‘American Idol's’ music cred growing

In “Idol’s” early days — and to some extent, even now — the show was criticized for looking for a generic-kind of talent that would be palatable to mass audiences, sacrificing individuality or uniqueness.

But as “Idols” like Clarkson, Underwood and Fantasia continue to carve out their own niche in the music world, those arguments may be fading.

“(Clarkson’s success) was a time when one of the winners was able to establish a persona away from the show ... and stand on her own two feet, and got recognition from the Grammys and from critics, and there was a sense that this was somebody who had been cultivated to be a pop star outside of what she was within the ‘Idol’ boundaries,” Light says.

When legendary mogul Clive Davis, who overseas the albums of the winners and many contestants, first reached out to Mason to produce records for the show’s contestants, he was skeptical.

“Everyone thought it was just a TV show, another reality show, but I remember specifically meeting with Clive Davis ... and him telling us that this TV show was going to change the way the industry works,” he recalls.

“This is just the evolution of how we find our talent, that’s just a fact. Before you used to have to go into somebody’s office and sing to a guy playing piano to get a record deal. Now you can go on a TV show,” Mason adds. “It’s the same exact thing.”

And that talent continues to captivate American audiences — even more so than established pop acts.

“What it really is is the kids getting exposure on TV and the public falling in love with them, during weeks and months ... so by the time they put the record out, the public knows who they are,” says Jackson. “The public might know better who these kids are than they might know the artist from any record company.”

Last year’s Grammy Awards, which went head-to-head with an episode of “American Idol” and got crushed in the ratings, might be the best example of that.

“If that many more people want to watch an episode of ‘American Idol’ than the biggest awards show in the music business, I think it tells you what kind of power they have,” Light says.

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