David Cook

With the 9th season of American Idol coming to an end, which is also Simon Cowell‘s last ever episode, Forbes decided to come up with a list of the top earning Idol alums over the past year. A sign of how much the record industry is going down is that when David Cook first won the competition he made $2 million that year while last years winner Kris Allen made a mere $672,000 in comparison during his first year. Lets get to the list shall we…

10. Kris Allen, $672,000

The Arkansas native gained traction with Idol fans with his acoustic version of Kanye West’s Heartless. He engineered a stunning upset over Adam Lambert last year. He signed with Jive Records and released a self-titled album that reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200. He’s been performing in Las Vegas and touring nationally.

09. Clay Aiken, $800,000

The Raleigh, N.C., native maintains a loyal following six years after finishing second on Idol. He has sold 4 million albums and penned a New York Times best-selling memoir. Aiken recently finished a run in Broadway’s Spamalot.

08. David Archuleta, $1.4 million

Defeated in the seventh season by David Cook, Archuleta went on to release a self-titled album on Jive records that reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts. He has played more than 100 live shows since Idol. Twitter followers: 372,000.

07. Jordin Sparks, $1.8 million

Entering Idol competition at age 17, Sparks was the youngest winner in the show’s history. The season six winner broke out with No Air, a duet with R&B vocalist Chris Brown. She has toured with Alicia Keyes and the Jonas Brothers. Sparks’ second album, Battlefield, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard charts.

06. Jennifer Hudson, $2 million

Hudson ranks lower this year, falling from No. 2 on the 2009 list, due to slowing album sales and a light touring schedule. Yet she remains one of the most successful Idol alums. She placed just seventh in the third season but went on to win an Oscar in 2006 for her role in Dreamgirls. Her 2008 self-titled album, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, has sold over 750,000 copies. Earlier this year she signed on as the latest spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.

05. David Cook, $2.3 million

Three years ago David Cook was tending bar in Tulsa, Okla. After winning Idol’s seventh season in 2008, his first single, The Time of My Life, debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100, followed by a debut album, David Cook, which went platinum. He continues a lucrative endorsement deal with Skechers shoes.

04. Kellie Pickler, $4.3 million

Pickler was one of the hardest working Idol alums this past year, working a 100-date concert schedule. The season five finalist has sold 1.3 million records, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

03. Chris Daughtry, $5.4 million

After playing with a series of bar bands traveling around North Carolina, Daughtry made it to Idol’s final four in the fifth season. Since leaving the show he has sold 5.7 million copies of his two albums: a Grammy-nominated self-titled debut in 2006 and Leave This Town, released last year. Followers on Twitter: 159,000.

02. Carrie Underwood, $7 million

The Muskogee, Okla.-born country pop singer has won four Grammys, 14 Billboard Music Awards and five American Music Awards. Underwood has sold 9.6 million albums.

01. Kelly Clarkson, $8 million

Idol’s first winner also happens to be the show’s highest-selling alum. Since season one, Clarkson has sold 10.6 million albums (along with 16.1 million digital tracks, according to Nielsen SoundScan). Her latest single, Already Gone, hit No. 3 on Billboard charts. Currently touring in New Zealand, she’ll play the Lilith Fair music festival this month. Clarkson, 28, is now working on her fifth album.

I was surprised that Adam Lambert didn’t make the list seeing as how his album sold more than Allen’s, but apparently he hasn’t gone on tour yet which is where artists make their money from ticket sales and merchandising – not from record sales. I wasn’t surprised at all with the top 2, Kelly Clarkson is the only American Idol to make a name for herself worldwide so she will forever be the most successful Idol album.

source: In Pictures: The Year’s Top-Earning ‘Idols’ [Forbes]

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