Paris Hilton pariscut.jpg Need any more proof that 2007 was a terrible year for the music industry? Look no further than the list of major-label artists who got dropped from their deals last year!

Hollywood Insider just put out a compendium of everyone who got kicked to the curb last year.

Some of the names are, of course, not surprising. Ruben Studdard and Liz Phair, for instance, may have their fans, but unfortunately there just don't seem to be enough of them to justify the majors keeping them on the roster - especially when you consider the cost involved in the labels' efforts to push them to wider audiences. It's a shame, too - they're both damn good musicians!

Others are significantly more puzzling. Take Christina Milian, for instance, whose 2006 album So Amazin' simply didn't get the reception it deserved - meaning audiences got cheated out of a slick little gem of a pop album! Or what about Amerie? Her last album, Because I Love It, didn't even come out in America despite receiving some serious love from critics and sporting a couple of singles (particularly the Cee-Lo-produced "Take Control") which could have dominated radio if given a chance!

But the name we find most surprising - even after all these months - is probably Paris Hilton's, dropped by Warner Brothers in June. Sure, sales of her album trailed off after a few weeks, but don't forget how many units she moved before then! And let's not forget the surprising success of "Stars Are Blind" - even the haters have to admit that that song was catchier than Ebola!

Oh well - if all else fails, there's always American Idol!