American Idol to change labels?

This is an interesting bit of news. More changes on the horizon for American Idol as Simon Fuller is shopping around for labels as Idol's contract with Sony Music ends.

I actually think this maybe good moving forward, though it just might tank the CDs of Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox in the short term.

New energy from a new label can only help future winners I think. Fans traditionally have always been disappointed at how Sony Music has handled the careers of the past few seasons, so either a new label will help -- or the fans will just have another scapegoat.

From NY Post:

Simon Fuller, the creative brain behind the No. 1 TV show, is said to be doing "outreach" to record labels about a new deal for the "Idol" artists, The Post has learned.

The preliminary talks with other labels comes as Sony Music's longstanding agreement to represent the winners of "American Idol" on its various labels is expiring.

Sony Music, for its part, is swinging its marketing firepower behind Fuller's onetime colleague and now business rival, Simon Cowell, who is launching a new talent contest, "X-Factor," on Fox in 2011. The show is produced by Syco, which is jointly owned by Sony Music and Cowell.

Sony Music also houses another Fox music hit, "Glee," which is a runaway music success story. The latest "Glee," soundtrack, the fifth release with Sony, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts.

Source NY Post / MJ's Big Blog