Has music failed the reality television test?
For years, we loved watching teens sing in front of a studio audience, but at some point we started tuning in for the judges and not for the competitors. Which is where it all went wrong, writes Cameron Adams.
Rendezview
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rendezview. Followed categories will be added to My News.
When Simon Cowell, the man who effectively invented music reality TV shows, admits they’ve prioritised celebrity judges over discovering actual talent it’s time to listen.
Last year Cowell spunked almost $20 million to get Robbie Williams onto the judging panel of the British version of The X Factor.
It didn’t stop the show’s declining ratings, mind you, but merely proved that Cowell had a bigger cheque book than his rivals at The Voice.
Last week Cowell said, “There has been so much emphasis on the judges. We’ve lost sight of the contestants. It got crazy. I never thought this would happen 20 years ago, when I started this show, that we would be talking more about the judges than the contestants, it’s complete nonsense.”
MORE FROM CAMERON ADAMS: When do you give up on your favourite artist?
Translation: ratings have demonstrated the era of the stunt celebrity judge has got to come to an end. And we’ve found no contestants worth talking about.
Ironically, Cowell became famous by being a nobody record company guy first on Pop Idol, and then American Idol before creating X Factor.
The template always had at least one singer to judge the talent with some degree of practical knowledge. In Australia it was initially Marcia Hines and Kate Ceberano, and Paula Abdul in the US.
But X Factor, and then The Voice, changed the game. It became less about who was singing and more about who was judging the singers. The more famous the better. Britney Spears? Get her on the phone. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj are on a panel together and don’t like each other? Perfect.
MORE FROM CAMERON ADAMS: SBS just gave Aussie TV networks a lesson
Unfortunately for the people trying to crack into the music industry, this happened around the same time people stopped paying for music and the arse fell out of the industry (streaming has given it somewhat of an arse implant, but still, it’s no comparison to the good old days).
Taking six figures home in exchange for sitting on a judging panel for a few months is a pretty sweet gig. You get to promote yourself and your music without having to go out on tour. Just look at Katy Perry, who is being paid a reported $30 million for the rebooted American Idol. That’s crazy money in anyone’s business.
In Australia, The Voice and the X Factor fought over who could import the biggest name judge, whether they be expats (Kylie Minogue, Keith Urban, Iggy Azalea, Natalie Imbruglia) or internationals (Ricky Martin, Boy George, Kelly Rowland, James Blunt, Chris Isaak, Ronan Keating, Seal, Jessie J, Joe Jonas, Redfoo, Mel B, and both Madden brothers).
The problem is that while The Voice came in and made the judges famous, the product spat out the other end has become increasingly redundant.
MORE FROM CAMERON ADAMS: It’s time stars put their health before profits
The show has never created any major star internationally, but still remains a hugely successful brand franchised around the world. People like watching famous stars on TV, they don’t seem to care about what happens after the show ends, there’ll be more cannon fodder with backstories next year trying to get famous people to spin chairs for them.
This year The Voice is already going into reality cannibal mode - bringing back former contestants. And reportedly not just former Voice contestants, but other alumni from other reality TV shows - frankly because there aren’t enough even semi-famous former Voice contestants to choose from.
It’s the same idea Simon Cowell is using for the UK X Factor this year - kind of a ‘Where Are They Now?’ approach. Which is preferable to spotty unknown teenagers singing Ed Sheeran songs.
MORE FROM CAMERON ADAMS: To stand or not to stand: the great concert question
Most Australians couldn’t name you five winners of The Voice at gunpoint, so will they really want to watch an entire season of re-runs?
Who wouldn’t want to see Australia’s Got Talent kiddie star Jack Vidgen have another crack? Or Altiyan Child leave his cave and share his gift with the world of TV again. Fingers crossed The Voice has found both their numbers. We’d watch that.
Cameron Adams is a national music writer.
Originally published as Has music failed the reality television test?
We’re replacing the kangaroo with this? What a waste of $10m
What happens when you get a self-serving mining billionaire whose fortune depends on the Chinese Communist Party to help rebrand Australia? A national symbol that looks like a COVID-19 cell, writes Miranda Devine.
Sorry for the scare campaign, the planet is fine
When a climate activist apologised for how environmentalists had misled the public over climate change threats, the fearmongers were not happy, especially when Greta is upping her fight, writes Miranda Devine.