Former Idol Contestants Dominate Radio Airplay

It's hard these days to turn on the radio and not hear a song from a former American Idol contestant -- Daughtry's "It's Not Over" tops the Hot AC chart and is approaching that position on Top 40, Carrie Underwood's "Wasted" is in the Top 10 on the Country chart and her hit "Because He Cheats" has popped up on both the Top 40 and Hot AC charts, and the Urban AC chart features songs by Jennifer Hudson, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia.

Now, thanks to Mediabase, we've got some hard numbers to see how the former Idols stack up against one another when it comes to radio airplay. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have, not surprisingly, been the most successful Idols to date, with Clarkson amassing a huge 3.3 million spins since winning the title in 2002. Clarkson also dominates the list of most played songs, claiming 7 of the top 10 spots. Slightly more surprising than Clarkson's success (I mean, who at this point doesn't know that she is a superstar?) is Season 2 contestant Josh Gracin's #3 position, ahead of Season 2 winner and runner-up Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. Chris Daughtry's #8 showing is also impressive, especially considering his CD has only been out a few months.

The most successful Idol alums on the radio are (from 2002 through March 11, 2007):

1. Kelly Clarkson 3,301,282 spins


2. Carrie Underwood 725,441 spins


3. Josh Gracin 582,285 spins


4. Fantasia Barrino 374,081 spins


5. Ruben Studdard 293,588 spins


6. Clay Aiken 224,960 spins


7. Kimberley Locke 210,428 spins


8. Chris Daughtry 146,714 spins


9. Mario Vazquez 123,432 spins


10. Bo Bice Season 115,702 spins

The most successful songs from Idol alums on the radio are (from 2002 though March 11, 2007):

1. Kelly Clarkson Breakaway 628,094 spins


2. Kelly Clarkson Because Of You 545,971 spins


3. Kelly Clarkson Since U Been Gone 543,913 spins


4. Kelly Clarkson Behind These Hazel Eyes 496,951 spins


5. Kelly Clarkson Walk Away 361,161 spins


6. Kelly Clarkson Miss Independent 356,682 spins


7. Josh Gracin Nothin' To Lose 270,478 spins


8. Carrie Underwood Jesus, Take The Wheel 252,276 spins


9. Kelly Clarkson A Moment Like This 250,716 spins


10. Carrie Underwood Before He Cheats 198,446 spins