Kimberley Locke releases Four for the Floor EP under own label

American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke released Four for the Floor EP yesterday under her own label I AM Entertainment.

So happy for KLo! Being your "own boss" is the way to go. You are not beholden to anyone. The profit margins are also better since you won't be sharing the profits with investors/label. Glad she took the leap.

Her new EP is dance music focused and the carrier single 'Finally Free' was co-written by American Idol's Ace Young - a fan favorite here on Rickey.org! (Ah yes, the good old days).

From Billboard:

"I enjoy doing business just as much as I enjoy singing," says Locke, who was about to enter law school when she auditioned for "American Idol" in 2002 and found her life taking a new direction after finishing third behind Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken.

"This is the right time for me to do what I always wanted to do - have an entertainment company. I thought it was going to be a long, drawn-out process but it came to fruition very quickly." Locke says it all happened rapidly because she was able to put the right team together, including executive assistant Kathy Manabat, web master Scott Lawrence and promotion veteran Bob Catania. "Bob was with me at Curb and it was a pleasure to hire him because he taught me so much."

Once she had her budget and business plan in place, Locke had to make a decision about financing. "I considered getting a private investor but that would be like signing with a record label: [I'd be] no longer in control; [I'd be] splitting my profits and my intellectual property. So I am doing this on my own with my own financing. When you're paying for it, you pay attention to every cent and make sure you're spending it the right way. You don't cut corners to sacrifice quality but you do maintain the budget."