February 20, 2009

By By Shirley Halperin, N.Y.

Season two "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken has parted ways with RCA. A source tells Billboard Aiken left the label a couple of months ago, on the heels of his 2008 album, "On My Way Here."

That set sold just 159,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Aiken's 2003 debut, "Measure of a Man," sold 2.78 million.

The artist joins a slew of second place finishers -- Katharine McPhee, Diana DeGarmo, Justin Guarini, Blake Lewis and Bo Bice, among them -- let go from their major-label deals post-"Idol."

Aiken is not currently on the road but will make a guest appearance on the April 8 episode of "America's Next Top Model," where he will serve as a guest judge.

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