NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Message to "American Idol" finalists Diana DeGarmo and Fantasia Barrino: Even if you lose Wednesday night, you can still walk away a winner.
As the third season of Fox's hugely popular talent search gears up for its finale, millions of fans wonder who will emerge as the next "American Idol" and receive a recording contract.
But winning isn't everything. Some of the show's past contestants have signed record deals and released chart-topping albums without winning the competition.
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| The final two 'American Idol' contestants, Diana DeGarmo (left) and Fantasia Barrino (right), will face off Tuesday. Fox will air the result show Wednesday. |
"The 'American Idol' brand has gotten so big, you don't really have to win it to win big," said Goumba Johnny, a radio personality at New York's WKTU.
The popularity of "American Idol" has shown a steady climb in its three seasons. The current season, excluding the huge numbers expected for its two-night finale this week, has averaged a 14.4 percent household rating, according to Nielsen. That's above the 7.4 rating of the first season and the 12.6 rating of the second season.
The massive exposure for the contestants, such as last season's runner-up Clay Aiken and this year's early reject William Hung, has helped them build careers comparable to the winners, Johnny said.
Aiken, who finished a controversial second to Ruben Studdard last season, has sold more than 2.5 million copies of his debut album, "Measure of a Man," according to Nielsen SoundScan.
In its first week, "Man" debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, selling more than 600,000 copies, 200,000 copies more than Studdard's debut album sold in the first week and double the first-week sales of Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson, Nielsen SoundScan said.
Studdard's album went on to sell about 1.7 million copies and Clarkson's sold about 2 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Same promotions, different results
RCA Records, Aiken's label and the co-creator of "American Idol," launched similar publicity campaigns for both Aiken and Studdard. They both appeared separately on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and appeared on major network programs, such as ABC's "Primetime Live," NBC"s "The Today Show" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
But Johnny said talent alone isn't enough for the post-'Idol' artist.
"You've got to have the right talent to be on the show, but then you want the right type of management [to remain on top]. That's show business," said Johnny. "After your time expires on the show, the true reality of show business will set in."
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| Clay Aiken, who came in second to Ruben Studdard in the second season, appeared on the cover of 'Rolling Stone' magazine. |
Record companies might also have an easier time marketing Aiken's album, said Jennifer Armstrong, staff reporter for Entertainment Weekly. "Clay has all of those catchy ballads, it really catches on with the right audience," she added.
Hung's comic performance of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" during the first round of this season's "Idol" auditions won him a record contract with Koch Entertainment. His debut album, "Inspiration," has sold nearly 120,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
For the 21-year-old engineering student, who is famous for his off-key singing, "American Idol" has helped him launch his stardom. Hung's debut album broke into the Billboard Top 40 chart in the first week and debuted at No.1 on Billboard's Independent Chart.
"He is actually so bad that he is good. People enjoy that," said Johnny. "He is like the guy who gets up at the karaoke bar that has no business doing it, but he enjoys himself so much and he doesn't care if people like it or dislike it."
Can't miss
Johnny and Armstrong agreed that both DeGarmo and Barrino will walk away a winner on Wednesday night. "Yes, they will have to announce a winner, but both of them will go on to get great opportunities winning or losing," Johnny said.
"Whatever happens, either of them has a shot," Armstrong added.
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| William Hung, famous for singing Ricky Martin's 'She Bangs,' released his debut album 'Inspiration' with Koch Entertainment. |
Among other "American Idol" rejects who are now working in the music industry as up and coming hopefuls:
- Tamyra Gray, the first season's runaway favorite, expects to release her debut album "The Dream" on May 25;
- Kimberly Locke, who was last season's second runner-up, recently released an album called "One Love" on Curb Records;
- R.J. Helton, one of the top five finalists from the first season, released a Christian-oriented record called "Real Life" on B Rite/Zomba last month.
But not all could be smiling with similar success stories like Aiken and Hung.
Justin Guarini, the first season's runner-up, starred in a film with Clarkson called "From Justin to Kelly" last year. The film earned less than $5 million in box office reciepts, worse than the $6 million taken in by the Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez disaster "Gigli."
Guarini's self-titled debut album also stumbled, selling only about 140,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"It really goes beyond just talent [after the show]," said Johnny. "The bottom line is: Are you going to have any sustaining power?"
Both Aiken and Clarkson are artisits under RCA Records label, while Studdard's album was released on J Records, home of R&B stars Alicia Keys and Luther Vandross.
RCA and J Records are both owned by German media giant Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). Both labels declined an opportunity to comment on their artists' contracts, and Hung's Koch Entertainment did not return calls made by CNN/Money.
Fox is owned by Fox Entertainment (FOX: Research, Estimates), a subsidiary of News Corp. (NWS: Research, Estimates).
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