Cowell admits 'Idol' must "do better"

Simon Cowell has admitted that the American Idol team must "do better" this year in their efforts to find an artist with long-term potential.

The show's judge spoke in response to past contestants Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Ruben Studdard being axed by their record labels.

"It's a reflection on the unpredictability of the record business. Fortunately, we got it right more than we got it wrong," Cowell explained. "There's no scientific way to explain what happens. It's a reality show and what happens at the end is also reality."

Simon admitted that he felt "disappointed" when last year's winner Jordin Sparks and runner-up Blake Lewis failed to reach the number one spot with their singles.

"Naturally, I'm disappointed that they didn't sell more copies or that neither artist has caught on fire," he said. "What you want [is] a Carrie [Underwood], Christopher Daughtry or Kelly Clarkson, where they're competing with the Mariahs. It didn't happen. Am I surprised? Not particularly. The public decided it's not necessarily what they wanted, so we have to try to do better this year."