Thats not the case. She reached #1 on US itunes with NO promotion at all- this was purely on the basis of her decent but not great amount of airplay at the time. She knocked usher off the top of itunes who had 3times her airplay. If it hadnt been for Oprah technically she would be #2 on on the billboard hot 100. Which is still a massive achievement in its self. luckily she got a big sales boost from oprah which managed to clinch her the #1. She would still be the first British artist in god knows how many years to get a #2.

 

Her song climbed airplay on its own merit and requests at an astonishingly fast rate for an unkown artist, of course no where near the rate of the likes of usher and mariah. It was #1 most requested z100 in new york and is now on heavy rotation.

 

People who dont know the facts are assuming that it was handed to her- do some research before jumping to this conclusion. She hasnt done the touring like many do to break america but with her backing and how well shes done with out any promotion, it isnt needed at the moment, shes concentrating on the big stuff.

 

Futhermore, bleeding love has only just begun to really take off on airplay, due to how popular the song is-evident from its rise on itunes from minimal airplay, theres no reason why she cant go back to #1 after mariah and madonnas hype dies down, as i cant see them having as much longevity.

Why was she even on iTunes in the first place? Not many British acts get on there, she's obviously had some kind of promotion to get this successful, it doesn't just 'happen'. The facts are that it's because of Cowell she's doing so well and has managed to skip the many barriers there are to get into the US!

I'm quite a fan of Leona, and well done to her, but is IS obvious what most have said above. ^ She had HUGE help from people surrounding her. Take a look at Wino's DVD of her trying to crack America, she explains she had to start fresh, from singing in pubs, bars, places round America, and then moved up into small venues and then up and up. THAT'S the way it should be done.

Well said. So many UK acts aren't even ALLOWED in the US becuase they're not 'known enough' or they once had a drug offence years ago, it's ridiculous how hard it is for the vast majority of acts to break any part of America, complete double standards as we take pretty much ANY American, it's complete protectionism of their own industry and you can only get anywhere if you have the right contacts.

 

You hear of people like Kings Of Leon, Scissor Sisters and Orson coming over here because they can't break America, yet they become fairly successful here. That would most certainly NOT happen in reverse!

Well said. So many UK acts aren't even ALLOWED in the US becuase they're not 'known enough' or they once had a drug offence years ago, it's ridiculous how hard it is for the vast majority of acts to break any part of America, complete double standards as we take pretty much ANY American, it's complete protectionism of their own industry and you can only get anywhere if you have the right contacts.

 

You hear of people like Kings Of Leon, Scissor Sisters and Orson coming over here because they can't break America, yet they become fairly successful here. That would most certainly NOT happen in reverse!

Fair points!

Well, actually, she is at #1 by the power of Cowell.

 

While Simon Cowell has helped Leona, his contribution is just the icing on the cake compared to the power of (the late Eastenders actor lookalike Mike Reid) Clive Davis.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Clive_Davis.jpg

For those of you who do not know what a musical giant & influence Davis is this will help explain why:

 

In 1967, he became president of Columbia Records (a then subsection of CBS Records), he was responsible for signing the likes of: Janis Joplin with Big Brother & the Holding Company (his first ever signing), Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Pink Floyd (in the USA only).

 

In 1974 he left to set up Arista Records: home of singer-songwriter Barry Manilow (his first signing to the label), Dionne Warwick, Monica, Gary Glitter, Exposé, Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, saxophonist Kenny G, rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean "Diddy" Combs, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Air Supply, Ace of Base, The Grateful Dead, The Kinks, TLC, Bay City Rollers, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and his most famous signing whos career he personally steered Grammy Award winning pop megastar and the best-selling artist on label Whitney Houston.

 

After Arista Records got taken over by BMG he excepted a golden handshake (they thought at his age in his 60s at the time he was getting too old), and set up J Records in 2000. J Records signings have included: Alicia Keys (his first signing to the label), Monica, Luther Vandross, Pearl Jam, Rod Stewart (he suggested Rod tackle the "Great American Songbook" of pre Rock'n'Roll standards which has been a huge commercial success) & Pearl Jam, whilst former labelmates at Arista Annie Lennox, Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow & Whitney Houston have followed him to J Records. He also signed a deal with Simon Fuller to have first rights to sign up the American Idol contestants and has had huge success especially with Kelly Clarkson & Carrie Underwood.

 

Davis was parodied hilariously in part by Patrick Macnee, in the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap and he figured prominently in the Frederic Dannen book Hit Men: Powerbrokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business (1990) which exposed the wheeling and dealing behind the scenes (i.e paying Radio producers to play his acts records with a variety of different gifts including allegedly some illegal (drugs, prostitution, etc) in the US record industry from the 1960s to the 1980s.

 

In 2007 he had a rather public spat with his artist Kelly Clarkson, and he took the rather unusual step of criticising her on more than one occasion and her new album My December which subsequently suffered from poor sales and little radio airplay.

 

Lastly, Clive Davis was featured in the February 21, 2008 (#1046) issue of Rolling Stone. The article titled "The Last Record Man" discusses how Davis has helped guide the careers of hit artists and how even four decades later he still looks for the next hit with a half page profile, and glowing praise of his then unknown superstar to be and new signing..... Leona Lewis.

Why was she even on iTunes in the first place? Not many British acts get on there, she's obviously had some kind of promotion to get this successful, it doesn't just 'happen'. The facts are that it's because of Cowell she's doing so well and has managed to skip the many barriers there are to get into the US!

 

She was on iTunes because her song was being released in the States due to her American contact. How did she get an American contract? By Clive Davis watching a showreel of her X-Factor performances and thinking she was amazing. So really, it all boils down to her and her talent as that got her contract with J. Records.

 

And no that's not a fact, it's what you believe. I personally believe she is doing so well due to her talent and amazing song AS WELL as the help of her label, Cowell and Davis. No way is it solely down to them or solely down to her.

Edited March 31, 200817 yr by Ethereal

She was on iTunes because her song was being released in the States due to her American contact. How did she get an American contract? By Clive Davis watching a showreel of her X-Factor performances and thinking she was amazing. So really, it all boils down to her and her talent as that got her contract with J. Records.

So in short, Cowell and various other 'Mr Big's', what a surprise... She's had the support any other act could only dream of...

So in short, Cowell and various other 'Mr Big's', what a surprise... She's had the support any other act could only dream of...

 

And why is that? Because of her talent. God, so many bitter people around. It's fine if you don't like her but to act like her success has NOTHING to do with her whatsoever is so unfair.

Edited March 31, 200817 yr by Ethereal

And why is that? Because of her talent. God, so many bitter people around. It's fine if you don't like her but to act like her success has NOTHING to do with her whatsoever is so unfair.

 

Of course it has something to do with her, but it's only to do with her because she has all these people behind her and writing songs for her. Amy Winehouse, for example, beat Leona to our best seller of last year, she's widely regarded as one of the most talented females in a hell of a long time. Yet it was hundreds of times harder for her to break the us becuse she didn't have the same support from Cowell, Davis et al.

 

I've never once gave my opinion on Leona's music, why are you bringing taste into this? Neither have I said it's nothing to do with her, but I really don't see how it's hard to see that it's been a (very clever, I admit) 12+ months of waiting, preparing and launching by the various bosses, execs etc making money out of her!

Edited March 31, 200817 yr by RabbitFurCoat

Of course it has something to do with her, but it's only to do with her because she has all these people behind her and writing songs for her. Amy Winehouse, for example, beat Leona to our best seller of last year, she's widely regarded as one of the most talented females in a hell of a long time. Yet it was hundreds of times harder for her to break the us becuse she didn't have the same support from Cowell, Davis et al.

 

I've never once gave my opinion on Leona's music, why are you bringing taste into this? Neither have I said it's nothing to do with her, but I really don't see how it's hard to see that it's been a (very clever, I admit) 12+ months of waiting, preparing and launching by the various bosses, execs etc making money out of her!

 

Amy Winehouse beat Leona yes, she had also been out for a year and Leona had been out for less than two months.

 

And yes of course it's been a clever plan, how is that a bad thing?

Without her amazing voice and talent Leona would have got nowhere.

People buy her records because they enjoy listening to her. Just like everyone else and their particular tastes do.

No amount of puclicity and hype would have got her anywhere if she did'nt have such a fantastic voice.

 

 

 

While Simon Cowell has helped Leona, his contribution is just the icing on the cake compared to the power of (the late Eastenders actor lookalike Mike Reid) Clive Davis.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Clive_Davis.jpg

For those of you who do not know what a musical giant & influence Davis is this will help explain why:

 

In 1967, he became president of Columbia Records (a then subsection of CBS Records), he was responsible for signing the likes of: Janis Joplin with Big Brother & the Holding Company (his first ever signing), Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Pink Floyd (in the USA only).

 

In 1974 he left to set up Arista Records: home of singer-songwriter Barry Manilow (his first signing to the label), Dionne Warwick, Monica, Gary Glitter, Exposé, Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, saxophonist Kenny G, rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean "Diddy" Combs, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Air Supply, Ace of Base, The Grateful Dead, The Kinks, TLC, Bay City Rollers, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and his most famous signing whos career he personally steered Grammy Award winning pop megastar and the best-selling artist on label Whitney Houston.

 

After Arista Records got taken over by BMG he excepted a golden handshake (they thought at his age in his 60s at the time he was getting too old), and set up J Records in 2000. J Records signings have included: Alicia Keys (his first signing to the label), Monica, Luther Vandross, Pearl Jam, Rod Stewart (he suggested Rod tackle the "Great American Songbook" of pre Rock'n'Roll standards which has been a huge commercial success) & Pearl Jam, whilst former labelmates at Arista Annie Lennox, Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow & Whitney Houston have followed him to J Records. He also signed a deal with Simon Fuller to have first rights to sign up the American Idol contestants and has had huge success especially with Kelly Clarkson & Carrie Underwood.

 

Davis was parodied hilariously in part by Patrick Macnee, in the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap and he figured prominently in the Frederic Dannen book Hit Men: Powerbrokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business (1990) which exposed the wheeling and dealing behind the scenes (i.e paying Radio producers to play his acts records with a variety of different gifts including allegedly some illegal (drugs, prostitution, etc) in the US record industry from the 1960s to the 1980s.

 

In 2007 he had a rather public spat with his artist Kelly Clarkson, and he took the rather unusual step of criticising her on more than one occasion and her new album My December which subsequently suffered from poor sales and little radio airplay.

 

Lastly, Clive Davis was featured in the February 21, 2008 (#1046) issue of Rolling Stone. The article titled "The Last Record Man" discusses how Davis has helped guide the careers of hit artists and how even four decades later he still looks for the next hit with a half page profile, and glowing praise of his then unknown superstar to be and new signing..... Leona Lewis.

 

Thanks for this TIP, a very powerful man indeed and definitely not a man to get on the wrong side of, as poor Kelly found out to her cost, I still think it was shameful the way he publically trashed her album. He's 84 years old and probably stuck in a time warp of divas wearing ballgowns and fawning over him.

To compare leona lewis and the HUGE talent she has to adele and kate nash is ridiculous. She has had NOOOOO promotion whatsoever in the States except for Oprah and Jay Leno. In my local radio stations, she is not THAT played.

Why was she even on iTunes in the first place? Not many British acts get on there ....

 

A cursory inspection of US iTunes reveals the following newish UK female artists have broken down all the barriers to secure a lucrative place on there: Adele, Duffy, Estelle (mk. II), Kate Nash, Leona Lewis, Lily Allen etc etc Anyone with a deal to distribute their singles/albums in the States gets added. A couple of weeks back Duffy's Mercy was the even free track of the week with a big advert in the middle of the home page.

 

Duffy has also managed to get chosen for this month's lucrative VH1 "You Oughta Know" artist slot guaranteeing airplay of her video. She succeeds Leona. Who succeeded Estelle.

Edited April 1, 200817 yr by 6weeksatnumber7

Thanks for this TIP, a very powerful man indeed and definitely not a man to get on the wrong side of, as poor Kelly found out to her cost, I still think it was shameful the way he publically trashed her album. He's 84 years old and probably stuck in a time warp of divas wearing ballgowns and fawning over him.

My god, comments like this really make ones skin CRAWL. No promotion? Oprah and Leno IS the biggest promotion in the US one can get (fact). And she has been promoted heavily on the internet by Clive Davis' coiffers and the song played around as a sublinimal message throughout the media. It is natural that most of us are slightly cynical about the whole thing and would truly be thrilled for British acts like Duffy and Amy Winehouse to do well as they have produced their own music from their own roots and are having to really work hard to get success. Leona has been handed everything on a silver plate and her album isn't even that good, which many music critics have noted when reviewing the album last year.

My god, comments like this really make ones skin CRAWL. No promotion? Oprah and Leno IS the biggest promotion in the US one can get (fact). And she has been promoted heavily on the internet by Clive Davis' coiffers and the song played around as a sublinimal message throughout the media. It is natural that most of us are slightly cynical about the whole thing and would truly be thrilled for British acts like Duffy and Amy Winehouse to do well as they have produced their own music from their own roots and are having to really work hard to get success. Leona has been handed everything on a silver plate and her album isn't even that good, which many music critics have noted when reviewing the album last year.

 

This is the same Duffy who is on the Jay Leon's Tonight Show later this month? And Regis and Kelly? And Late Night with Conan O'Brien? Is VH1's "You Oughta Know" artist? And MTV's "Download and Discover" artist? And is being followed by US MTV for a weekly documentary? Was US iTunes free single of the week? Is a Rolling Stone artist to watch? The same Duffy who was hothoused by her record company for 4 years with writers and producers and was pimped all over Jools Holland three times before releasing Mercy?

 

Duffy is getting incredible support and promotion on both sides of the Atlantic from her record company. She deserves it as I love her music, but to suggest she's "having to work really hard" where as Leona isn't when they both have very similar promotional schedules is quite frankly bizarre. You also don't get to hear about the radio promotion Leona has been doing in Chicago, New York, LA, Boston etc visiting stations for interviews and the like - Duffy will be doing the same soon. It's the important but unsexy stuff that underpins any artist. Duffy's soon off to do the same sort of European promotion Leona's just come off the back of.

Without her amazing voice and talent Leona would have got nowhere.

People buy her records because they enjoy listening to her. Just like everyone else and their particular tastes do.

No amount of puclicity and hype would have got her anywhere if she did'nt have such a fantastic voice.

Hmmm, publicity and hype have got more than a fair amount of dreadful acts to become successful in the past...

I can remember when they chucked Clive Davis, and then begged for him back. :heehee: And it IS painfully obvious that Leona is of amazing talent, but she still never went about it the hard way, which Is what people are getting at.

This is the same Duffy who is on the Jay Leon's Tonight Show later this month? And Regis and Kelly? And Late Night with Conan O'Brien? Is VH1's "You Oughta Know" artist? And MTV's "Download and Discover" artist? And is being followed by US MTV for a weekly documentary? Was US iTunes free single of the week? Is a Rolling Stone artist to watch? The same Duffy who was hothoused by her record company for 4 years with writers and producers and was pimped all over Jools Holland three times before releasing Mercy?

 

Duffy is getting incredible support and promotion on both sides of the Atlantic from her record company. She deserves it as I love her music, but to suggest she's "having to work really hard" where as Leona isn't when they both have very similar promotional schedules is quite frankly bizarre. You also don't get to hear about the radio promotion Leona has been doing in Chicago, New York, LA, Boston etc visiting stations for interviews and the like - Duffy will be doing the same soon. It's the important but unsexy stuff that underpins any artist. Duffy's soon off to do the same sort of European promotion Leona's just come off the back of.

 

Spot on! Duffy is no different to Leona when you put it like that. She was definitely pimped by Jools Holland a LOT before releasing.

I can remember when they chucked Clive Davis, and then begged for him back. :heehee: And it IS painfully obvious that Leona is of amazing talent, but she still never went about it the hard way, which Is what people are getting at.

 

Again it depends what your definition of the "hard way" is - apparently Duffy is doing it hard even though her promo is remarkably similar to Leona's in A-list status for a new artist. Which isn't a logical argument to make.

 

Of course Leona having Clive Davis shouting for her is going to help loads because of his reputation, but there's some bizarre claims in this thread from UK artists can't get on US iTunes to the guaranteed airplay thing for Bleeding Love when the airplay has been very slow building up for with sales far ahead of the curve. It's only the tenth most played now on CHR/Pop (28th on RHY, no support on URB or URB AC) and that's after being one of the three most downloaded songs on US iTunes for the last 3 weeks including a 10 day stay at the top - that stay at the top beginning as Leona was flying across the Atlantic after Sport Relief, having only made one brief US appearance previously on MTV's TRL about 5 weeks earlier when the US version of the video was released.

 

So why the early pre-Oprah sales advance?

 

Well perhaps the call out scores from radio station listeners these last two weeks gives a clue. They've seen Bleeding Love get very high positive ratings. For example Mediabase's current top 10 rated CHR songs by listeners are:

 

1 LEWIS, LEONA Bleeding Love 76.2 12.3 63.8

2 BAREILLES, SARA Love Song 73.6 20.7 53.0

3 CYRUS, MILEY See You Again 69.8 22.1 47.6

4 SPARKS, JORDIN No Air (f/Chris Brown) 68.1 21.4 46.7

5 ONEREPUBLIC Stop & Stare 68.0 18.7 49.3

6 USHER Love In This Club f/Y. Jeezy 67.5 20.3 47.2

7 FLO RIDA Low (f/T-Pain) 67.0 30.4 36.6

8 RIHANNA Don't Stop The Music 66.5 28.6 37.9

9 BROWN, CHRIS With You 64.6 27.6 37.0

10 TIMBALAND/ONEREPUBLIC Apologize 64.5 32.8 31.7

 

where the first number is a positive response to the song, the second a negative and the third the net positive.

 

ratethemusic.com has this as its CHR top 10:

 

1) Bleeding Love

Leona Lewis

2) 4 Minutes

Madonna & Justin Timberlake

3) No Air

Jordin Sparks w/ Chris Brown

4) Don't Stop The Music

Rihanna

5) Stop & Stare

OneRepublic

6) Love Song

Sara Bareilles

7) Apologize

Timbaland f/ OneRepublic

8) Feels Like Tonight

Daughtry

9) See You Again

Miley Cyrus

10) With You

Chris Brown

 

These are the rankings which drive airplay - radio programmers are notoriously conservative in the States and unless they see good scores they're not going to up the spins or programme in prime time.

 

It's the song which seems to be hitting the right note more than the promo. And for that Ryan Tedder, who spotted Leona's potential and contacted SonyBMG with the song offering to produce, should be congratulated.

Edited April 1, 200817 yr by 6weeksatnumber7

Spot on! Duffy is no different to Leona when you put it like that. She was definitely pimped by Jools Holland a LOT before releasing.

Pimped out on Jools Hollond? :lol: A show which is on at an unsocialble hour on fridays when everyone is out. Yeah, that'll sell to the masses...