I think a part of the equation was 'hinted at' by Randy during S10, Where does Haley 'fit'? She said it herself that she's an amalgamation, a mixture of genres, which means you cannot just slip her into any one genre.
TPTB would much rather have an artist that they can slot into "Country" "PoP" "Hip Hop" "R&B" or "Rock", so that they don't have to do the work, when supporting an artist. They can just follow the template for those genres.
"Listen UP!" and especially, "Free", supports the idea that Haley's brand of music isn't easily categorized so therefore it requires 'effort' from TPTB (aka money) to map out how to market her.
She was unfortunate to be with Interscope at a time they were thinking or re structuring and they weren't in the mood to invest in building a market for an untested, genre neutral (or 'omni-genre'?
) artist such as Haley.
I'll bet there were 64 other acts who made great music as well, and had reps that believed in them, but needed just a bit of investment and a break who were as deserving, but business is business, and the numbers were not with Haley or those 64 Acts.
In hindsight, it did seem the decision was made with Haley early on after the release of LU. I mean her debut and early support was the bare minimum, she showed up on a few talk shows but nothing more significant than Conan or the View, no "Tonight Show", no Letterman or Ellen (Heck, Colton Dixon has been on Ellen, two, if not three times
), for that matter....
The earliest I sensed a lack of label interest was the sheer
lack of coverage or support for Lollapalooza, which was not only a significant event to perform
(First Idol EVER to perform there), but a watershed piece of recognition that was a no-brainer to take advantage of, a HUGE feather in your cap.
On the bright side, Haley is not only musically talented, she is also bright, articulate, thoughtful, and motivated as well as extremely marketable (She has charisma for days
). She gets to decide her fate now (Isn't her contract with 19 coming up soon, this year? I think Outcast mentioned that, at the same time as James' contract runs out)
Haley is looking at everything as an opportunity. Haley is looking forward, and so should we.
PS... In a new interview, she is saying that she's looking towards a more rock direction (As opposed to the Jazzy road she's been walking)
Quote:Reinhart: I have my dad (Harry Reinhart from the band, Midnight) on board for four tracks, so far. I would love him to play all the guitars on the next record as I want it to have a definite classic rock n’ roll sound
Will this route, perhaps, mean she is ready to widen her fan base?
