Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice and Kelly Clarkson All Top 10 in U.S.,
Clarkson and Will Young Reach Top 15 in the U.K.
NEW YORK, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- As reported online last week by Hits
Magazine, American Idol stars Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice and Kelly Clarkson
ruled the charts with three of the top ten spots on Billboard's Top 200 album
chart the week before Christmas, historically one of the best selling weeks of
the year for the music industry. In addition, American Idol and Pop Idol
artists, Clarkson and Will Young, also took two of the top fifteen spots in
the weekly sales chart in the United Kingdom. The Idol franchise was created
by 19 Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (Nasdaq: CKXE).
Idol artists in the U.S. and U.K. are signed to recording agreements with 19
Recordings, also a wholly-owned subsidiary of CKX.
"Some Hearts," the debut album by American Idol 4 winner Carrie Underwood,
rose from Number 5 to Number 2 on the chart with more than 271,000 units sold
for the week. "Some Hearts" was certified platinum, with over one million
albums sold, within just five weeks of its November 15, 2005 release.
American Idol 4 finalist Bo Bice's debut album, "The Real Thing" entered
the chart this week at Number 4, with more than 226,000 albums sold. In
addition, Bice's hit single "Inside Your Heaven/Vehicle" was number three on
the Billboard Singles Chart.
American Idol 1 winner Kelly Clarkson's most recent album "Breakaway"
moved back into the Top 10 to Number 8, with more than 180,000 units sold for
the week. "Breakaway" has remained in the Top 20 since its release on November
30, 2004, for a total of for 55 consecutive weeks and has been certified 4X
platinum in the United States, with over 4 million units sold in the U.S. and
well over 7 million copies sold worldwide.
In the United Kingdom, Ms. Clarkson's "Breakaway" album was the number 8
selling album for the week, and Pop Idol 1 winner Will Young's album, "Keep
On" rose to number 12 on the U.K. chart, with over 300,000 units sold to date
in the U.K. alone.
In addition to these achievements, American Idol 3 winner Fantasia is
approaching the double platinum mark with her debut album "Free Yourself" and
American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken's Christmas album, "Merry Christmas With
Love" recently soared past the million unit mark. Aiken is expected to release
a new album this spring.
Commenting on the successful recording careers of Idol contestants, Simon
Fuller, creator and Executive Producer of American Idol said, "This success is
a true testament to the power of Idol fans and people power worldwide. Carrie,
Bo and Kelly are prime examples of the impact of the Idol format, having been
discovered by the American public, taken from obscurity and made into true
superstars. I am proud to have created a format which has captured the
imagination of music fans around the world and which can launch the careers of
so many talented young singers. We are looking forward very much to the start
of American Idol's 5th season in January"
The success of Idol artists is not limited to the United States and the
United Kingdom. Idol continues to produce best selling artists in countries
around the world where a local version of the format is run. In France, the
most recent winner, Myriam, and runner-up Pierrick have both reached the top
five in sales for their recent albums and previous runner up, Amele, has sold
close to 500,000 units. In Australia, the most recent Idol winner Kate
DeAraugo's single reached Number 1 on the local singles chart and remains the
third best selling single in the country. The first Australian Idol winner
Shannon Noll's second album has been certified double Platinum. In Canada,
the latest winner Melissa O'Neil recently reached Number 1 on the local radio
charts with her single "Alive."
About 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in the United Kingdom, is a leading creator and
producer of entertainment properties, including American Idol in the United
States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom, as well as versions of the Idol format
in more than 30 countries around the world. The company has recording
contracts with and/or manages or has managed former American Idol and Pop Idol
participants, such as Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken,
Ruben Studdard and Fantasia as well as some of the world's best known
musicians and other artists, including the Spice Girls, Annie Lennox and S
Club 7. The Company has also entered into an exclusive global joint venture
with David Beckham, one of the most recognized athletes in the world, and
Victoria Beckham, an influential symbol in both the fashion and music worlds.
About CKX, Inc.
CKX, Inc., a company controlled by Robert F.X. Sillerman and affiliates,
is engaged in the ownership, development and commercial utilization of
entertainment content. To date, we have focused on acquiring globally
recognized entertainment content and related assets, including the rights to
the name, image and likeness of Elvis Presley, the operations of Graceland and
proprietary rights to the IDOLS television brand, including the American Idol
series in the United States, the Pop Idol series in the United Kingdom and
local adaptations of the IDOLS television show format which, collectively, air
in over 30 countries around the world. We plan to continue to make strategic
acquisitions of, or partner or align with, companies or individuals that
control various forms of established entertainment content, which may include
intellectual property rights in music, film, television programming, written
works and characters, rights to names, images and likenesses, video games,
corporate brands and other related assets For more information about CKX,
Inc., visit our corporate website at http://www.ckx.com.
SOURCE CKX, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.ckx.com
CONTACT:
Sean Cassidy, +1-212-981-5233, Ed
Tagliaferri, +1-212-981-5182, or Robert Zimmerman,
+1-212-981-5118, all for CKX, Inc.
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