HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHA

Cowell says he's bigger than Springsteen
'Idol' judge tells '60 Minutes' he's sold over 100 million records in five years
The Associated Press
Originally published March 16, 2007
NEW YORK // Simon Cowell says he's bigger than The Boss. In an interview to air Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," the "American Idol" judge says he's worth five times more to Sony BMG than Bruce Springsteen.

"I sell more records than Bruce Springsteen, sure," Cowell says of the 57-year-old rocker, who signed a contract that was reported to be in the neighborhood of $100 million.





"I mean, in the last five years, I've probably sold over 100 million records. If (Springsteen) got one hundred (million dollars), I should have got five hundred (million dollars)," he says.

Cowell says he sells all those records because he's signed "the biggest artist on the planet" -- Fox network's "American Idol."

"Every single 'Idol' winner is now signed through Sony BMG," says Cowell. "And this applies to ... all the countries ... we sell 'Idol' to, which is over 30 countries."

Albums by "American Idol" winners and runners-up are distributed by labels within the Sony BMG system through a deal between Clive Davis and 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label managed by "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller.

Interviewer Anderson Cooper asks Cowell, 47, whether his deal with Sony BMG is in the same neighborhood as Springsteen's.

"A hundred million ... that's a great deal," Cowell says.

Was he referring to himself or Springsteen?

"For him," Cowell says, grinning. "For him it's a good deal."

A fat gut sitting at an all-u-eat buffet is bigger than Springsteen these days.

Graycap23 said:

really.

Im going to take Simon Cowell to a Bruce Springsteen concert and show him who´s the boss.

I'd rather watch American Idol/X factor than listen to Springsteen's Seeger Sessions...

Is simon cowell for the real.

JDINTERACTIVE said:

please do!
What a friggin asshole. Does he have any clue how stupid he sounds??? And that mostly people with no taste in music watch Idol and buy those records? no offense intended to any AI fans around here.....

HAHAHAHA, what a wanker!

he is so full of himself

what did he do to sell 5times

maybe its paula who is sellin those records only just cause he makes stupid comments that doesnt mean he sell those records!!

What product is he even talking about? He's hardly responsible for the American Idol franchise?

idiot.

people fall for this kind of intentional bullshit stirring way too much and too deeply. congrats on fanning the faux flames.

Lots of executives are "responsible" for more sales than individual artists (like Clive Davis) but it doesn't mean they're comparable in any way to actual artists.

Imagine Simon Cowell onstage for three or four hours. What would he do, say "That was horrible" over & over again?

Listen to what he actually said when you watch the interview.

He doesn't claim to be a better performer than Bruce.

He doesn't claim to be a better musician than Bruce.

He doesn't say that he will be forever remembered in the Rock Hall of Fame.

All he says is that he's brought in more money for his record company than Bruce did.

It's *easily* fair to say. Look up who Simon Cowell is, apart from the television show, and see the amount of money he's been able to generate for Sony BMG.

He's an A+R man. If he would have said, "I'm better than Clive Davis or Ahmet Ertegun", maybe folks should have strung him up. But the fact that American Idol, Il Divo, America's Got Talent, etc, etc, etc, sells? There should be no doubt.

These days, people will buy almost anything. P. Diddy is a mogul. Master P. is a mogul. Russell Simmons is a mogul. Heck, even Ryan "I rub olive oil on body-builders" Seacrest is becoming a mogul. None of them own a show as popular as American Idol.

The Idol franchise is a world-wide phenomenon. Simon may be many things, but a money-making failure ain't one of 'em.

Tessa said:

True!

Not that I'm a Springsteen fan, but this is like comparing a fine restaurant to the McDonalds franchise.

Moonbeam said:

Actually, a better analogy would be comparing Rodeo Drive to Walmart. Rodeo Drive has the finest, most desirable goods on the planet that everyone wants to have or dreams of having, but most people go to Walmart to get the basic necessities. Selling highly expensive goods to the richest of the rich can make you millions of dollars, but selling the basics to the masses makes billions. You can debate whether Simon Cowell is pushing a load of crap onto the marketplace, but people are buying it in droves.

728huey said:

That's my point. Does anybody actually believe any of the Idol music really has any musical value?

Everything he said is true.

Nobody got my joke.

JDINTERACTIVE said:

JDINTERACTIVE said:

I got it.

JDINTERACTIVE said:

see my reply, #6. i thought it was funny

What's he even talking about, really. Becuase he isn't even a producer on those CDs. He's just on a hack talent show that produces some talented people...He isn't responsible for those CDs.

For those that didn't understand Simon's statement when heard in context (or don't want to because it might lessen your Simon-Hate ) that's your listening comprehension problem. If you want to get mad at someone for the type of product he promotes, aim your ire at the folks who buy it.

Regarding his frank criticism of the delusional droves that audition for AI every season, I say we need more Simons.
Someone who tells it like it is in no uncertain terms. Nobody rounds these people up and forces them to appear on the show.
If they don't know by now that if they're horrid they're gonna get clowned, then not only are they talentless they're also pretty ignorant.

What I got from the 60 Minutes piece is that Simon Cowell is pure and simply a businessman.
And apparently a very successful one. Deal with it.



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

CinisterCee said:

CinisterCee said:

He's responsible for every artist signed to BMG from all the AI shows (international and domestic).


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

Very true! I've beeen saying that Simon is thankfully honest for a long time and everyone asks me how I can side with such a mean bastard. Hey, if people want to get into the entertainment biz, they gotta develop a tough skin!

Like you said tA, Simon's a businessman who knows what people want. I hate American Idol and Il Devo and all that similar crap he's put together, but there's a market for it, and he's just responding to it.

Well, I'm probably bigger than Bruce Springsteen too.

theAudience said:

that's what makes his statements true, but kind of ridiculous, since Bruce never claimed to be an industry mogul, just a musician. So why would they be compared at all?

maybe the quote is a bit out of context, though