By Merissa Marr

LONDON (Reuters) - Top-selling British pop star Robbie Williams (news) has got off to a slow start in the key U.S. market, but his music company EMI Group said on Tuesday it was still determined to make him a big hit in America.

After re-signing Williams in a multi-million dollar deal last year, EMI denied the 29-year-old pop singer needed to break the United States to justify his contract, but said it was committed to repeating his European success in the world's biggest market.

"It's about slowly moving Robbie into the consciousness of the American people," said EMI Chief Financial Officer Roger Faxon. "While Robbie is a superstar in the rest of the world, he's not that in America, but we expect in due course that he will be."

Williams' latest album "Escapology" has sold around six million copies outside the United States, ranking the former boy-band member as one of EMI's top acts, but only 150,000 units have been shipped to the United States.

"The contract is totally viable without American sales. We never expected Robbie to break the United States overnight. From a purely contractual point of view, we are doing better than expected," said Alain Levy, head of EMI's recorded music arm.

EMI re-signed Williams last year in one of the industry's most expensive record deals, which for the first time included a take of his touring, merchandising and publishing revenues, though EMI has not put a figure on the contract's value.

The United States, the world's No.1 market, is a gold mine for any musician who makes it big there. But it is a notoriously difficult market for British acts to break. Williams himself said last November he was not bothered about U.S. success because it was "too much hard work."

Cynics have long questioned whether Williams is too British in his style to appeal to young American fans, but EMI insists it is making progress. "Robbie has already attained celebrity status in America which is the major first step for an artist," Martin Bandier, EMI's head of music publishing, told reporters.

i dont think its gonna happen...hes tried twice now... he had some success with his first singles here angels and mill. but i guess he wanted to be massive ...i doubt that would happen here.

In the end he hasn't done what the record co wants of him in America, so i guess he will keep on saying that he doesn't really need 2 and that he has already made it. This is ofcourse true, and as long as the music is good and available does 1 have 2 b a commercial powerhouse? Depends on ur definition of 'having made it'. @ the same time though, he and Kylie, should stop saying shit about being content with just being huge in the UK and not really needing 2 do anything about the American market, as we all know how badly they try. For xample, Kylie had 1 of her singles place @ no 2 on the Billboard and she was thrilled from what i heard on the radio from her. Then when her 2nd single failed 2 climb commercially on that chart, she said some BS about not really needing to make it in America. All 'bout $$$?

He'll have to make an album more interesting than "Escapology".

Robbie Williams is the biggest male artist here in UK!? It just shows you how crap the music scene is over here. You Americans can smell a talentless fake a mile off!!!

The niche Robbie Williams is trying to carve out for himself is filled. EMI had their chance back in 1998, but Justin Timberlake jumped in and locked it up. Robbie is a former boyband member whose group only had 1 hit in the US. He didn't have the opportunity to become a fantasy to pre-adolescent and teenaged girls (and boys) who would follow his career after he goes solo.

He is crap.

Anxiety said:

Actually, he did. "Sing When You're Winning" is far, far superior to Escapology, imo, but it got virtually no push from the record company at all from what I remember. It still gets weekly play here.

I'm not sure why the record company thinks Escapology is the one to finally push with... Feel or Come Undone are the only ones that really stand out to me on there where SWYW was filled with radio ready tracks.

He is not crap by any means. Perhaps not everybodys taste but not every1 is. Some of his songs r great.

Doesn't Robbie Williams have like 3 castles in Great Britian and has like a billion dollars anyway?

I like Robbie Williams, but wouldn't say he's the biggest preformer from the UK or whatever.. he's good.. and I'm sure people would love him in the US

There have been so many great artists 4rom the UK that Robbie has a difficult road ahead. Esp if he wants the US.

They've been pushing that record for less than $10 all over and Best Buy had it for about $5 when it came out. I was tempted to get it and then I remembered it was Robbie Williams. It's hard enough for Americans to sustain a career here now that radio dicates everything! Sorry Robbie but this isn't the UK. We don't sell singles here anymore!

Sueme said:

To be fair, N'Sync only had 1 major hit in the UK, and Justin's solo album has outsold all of N'Sync's albums threefold in the UK. He can't say the same for the US though.

i dislike his music. but he does sing beautifully in spanish for a white boy.

No matter how hard he tries, I can't look at Robbie Williams without seeing those god awful images of 'Do What You Like', Take That's first ever video. All of them naked, rolling around the floor in jelly.