American Idol is back for Season 14 with a shockingly low amount of fanfare — sure, there were some commercials on Fox lately, but nowhere near the amount that used to bombard audiences when the reality singing competition was in its heyday. Ratings plummeted over the last several seasons, and the network knows they’re not likely to improve by much.
So, now that so many viewers have jumped ship, what’s the point anymore? We get it, but there’s one very intriguing element that should compel you watching: Scott Borchetta, the show’s new mentor for the season, replacing Jimmy Iovine and Randy Jackson.
Part of Idol’s increasing slide into irrelevance is the fact that it simply can’t launch a singer to real-life super-stardom after the show. (Candice Glover? Caleb Johnson? Yeah, they’re the past two winners.) But if anyone could be the one to change that, it’s Borchetta.
For those unfamiliar, Borchetta is the president and CEO of Nashville-based Big Machine Label Group — and one of the most powerful names in the music industry. Not only will he be the mentor, but most importantly, he’ll continue to have a role after the show: Borchetta’s Big Machine label will partner with Idol companies 19 Entertainment and Universal Music Group to help launch the winner’s recording career.
This is a very big deal, and not only because a cursory internet search might tell you that Borchetta is most famous for launching the career of Taylor Swift; in 2004, he signed the country/pop superstar at age 14 as the first artist of his fledgling label. That’s accurate, but his influence goes well beyond Swift, even as she continues her quest in world domination of the pop world.
Borchetta is just as effective at boosting the careers of veteran singers as he is at discovering new acts. Under the BMLG umbrella, Borchetta has signed incredibly popular country acts including Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Reba. He even recently launched a partnership with Cumulus Media called Nash Icons, a new label for (you guessed it) iconic country artists; he’s already signed Martina McBride, and hopes to lure over Faith Hill, Shania Twain and Alan Jackson.
But more tellingly, Borchetta has been an unstoppable force bringing new acts to country music: Just look at Maddie & Tae, who just became the first female duo to top the charts with their new single Girl in a Country Song. Other newer artists on his roster include Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert and Thomas Rhett, all of whom have been inescapable on country radio in the last several years.
Plus, Borchetta has proved to have a reach beyond the country world. One of his most notable successes was signing Florida Georgia Line, and the duo has exploded as one of the most successful acts in the genre. What made their popularity ignite? Their top-selling single Cruise, which went on to become a huge pop-crossover hit — because of Borchetta’s idea to produce a remix with rapper Nelly. After that, the song went platinum six times over.
In the end, Borchetta has the power and connections to actually make an Idol superstar happen. While judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. are still responsible for finding the singers initially, Borchetta will be heavily involved when he arrives during Hollywood Week, several episodes in. As we’ve seen, he has a knack for guessing what will connect with the listening (and viewing) audience.
If nothing else, he has experience launching someone from reality show fame: Three of the arguably most successful post-show singers from The Voice (RaeLynn, Cassadee Pope and Danielle Bradbery) are all on Borchetta’s label. Somehow, that’s probably not a coincidence.