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"I've been writing with people I respect as writers, Ed Kowalczyk from Live, Carl Bell from Fuel. All kinds of people want to work with me, so it's great to have street cred and respect from other artists."

That's the other major idiosyncrasy about this project, that Daughtry is co-writing all the songs on his album. His will be the first album from the "American Idol" orbit with that distinction.

"We've had occasions where they co-wrote a few songs on their debut," says 19's Pirie. "But never to this degree. Given the fact that Chris has a long history of writing for his band, he's already accomplished in that area. When he sat down with a guitar and played some of his songs for us, we were all blown away. So our No. 1 priority is to give Chris the opportunity to write songs that affect him, and that reflect who he is as an artist."

As for the fate of Daughtry's old Absent Element mates in North Carolina, that's up in the air.

"I know they'll have a shot in auditions to be the band for the road," Daughtry says. "Whether or not they'll make it, that's out of my hands, and I don't know for sure where that lies."

Thanks to "American Idol," Daughtry will have built-in promotional advantages when his album comes out. Most important, he already has a level of visibility and name recognition that record labels usually spend millions of dollars and years of effort to build.

"As radio has become more fragmented, TV and movies have emerged as the great equalizer," says Edison Media's Ross. "Going back 20 years ago to Billy Vera's 'At This Moment' on 'Family Ties,' TV could put any kind of record on the national docket just because of its critical mass. But once everybody began trying to use TV to break music, its effectiveness was sort of diluted.

" 'American Idol' is the last shared experience with the power to put so many records on the docket like that," Ross adds. "It's harder and harder to get a record in front of enough people to make a difference. 'Idol' is a great way around that."

Still, that cuts two ways. Dick Hodgin, a local producer who serves as a judge on Fox 50's "Idol" equivalent "Gimme the Mike," says Daughtry faces the sort of pressure most people can't even imagine.

"He'll have the weight of the world on his shoulders," Hodgin says. "It's like going from the playground straight to the NBA Finals, with nothing in between -- no college, rookie year, summer league or any of that. But [Miami Heat coach] Pat Riley's putting you into a game once to see what you can do. Is it an enviable position? Absolutely. Is it unenviable? Absolutely."

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