Unlike “The Voice,” “American Idol” does not ascribe any voting weight to the iTunes digital retail store. That store’s charts can, however, offer an indication of America’s reception to the contestants’ performances.
And on the decision of whether they prefer finalist Jena Irene’s potential coronation single “We Are One” or finalist Caleb Johnson’s “As Long as You Love Me, they are finding in favor of the former.
As of press time, which comes four hours after the thirteenth “Idol” performance finale left the airwaves, Jena’s “We Are One” was in the lead at #87. Not yet in the Top 200 of the iTunes overall single sales chart, Caleb’s single was positioned at approximately #223.
While the iTunes sales game definitely favors Jena, it remains unclear whether that game provides any insight into the actual result. The stronger reception to “We Are One” certainly does not speak negatively about the Michigan teen’s chances, but insofar as the tune sounds more contemporary and commercial than Caleb’s, its edge on iTunes was likely inevitable.
There is no guarantee that same edge will exist in the telephone and online voting races.