After being booted to pretty much everyone’s surprise last week, American Idol’s Pia Toscano isn’t exactly down and out. She may or may not be dating Dancing with The Stars hottie Mark Ballas (we’ll wait and see how true this actually is). And she may be close to a record deal. Yes, the rumors that she’d already nabbed that record deal were a little exaggerated. She’s yet to sign anything; Interscope Records is expressing interest in the singer, but there is no done deal. However, even with such eager interest this soon, the road to success won’t be so easy for Pia. According to PopEater, when she signed up to be a part of Idol, she signed a hefty contract that limits her ability to pursue a professional music career outside of Idol, for now.
Essentially, the contract reportedly ensures that everything each contestant does during the run of the show and during the following Idol tour belongs to 19 Entertainment, the company behind both Idol and other shows like So You Think You Can Dance. What this means is that 19 Entertainment essentially claims first dibs on Idol contestants before other labels can pick them up. Apparently, Interscope is set on giving Pia a chance at a career (and honestly, getting booted off Idol is probably better for the longevity of her potential career). They’ve already started calling songwriters and their plan is to release the album before the show is over and capitalize on the fans’ rage over her dismissal. But (and this is a big but) it’s really unlikely that Idol will let her out of her contract. She can record all the songs she wants, but we probably won’t hear any of them for a while. Well, at least she doesn’t have to try to decode Steven Tyler’s cryptic (hilarious) criticisms any more.
See kids? There really is no easy way to get rich and famous. Unless you’re Kanye West, and then there really is no easy way to exist amongst other humans without the excuse of being famous. But we’re not all that lucky, okay?
Source: PopEater
