Adam Lambert Splits With 'Idol' Manager 19 Entertainment (Exclusive)

Adam Lambert is parting ways with 19 Entertainment, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The American Idol runner-up from season 8 is signing with Direct Management Group, whose client roster includes Katy Perry, K.D. Lang and The Go-Go's.

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DMG was founded in 1985 by partners Martin Kirkup and Steven Jensen and is based in Los Angeles. In the past, the company has also worked with Miranda Cosgrove and Jamie Cullum.

Lambert, whose debut album For Your Entertainment has sold nearly a million copies, isn't the first Idol graduate to leave the confines of 19, the company with exclusive rights to the show's stars. The original Idol, Kelly Clarkson, and season 3 winner Fantasia both found managers independent of the Idol machine, while Carrie Underwood opted to remain with Idol creator Simon Fuller at his company, XIX Entertainment (Fuller also manages current Idol winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina). Most recently, Chris Daughtry's manager Stirling McIlwaine left 19 to open his own firm, taking his client with him.

But while Lambert may be exiting, 19 will long reap the profits of its relationship with the singer. The company stands to pocket royalties from his five RCA Records releases, which include a live and remix album, as well as merchandise and other ancillary revenue streams.

And while it's not clear whether he had a so-called "sunset clause" in his contract, as many Idols do, which details a specific cut-off date on continued profit sharing or a phasing out of commissions, Lambert is still a 19 Recordings artist. In fact, he recently debuted new music, the song "Outlaws of Love," said to be from his highly anticipated second studio album. Lambert's "Behind the Music" special airs on VH1 this Sunday, August 7.

A representative for 19 Entertainment tells THR, "Adam remains signed to 19 Recordings as he brings a new management team into his career. We look forward to continued success together."

Note: A previous version of this story misstated that Lambert had released new music.