Why TV Talent Competitions Can’t Produce Stars Anymore
This week, The Voice crowned fifteen-year-old Brynn Cartelli as the show’s youngest-ever champion while American Idol named twenty-year-old singer-songwriter Maddie Poppe as their first winner on ABC. Both girls have promising starts with record deals, unique voices, and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. However, with the decline of TV talent competitions, it’s unsure if either of them, and future winners, can make it in the music industry.
Back in its prime during the early 2000s, American Idol was incredibly popular, churning out overnight sensations and memorable hits. The show’s ratings peaked in 2005 at over 31 million viewers while former contestants soared to the top of the music charts. The first winner of the show, Kelly Clarkson, sold over 20 million albums worldwide while Jennifer Hudson, who placed seventh on the third season, won an Oscar and a Grammy. The winner of the third season, Carrie Underwood became arguably one of the biggest names in country music with a net worth of over $70 million.
Idol’s later seasons, however, have failed to replicate its former success and churn out instant stars. The last season saw less than 15 million viewers. Season 13 winner Caleb Johnson, for instance, only sold 24,000 copies of his first album since Idol.
While much more popular than its older competitor, The Voice has never quite crafted a household name out of its contestants like Hudson, Clarkson, or Underwood. Combined, the first twelve winners of The Voice have only produced five original Top 40 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 and have secured only a single Grammy nomination despite the dozens of songs released.
These days, television talent competitions are failing to pop out mega stars like they did before. Here are a few possible reasons why:
1. The Competition is Fierce in the TV World
American Idol was popular in its prime because there was no show in the United States quite like it. It held a monopoly on American viewers, captivating audiences with its unique format, theme weeks, interactive voting process, and audition process that invited ordinary people to chase stardom. Tens of millions watched the show for its fresh originality, and the names, faces, and voices of its future stars became seared in viewers’ heads. The show’s popularity catapulted contestants to success.
Since then, a variety of talent competitions like The Voice, The Sing-Off, America’s Got Talent, and The Four have emerged, heavily borrowing from Idol’s format. American audiences have become more split, and each show has had to share and divide the ratings with its competitors. The playing field has become much, much larger and each player’s rewards have only shrunken.
2. The Rise of the Digital Age Has Transformed the Music Industry
Today, more obscure artists have gained their own cult followings through the internet. With sites like Spotify and SoundCloud, artists can share their music, and fans can discover singers through a variety of means. This creates even more competition for singers on reality television shows: their exposure is dramatically reduced as TV and radio aren’t the only ways for people to find new artists.
Furthermore, the next big stars aren’t the freshest faces on TV but the viral sensations whose faces are splashed across YouTube. Not all of them are pitch-perfect vocalists, however. Teenager Danielle Bregoli, catapulted to fame due to her flippant attitude when her appearance on Dr. Phil went viral— a remix of it even landed on Billboard’s Hot 100, a feat that several Idol contestants have yet to accomplish. Now known as Bhad Bhabie, she’s transformed herself into a rapper with a record deal with Atlantic and a Billboard Music Awards nomination.
Trends and likes have reshaped the definition of stardom, and today, the most successful people in the music industry are those who embrace the Internet and what it has to offer.
3. The Best Vocalists are Not Necessarily the Best Artists
Reality competitions are a different ballgame from the cutthroat music industry. On TV talent shows, viewers often vote for the singers who have unique voices and the most polished, seasoned covers of famous songs. Judges often pick contestants with flawless vocal technique and perfect pitch.
However, belts and wide vocal ranges don’t necessarily translate to unique artistry and chart-topping hits. Once contestants leave competitions, they’re expected to utilize skills like songwriting and self-promotion that they might’ve ignored during the competition. They must have a knack for business and sales appeal to find success in the industry.
4. Winners’ Contracts May Do More Harm Than Good
Finding success on shows like American Idol have their drawbacks. Many finalists and winners on reality competition shows must sign contracts with record labels that severely limit their freedoms and sales. Some record labels also fail to promote their artists and end up crippling their success.
According to Adam Levine, a judge on The Voice, the show gives winners contracts with Universal Music Group’s various labels, which lack strategic plans for continuing the winners’ successes. The labels fail to properly promote the winners. As time passes, winners lose the momentum and following that they’ve gained from the show, and many finally leave their labels. They’re quickly back to square one — no record deals, no sales, and no fans.
Former American Idol winner Phillip Phillips claimed that his contract with 19 Entertainment forced him to give as much as 40% of his profits from endorsements to the company. 19 Entertainment also controlled Phillips’ recording, merchandising, and recording rights, limiting his own ability to succeed as an artist.
5. Reality Shows Look for Good TV Moments — Not Talent
All’s fair in TV, and that’s why producers look for the juiciest television opportunities, not the most talented artists. They manipulate the results of the show to generate the highest ratings, and their main focus isn’t on creating a singing superstar.
Many shows promote certain contestants that the producers favor, giving them extra screen time and appealing storylines. They portray other contestants badly, painting them in a negative light and creating drama between the contestants. On The Voice, contestants sign contracts that allow the show to portray them in a negative light and be eliminated any time, even if the public is voting them through. While it harms the contestants, it heightens the drama and appeal of reality competitions.
The odds are stacked against the singers of reality competitions. For Poppe and Cartelli, however, their fates may be different from their predecessors. Poppe, a singer-songwriter, has been praised for her unique artistry and self-produced songs. Cartelli, who is still young and evolving, has had her original single soar to the top of the iTunes chart. Both girls have promising starts, and perhaps, they may beat the odds and find success outside of a TV show.
