Simon Cowell will not be signing 2009 finalists to his empire.

Cowell’s record label Syco has allegedly chosen to focus on the show’s winner Joe McElderry instead of working with Stacey Solomon, Danyl Johnson or runner-up Olly Murs.


“Simon has decided he won’t have anything to do with them in a professional sense going forward,” a source told the News of the World. “He doesn’t have anything against the guys but wants to concentrate on turning Joe McElderry into a star.

“They’ve got a contract with Butlins to perform at summer school holiday gigs. And they’re still making £100,000 from the X Factor tour – but this is a huge blow.”

A spokesperson for Syco confirmed the decision, adding: “We never guarantee contracts for anyone other than the X Factor winner and this year we’ve decided to focus on Joe.

“However, we understand there is interest in other finalists from many parts of the musical industry and we hope they all do very well.”