Variety reports that viewers of Fox's summer megahit "American Idol" won't have to wait long to hear the first single from whomever wins the competition.

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Simon Cowell, the snarly Brit judge-recording exec who'll be producing the track, said he'll have the song in stores within three weeks of "Idol's" Sept. 4 finale. He'll achieve that feat by asking all of the three remaining finalists to record the song -- an original composition Cowell describes as a "big power ballad" similar to Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time."

RCA Records has already committed to giving the "Idol" winner a $1 million recording contract that covers both the winning single and a full-length album from the winner that's set to be released by December. The label will also release a single from the runner-up, and plans are in the works for a compilation CD from the 10 finalists to be released in October.