Lee DeWyze long on love, short on sales

Lee DeWyze is obviously the kind of guy who makes us love him. Otherwise, the Mount Prospect resident wouldn't have won “American Idol.”

But maybe he isn't the type who makes us buy albums.

At least that's one theory for why “Live It Up,” DeWyze's first album since winning the “Idol” crown earlier this year, has had the worst first week of sales of any previous Idol champ.

In an era of stars with big, even flamboyant, personalities, Lee's a shy, likable guy, said Maura Johnston, who blogs about “Idol” for Comcast's Fancast site.

“Maybe a single of his will catch fire and stick around on radio,” said Johnston. “Do a slow burn. He wasn't first-week ‘Idol' dynamite. It was the tortoise and the hare. Lee was the tortoise, and he won.”

In its first week of release, “Live It Up” sold just 39,000 copies. That's less than half as many as the previous low for an “Idol” winner, the 80,000 sold by 2009 winner Kris Allen. The high was set by 2003 champ Ruben Studdard, whose debut album sold 417,000 copies in its first week.

The good news is that in DeWyze's hometown, “Live It Up” is keeping up with the big sellers at Border's, said Lisa Buechi, general manager.

“He's staying on pace with Susan Boyle,” the British star whose “The Gift” ranks No. 1 on the Billboard charts, she said. “We're getting it in and selling it consistently. I think it's going to hold consistent for the Christmas season.”

And it's not a quality issue that is keeping the album down, insists Herb Longs, co-director of AINow.org, an independent website that tries to provide unbiased news about the TV show.

“I love his album and think there are some really strong songs that he should be proud of,” he said.

So what's the problem? Is it the economy? Is “Idol” losing its fire? Are the people who watch and vote different from those who buy albums? Do music lovers plunk down cash for singles rather than complete albums?

Probably all of the above, critics say.

Longs noted that this year's Idol finale had the lowest ratings since the show began.

Johnston pointed out, however, that Idol's slipped only when compared with its own past. It still ranked No. 1 or 2 among all television shows throughout the season.

But what may have hurt DeWyze, she said, was that much of the buzz about “Idol” this year was about the judges especially Simon Cowell announcing it was his last season and not the talent.

Voting for your Idol favorite is easy compared to going out and actually finding the album, Johnston added, and the majority of albums are still being sold in physical form rather than being downloaded.

Longs pointed out that the decline in album sales from Idol's earlier winners to DeWyze is part of a national trend in declining record sales. These days, he said, music lovers often buy singles they really like rather than full albums.

DeWyze also isn't getting much help on the radio. The adult contemporary stations that DeWyze's album has been marketed to seem reluctant to push new talent, said Johnston.

“That diminishes the power that machines like ‘Idol' have,” she said.

Despite the poor album sales, DeWyze can always rely on his loyal fans back home, including the mayor of his hometown.

“I just bought (the album) and I thought it was wonderful,” said Mount Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks. “Some of the lyrics are remarkable. It's poetry, and every single one of the songs has a story.”