19 Entertainment Announces Search for the Next Great AMERICAN IDOL Hit Maker

Open Online Submissions for Songwriter Competition Begin Wednesday, April

4th

    LOS ANGELES, April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Are you the next big songwriter
 and think you have what it takes to make your mark in music history? Just
 when you thought you've seen everything, the AMERICAN IDOL juggernaut
 begins its search for the best songwriter in America. Show creator and
 executive producer, Simon Fuller announced today the American Idol
 Songwriter competition, giving Idol fans their first chance to write the
 next American Idol's hit single. Additional details and online submissions,
 which open on Wednesday, April 4th 2007, can be found at
 http://www.americanidol.com.
     Fuller and his 19 Entertainment A&R staff will select the initial Top
 20 songs from all the entries. Beginning May 2, fans will then be able to
 go online, listen to and vote for their favorite songs. The song chosen by
 the nation will then be performed live in front of millions of viewers on
 the season's finale. But that is only the beginning, as the song will be
 recorded and released by this year's American Idol. The winning songwriter
 will receive a music publishing deal with 19 Entertainment; a cash advance
 on royalties; and the thrill of watching their song belted out by AMERICAN
 IDOL finalists on the show's final episodes.
     "American Idol has been the vehicle for discovering so many great new
 artists over the years and now, with the launch of American Idol
 Songwriter, we are searching for great songwriting talent," stated Simon
 Fuller. "Having an undiscovered songwriter create the winner's single
 seemed like a natural next step for our show. Not only do the fans pick
 their American Idol, but also his or her first single. This show has always
 been, and will continue to be, all about fulfilling dreams."
     Key Dates for American Idol Songwriter Competition
     April 4 - Launch contestant submission phase on
 http://songwriter.americanidol.com
     April 17 - Submission phase ends
 
     May 2 - Online voting commences
 
     May 8 - Online voting closes
 
     May 22 - The songwriting winner announced on American Idol finale
 
     About 19 Entertainment
     19 Entertainment, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (
 CKXE), was founded by Simon Fuller 21 years ago and acquired by CKX in
 March 2005. The company is recognized as a leading creator, provider and
 promoter of globally successful, music-based entertainment, or
 "Entertainment Brands."
     Simon Fuller, who serves as Chief Executive Officer of 19
 Entertainment, is the creator of AMERICAN IDOL in the United States, "Pop
 Idol" in the UK, as well as versions of the IDOL format in more than 30
 countries around the world. Fuller is also the co-creator of SO YOU THINK
 YOU CAN DANCE, which aired in the U.S. on FOX during summer 2005 and was
 the top-rated television show in its time slot.
     Fuller has made music history in the UK and the U.S.A., producing a
 stream of No. 1 hits and managing multi-platinum-selling acts. Fuller
 recently became the world's most successful manager -- breaking a record
 set by the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein in the 1960s -- when three of his
 artists occupied the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 positions on the U.S. single
 chart as well as the No. 1 position on the album chart.
     19 Entertainment has been involved in the creation of 109 No. 1 singles
 and 87 No. 1 albums in the UK alone, with an impressive tally of 296 Top-40
 albums and 465 Top-40 singles.
 
 

SOURCE 19 Entertainment, Ltd.