Gemma Fraser: Can sensational SuBo maintain her success?

Published on Tuesday 24 November 2009 08:40

THE million-selling album, the jet-set lifestyle and the Hollywood biopic in the pipeline – by the end of the year, Susan Boyle is set to have it all. Within hours of launching her debut album yesterday, shops were reporting selling out of I Dreamed A Dream, as it looks to head straight to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

The self-proclaimed "wee wifey from Blackburn" performed live at New York's Rockefeller Centre after appearing on the Today Show, America's premier breakfast TV programme, which was watched by at least 20 million people.

Her transformation from church volunteer to global superstar is already complete, but where will it all end for the 48-year-old singer whom millions around the world have taken to their heart?

She's certainly hit the big time, but how long will it last, and what will she be left with if it all fizzles out as quickly as it arrived?

One thing is certain, her financial future could hardly be more secure, with her debut album widely expected to sell one million copies before Christmas.

Exactly how much she will make from its success is hard to quantify, but one measuring stick is previous Britain's Got Talent winner, Paul Potts – he reportedly earned 5 million in the first 12 months after winning the talent show in 2007.

The artist known as SuBo is certain to outstrip, and perhaps even double, that.

Singer-songwriters expect to receive around 1.70 per album sale in the UK, but for someone like Susan, who performs cover versions, that sum is nearer 1.30.

With her album expected to reach the heights of previous best-sellers, global sales of three million would be considered conservative. That's almost 4 million in her pocket straight away.

Album sales, however, are no longer the main income of major performing artists. The money they can make from concert and TV appearances, book deals and other merchandising potentially dwarfs what they make from albums.

Industry experts reckon her appearance at the SECC earlier this year should have made her around 10,000 – notwithstanding any Britain's Got Talent contract she might have signed before she found fame – while her "rags to riches" tale of how she left behind her life as a carer for fame and acclaim must be worth more than David Blunkett's reputed 400,000 for his memoirs.

Former Simple Minds manager Bruce Findlay is a big fan of the West Lothian singer, and he has a word of warning for her as she navigates the "shark-infested" world of pop fame.

"She has made enough money in the last 24 hours to retire on and there ought to be millions coming her way," he says.

"I just hope she has got a good lawyer and that she manages to enjoy her success because I am worried about how she will cope with it all. I think she is wonderful though and I love her voice."

The prospects of the 48-year-old's fame lasting are likely to be considerably less than those of British acts who made it big in the US in previous years.

Nick Prior, an expert in popular culture and digital music at Edinburgh University's school of social and political science, believes any prolonged success will be "against all odds".

"So many things are operating against that kind of phenomena lasting in a sustained and long-term fashion," he says.

"The ever-quickening culture of fame and celebrity means she could easily be displaced by someone else.

"The origins of her fame were in TV and the rise of her fame spread through internet and blogs, which is even quicker than mainstream media, and people fall equally as quickly in that media sphere."

He says that she does have one thing going in her favour though.

"If she succeeds, it will be down to her voice. Christmas will be a good indicator because she will be battling with all the other songs that come out for that time of year.

"It's great to strike while her name is hot, but it remains to be seen whether she can get past that difficult second album."

Despite the obvious trappings of success, life for Susan is likely to become tougher in many ways, warns Paul Boyd, managing director of singer-songwriter Sandi Thom's management, Polar Flame Music.

"It will be very demanding for her and she will lose a lot of control over her life. The shift from small town Scotland to global singing star is a violent upheaval.

"If she can maintain some aspects of everyday life, then I think she'll be OK, but the initial signs weren't good and it's going to get worse."

He also shares concerns about the potential longevity of her career, but is quick to point out that is not necessarily a problem.

"That said, she will be rolling in it," he says. "We are talking about millions."