The Strict Rules ‘American Idol’ Contestants Must Follow: Confidentiality Agreements, Song Choices and More

usmagazine.com:

Following the rules. While Kenedi Anderson decided to leave American Idol of her own volition, many contestants don’t have a choice — they’re kicked off after violating one of the show’s many strict rules.In addition to all of the contracts and agreements required to take part in the show, whoever comes out on top has to sign a record contract with the show’s label of choice and continue to work with production company 19 Entertainment, which used to produce the reality competition.

The contracts are negotiated prior to the finale — which sometimes leaves winners stuck in a deal that they find “manipulative” and overbearing.“I am very grateful for the opportunities provided to me through appearing on American Idol,” season 11 winner Phillip Phillips alleged in a January 2015 legal petition to the California Labor Commissioner. “The value that the fans and the show have given to my career is not lost on me.

However, I have not felt that I have been free to conduct my career in a way that I am comfortable with. I look forward to being able to make my own choices about my career and to being able to make great music and play it for my fans.”In his filing, the Georgia native claimed that he performed multiple concerts without compensation and that he had very little creative control over his music.

In one instance, Phillips alleged that the production and management company hired a producer that “compromised his interests” when he recorded his first two albums and in another, he claimed that they withheld the title of his 2014 album, Behind the Light, from him.Phillips’ legal dispute with the company was settled privately in June 2017 after 19 Entertainment filed for bankruptcy. (The corporation is no longer involved with