In this day of decline record sales and diminishing revenues, there is perhaps no bigger sin in the record industry, and the cavalier way in which the show dismissed the claims almost demands that she be fired from "American Idol."

“Certain cities have a persona, and those cities that have a persona could be successful,” Nisch said.

Bitzer will report to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder Naveen Jain. He will oversee Sparkart's Nashville operations and help identify and build key partnerships in the local music marketplace. "The services Sparkart provides fall into one of the fastest growing areas of the music business today,’’ said Bitzer. “This is where real growth is happening and why I chose to be a part of it. I want to empower artists to move their own products, control their future, and own the direct relationship with their fans.” As former Chief Strategy Officer at rpm management, Bitzer managed the web presence and marketing of Tim McGraw and Julianne Hough. In addition, he was responsible for company operations, digital strategy, and brand partnerships including Hough’s Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit campaign.

When it comes to the unit-sales volume of music sold at retail – including paid digital music downloads and CDs – Apple iTunes leads in the U.S. with 25 percent of music units sold, which is up from 21 percent in 2008 and 14 percent in 2007. Walmart (including Walmart.com) remains in second position with 14 percent of music volume sold. Best Buy ranked third.