The Chauffeur," the Psychedelic Furs' "Into You Like a Train," and Yaz's "In My Room").
But, still. At the end of the day, the majority of fans (myself included) were understandably concerned that recording an album entirely composed of covers,especially this early in his career, would damage Adam's credibility as an artist in his own right.
Apparently this was a concern Adam had as well. So he has elected to leave RCA, as he explains in an open letter to THR, published Friday.
"I've had an amazing few years working with the team at RCA….That said, at this point, we are indeed having the oft-cited 'creative differences' as to what my next project will be," Adam wrote to the publication. "Your article was correct, the label is 'pushing for an (80's) covers album,' and feels that this is the only kind of release they are prepared to support. While there are lots of great songs from that decade, my heart is simply not in doing a covers album…So after careful consideration, I have made the decision to respectfully part ways with RCA. My passion for the music & respect for the fans will always come first."
Adam's full letter can be read at THR.com .
Watch this space for more details on where Adam ends up, but I have a feeling that a mega-talent who's been in demand by everyone from Brian May to Ryan Murphy won't be label-less for long.
ScarredGhost
Adam Lambert Parts Ways With RCA, Says “My Heart Is Simply Not In Doing A Covers Album ”
Adam Lambert has left RCA, the label behind his first two albums, due to “creative differences” and loud protests by Glamberts. Although Lambert had already enlisted collaborators and started writing his third album, RCA was pushing the Trespassing star to release an ’80s cover album and “feels that this is the only kind of release they are prepared to support,” Lambert said.
“While there are a lot of great songs from that decade, my heart is simply not in doing a covers album,” Lambert continued, in a letter addressed to The Hollywood Reporter . He (and his fans) had a point: Yes, he signed up for Glee .Yes, he has earned his new Glee role with a series of remarkable covers , which date back to his American Idol upbringing.
However, RCA seemed to have missed what fans ultimately took away from these covers, as shown in THR comments: Lambert has great taste, but he also has a vision for himself that spans multiple genres and decades, one that could not be contained in even the most inspired covers album. “This music is where my heart is, and I believe that is what my fans want to hear,” Lambert said of his third album, currently in the works.
On July 8, a label source told The Hollywood Reporter that “enthusiasm was lacking” for Lambert’s Trespassing — the Idolator reader-voted Best Album Of 2012 — and the label would support a covers album “so long as execs have input into such aspects as song selection and cover art.” As reporter Andrew Hampp disclosed today, fans should stay tuned with more details from Billboard.
Adam Lambert Dumps RCA, Prepares Glitter Rocket For Relaunch
FROM Q3 AT ADAMTOPIA, MAKES SENSE TO ME!
When they say love we forgo the royalties.
When they say love someone waits behind the trees.
When they say love its time to roll up on ur sleeves.
When it's really love you're prepared to loose all you got.
***
First he uses the word "they" -- not you. they say love. It is not about a personal relationship.
I think this is about someone loving his music and his willingness to give up his recording contract.
The safe path would have been to stay with RCA and just do the cover album and collect the royalties.
Adam chose the other path. The risky path. To be prepared to loose all he has by standing behind his vision.
And the trees are barriers in his path -- things you can't see past but you need to walk around. But past the tree, someone is waiting for him. He is wanted if he leaves. (Trees/leaves I think it is a play on words.)
The next line "When they say love its time to roll up on ur sleeves." Could be "its time to roll up" = its time to arrive, to get somewhere, and start working hard. (Roll up your sleeves). Two phases entwined.
The final line is about taking a chance and risking everything.
***
I think is not so much a clue as an expression about his decision -- what he was thinking about.
***
http://adamtopia.com/post/416090
So many hints to decipher! #GlambertCodeBreakers
I wondered why Adam was hiding his head from paps under a sweater. I think he wanted a reason to say "I Love doing covers" as a hint of what was up with RCA.
SO MANY SECRETS IN HIS HAIR:
With Darren Chriss, same week:
TWEETS BETWEEN THEM
Maybe they're collaborating? Just friends?
https://twitter.com/elilieb/status/340597292342063104
Wow! All very interesting news! I see a lot of people's (Glamberts)speculations about RCA and a conflict over a covers album were correct!
ReplyDeleteBut naw, his comment about being under cover was, in my opinion, a sexual innuendo.
Heh-heh, he does get around, doesn't he? :D
Enjoyed your post!
Thanks! Adam said "I Love doing covers. Right, mdmolinari??"
ReplyDeletetho. I think he was alluding to songs. The capital L may indicate sarcasm ;)