Kidz Bop

"Kidz Bop" is the name of a series of popular music albums recorded for children, sold by Razor & Tie Direct, L.L.C. and frequently marketed through television commercials.

Production

The children on these albums usually do not sing the entire song; instead, an adult typically sings the verses, while the kids sing the choruses and occasionally join in at other times. The adult singer is always the same gender as the original singer, except for Daniel Bedingfield's "Gotta Get Thru This" on "Kidz Bop 3". All of the singers in Kidz Bop do not match up to the pitch and timing of the original song. Kidz Bop Co-Founder, Cliff Chenfeld, said, ""There was not a lot of music for kids who had outgrown Elmo and weren't quite ready for Britney. Parents were getting more aware and concerned about the music their kids were listening to." Criticism stems from Kidz Bop's covering of songs that mention or insinuate death, sex, or drugs, subjects considered unsuitable for the young; examples include Nelly's "Dilemma," covered on "Kidz Bop 3" and Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl", covered on "Kidz Bop 6". Also, in some songs, the lead artist's verse is included, but not the collaborator's (usually a rapper's); examples include Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love", covered in "Kidz Bop 5" which does not include any of Jay-Z's guest vocals, Justin Timberlake's "My Love", covered on "Kidz Bop 11", which does not contain any of T.I.'s contributions, and Shop Boyz's "Party Like a Rockstar", covered on "Kidz Bop 13", which was edited to feature no swearing.

A Kidz Bop road show toured the United States in 2007. Performers were selected in a nationwide talent search. Six child performers included MarySarah Gross of Richmond, TX; Markelle Gay of Atlanta, GA; Davide Sciavone of Poway, CA; Elizabeth Bashian of Thousand Oaks, CA; Kristian Real of Jersey City, NJ; and Breyanna Komadina of Newport Beach, CA. [http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2007/11/28/1_KIDZ_BOP_STARS.ART_ART_11-28-07_D1_8D8HSBK.html?sid=101] The Columbus Dispatch.]

Advertising

"Kidz Bop" is often advertised on television channels popular with young audiences, such as Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon. The commercials typically show the Kidz Bop kids singing and dancing to songs featured on the album. Although the albums are initially sold through direct mail-order prior to their retail availability, they are eventually sold in retail stores.

The album cover follows the footsteps of the art for the original album in the Now That's What I Call Music series in the American market.

Albums

*"Kidz Bop": Released on October 9, 2001; certified Gold on October 13, 2002.
*"Kidz Bop 2": Released on August 20, 2002; certified Gold on December 13, 2002.
*"Kidz Bop Christmas": Released on October 22, 2002; certified Gold in 2004.
*"" (EP): Released on November 5, 2002
*"Kidz Bop 3": Released on March 4, 2003; certified Gold on April 9, 2003.
*"Kidz Bop 4": Released on August 12, 2003; certified Gold on November 12, 2003.
*"Kidz Bop 5": Released on February 24, 2004
*"Kidz Bop Gold": Released on May 18, 2004
*"Kidz Bop 6": Released on August 10, 2004
*"Kidz Bop Halloween": Released on August 24, 2004
*"Kidz Bop 7": Released on February 22, 2005; certified Gold on November 7, 2005.
*"Los Kidz Bop": Released April 19, 2005
*"Kidz Bop 8": Released August 2, 2005; certified Gold on January 3, 2006.
*"Kidz Bop 9": Released on February 21, 2006; certified Gold on May 8, 2006.
*"More Kidz Bop Gold": Released on May 23, 2006
*"Kidz Bop 10": Released on August 1, 2006; certified Gold on August 29, 2006.
*"Kidz Bop 11": Released on February 20, 2007
*"Kidz Bop Country": Released on May 22, 2007
*"Kidz Bop 12": Released on July 31, 2007
*"Kidz Bop 13": Released on February 19, 2008
*"Kidz Bop 80's Gold": Released on May 20, 2008
*"Kidz Bop 14": Released on July 29, 2008
*"Kidz Bop 15": Released on November, 2008

"Kidz Bop 10" is the fastest of the series to hit Gold, and although it did not surpass the series' highest peak position, achieved by "Kidz Bop 9" at #2, it did mark the series' biggest single sales week ever.

Kids Bop 15 will be released very soon, here are the few songs in the album.

I Kissed A Girl (Katy Perry),
All Summer Long (Kid Rock), 7 Things (Miley Cyrus),
Our Song (Taylor Swift), Bubbly (Colbie Caliat)

More Coming

References

External links

* [http://www.kidzbop.com The official Kidz Bop Web site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/kidzbopmusic The official Kidz Bop My Space]
* [http://www.youtube.com/wwwkidzbopcom The official Kidz Bop You Tube]
* [http://www.musicspacekids.com The official Kidz Bop retailer]