Simon Cowell vs Bruce Springsteen

Love this article on the BBC website.

It claims that Simon Cowell, yes the guy from those reality TV shows where he specialises in "straight talk" feedback to wannabe pop stars, believes himself to be grossly underpaid.

And on what is he basing this claim?

He's basing on the fact that he is responsible for greater record sales than Bruce Springsteen who happens to be signed to the same label.

The claims come from a TV programme to be aired this weekend in the US.

I especially love the line in this BBC piece..

The music producer is responsible for signing the winner of American Idol, which he called "the biggest artist on the planet".

So could it be true. Could the winner of American Idol actually be the biggest artist on the planet? On what basis?

And does Simon Cowell deserve to be paid more than Bruce Springsteen?

Well let's just say that Bruce Springsteen has been playing since 1969 and touring since the early 1970s. He's still here and deserves respect.

The winner of American Idol 2007.. well we'll have to wait and see. Previous winners and runners up have had mixed fortunes pretty much wherever these types of shows are aired on TV.

And then there are those like Springsteen that do it the old-fashioned way. They play the records, do the hard work and worry about their hair only when it's falling out.

You've got to love the marketing power of shows like these to "create" superstars with the lifespan of a firework.