An open letter to @Dizzyfeet (Nigel Lythgoe) on the future of American Idol and How winning can become meaningful again.

As a fan of American Idol from from the very first night of season one up to today, I still believe in the concept of the show in its purest form: letting the public directly pick an artist worthy of the title, and to help support and build their career. If you look at all the past idol winners, you will see an incredible range of musical styles: The Pop/Rock of Kelly, Gospel/R&B of Ruben, Urban/soul of Fantasia, Country of Carrie, Classic Rock/Pop/Soul of Taylor, Urban Pop of Jordin, Alt-Rock of David, Musician pop of Kris, and Indie vibe of Lee. This elite group represents the diversity of American music and the American people. You have done them all a disservice by trying to force their uniqueness into a mold that fits the narrow confines of commercial radio. In addition to that, all of the winners possess a special quality and character that goes beyond merely a great voice, the American public demands that from their winners

It's a shame that you as an executive of the show does not share the character and integrity of your winners. Your statement earlier this week that there are only two true American Idols only serve to further de-value the show in the eyes of the viewers and voters. This is the reason that the ratings and even moreso, the voting has declined in the past few years. You have dismissed and disrespected the talent that made the show popular, and alienated a lot of their fans in the process.

By now, every longtime fan of American Idol has been burned at least once by a favorite contestant losing to another, or an actual winner being thrown under the bus by a more "marketable" runner-up. Your biggest mistake was to equate "success" after the win solely on record sales alone. But if you continue to live by units sold, you will die by units sold. Idol record sales are on a fairly steady decline this point it's unlikely that many future idol-related releases will make it to multi-platinum status.

Personally I am not happy you are returning to American Idol. You above all represent to me, the worst of the music business, diluting the styles that made the winners popular to begin with, and discarding them as soon as record sales decline, which eventually they all do.

Your treatment of Season five winner Taylor Hicks was perhaps the all-time low for you. When Newsweek decided to do an article on how Hicks' album sales were lagging in comparison to his more commercial runners up, you were called upon to make a statement. As an representative of American Idol,you could have taken that opportunity to stand up for him, especially since he was in the midst of a very successful headlining solo concert tour at that time, but instead you chose to imply that perhaps American public had "made a mistake" in voting him the winner. With that statement, you proclaimed open season on Taylor Hicks in the media, which frankly, continues to this day. To top it off, he was virtually excluded from the history of the show. This was all on your watch. Such a classy way to support your winners, Nigel. Looking back, this was probably the turning point when winning started being considered to be a liability instead of an advantage.

It's ridiculous to ignore the main factor that every winner must possess to win the title: the ability to sing and perform well live on stage. This is very different from having a mainstream recording career, which in most cases, declines after 5 years. Great live performers have a much longer lifespan. You are ignoring that aspect completely. No wonder Broadway is scooping up the best "idol" performers, and with much success. Broadway maty well be the future..just look at the success of "Glee".

The only way to regain the prestige of the American Idol title is to guarantee every past, present, and future winner continuing support, exposure and acknowledgement of their achievements. Every one of them is still working in music and headlining concerts and/or starring on Broadway. Every one of them is exceptionally talented and deserved to win. Why not give them spots on the results shows instead of the flavor-of-the-month the majot labels are shoving down our throats? The fanbase is there. This is how you turn the title of "American Idol Winner" into a legacy instead of a liability.

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