I think Americal Idol is probably one of the greatest talent shows in US history. However, the real proof of success is not in text or call votes but in sales of singles and albums. It's the true measure of whether their fans will follow them throughout their post-Idol career and whether their appearance in the show was indeed because of their raw talent.


Looks like it's an early win for Americal Idol winner David Cook. Not only did he manage to finish on top, he began on top beating runner-up David Archuleta in the Top Digital Download race. According to Yahoo! Music, Cool made a record-breaking 17-song appearance on the Top 200 Hot Digital Songs chart. Archuleta managed to put 12 of his songs on the same chart.

Cook's first single as AI winner, Time of My Life had a total of 236,000 downloads as supposed to David Archuleta's cover of John Lennon's Imagine. It managed to earn 71,000 downloads.

Despite early criticism - saying Time of My Life suffers from the viral Idol template - downloads have helped it launch a hotshot debut on the Hot 100 Billboard Singles charts at #3. Things are looking up for David Cook.

Now, who's convinced that America chose the right Idol this year? ME!