Weigh In: Have Singing Competition Shows Run Their Course?

American Idol, X Factor, The Voice, Sunday’s Best, Duets, Making the Band, Sing-Off, and Major & Minors are just a few of the recognizable titles of singing competitions that have graced (or disgraced) television over the past decade or so.

With its modern-day format pioneered by the FOX-aired ‘Idol’ to once record ratings (though ‘Live at the Apollo’ is the true grandfather of the genre), the last few years have seen a steadily declining interest in the singing competition themed reality show – despite reigniting interest in some of music’s top stars (see: Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, etc).

Until…NBC’s ‘The Voice’.  But, even with its winning ratings, it has yet to produce a quality star in three seasons:

‘The Voice’ has proven itself a steady anchor in its four season tenure.  With its first three seasons sailing on the names of judges Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, and Adam Levine, the show not only consistently dominated its time slot but also the competition – trumping ‘X Factor’ on a regular basis when the two aired at the same time.

Even with the replacement of Aguilera and Green with Shakira and Usher respectively, the show’s season 4 debut this week came in with ratings higher than its season 3 inaugural episode (indicating this ship isn’t slowing down any time soon).

Interestingly, despite consistently winning ratings battles, The Voice has yet to produce a discernible star in three seasons.

Historically, FOX’s ‘American Idol’ has been one of the highest rated shows and rarely failed to see itself topping Nielsen ratings tallies.  But, while the last 5 years have seen some of music’s top stars aboard its judging panel (Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj), the show has been on a steady decline in viewership.

The past week saw it notch its lowest Wednesday night ratings ever!  And, much like ‘The Voice’, has arguably not produced a top quality star in the last 4-5 years (or one period since Jordin Sparks).

After becoming the fan favorite you hated to love on American Idol, Simon Cowell jumped ship to bring his internationally known ‘X Factor’ brand to the U.S.  Since then, it has consistently been last place of the top rated singing competition shows. Not even the star power of juggernaut pop star Britney Spears could save the series from its declining ratings report.

Such failure has acted as the main citation those who argue against the genre’s existence use as proof that maybe it is time to hang it up.

*********

Some say it’s a great forum for otherwise unseen talent to break into the industry.  Others say its a tired concept that has run its course.  What do you say?



Your thoughts?

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  1. Navy Sailor!!! March 29, 2013

    YES they have!!!

    I, for one am SICK of them. Most of the winners (whom I can’t even name), are good singers but they aren’t STARS! The only standouts are: Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood and Phillip Phillips. Who won The X Factor and The Voice?

    • truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

      dayum!!! you r soooo right now that i think of it!! well and chris dultry

    • Trev March 29, 2013

      Jennifer Hudson, Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, Jessica Sanchez, etc….only American Idol knows how to create a star

      you can’t look to ratings anymore….when American Idol started in 2001 ppl put in effort to be in front of that tv screen by 8pm….there was no other way to watch it….in 2013 you can watch it live on tv, you can watch streams online, youtube, hulu, dvr, etc….and there’s no way to track these other outlets so no one knows how many ppl are actually watching….and despite “live watching” going down Idol is still the most watched show

  2. Blue March 29, 2013

    Problem is there are too many of them

    i say merge this shows, then really put work into developing this acts, pass the point of that current season, how im i suppose to buy into last year’s winner when you telling me this new guy is the new it thing.

  3. truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b****) March 29, 2013

    HONEY HORSE TEETH ICKI IS SINKN A.I.! EVERYONE HATES THE B****!! Just go on fb comments for a.i. when the show on…they HATE the b****!

  4. ERIN (BOW DOWN B******) March 29, 2013

    YES! THERE ARE TOO MANY OF THEM NOW.

  5. mr jailor March 29, 2013

    Answer is yes n no!! They never will but certain no of em have…ala american idol ect

    Exactly how do they effect the music bizz,they have no impact whatsoever…this post should be over there @ grape tv or something

  6. King B>Rihanna March 29, 2013

    yes they have….they have become stale and nothing is new nor fresh about them from AI,XFACTOR and The Voice.

    Most of the shows have unqualified people judging contestants and nowadays wining does not guarantee success like before.

    • SLAYRIAH CAREY March 29, 2013

      “Most of the shows have unqualified people judging contestants”

      DEAD!
      That nicki shade is BRUTAL.

  7. . : : h 2 o : : . March 29, 2013

    IDGAF to the point that I can’t name a f*****’ singing competition show, IDK why they were created, IDK what was the point of them, IDK why they still exist, and just the fact that there’re still people who’re interested in that kinda s*** makes me feel like the whole world will forever be a big fat FLOP.

    **Plays “Flaws and All”**

  8. FLOP March 29, 2013

    Yes!! These shows have only given success back to the judges who needed their careers back in full swing. The judges are the only ones benefiting from these shows and not the actual talents who want to make a name for themselves.

  9. Eye Candy March 29, 2013

    Yes, singing competitions have run their course the same way modeling competitions have.
    The reason a lot of the winning singers from these shows end up flopping is because there are way too many singers too choose from in the industry to begin with.
    This isn’t like the sports industry or movie business where the best players & the most tslented actors are the ones that prosper the most.
    Nowadays, ANYONE can break into the music industry, talented or not.
    Ex: Psy, Ke$ha, Justine Bieber, etc.

    • Eye Candy March 29, 2013

      Talented*

      • yoo March 29, 2013

        justin bieber is talent. Not liking his music is one thing but do not knock is talent

  10. Greg March 29, 2013

    YES, but i actually like Niki on IDOL, shes better than Mariah…..Mariah is boring compared to Niki. Idol could have saved all that money their paying for mariah to be there

    • truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

      suck a d*** B****!!!!

  11. Tiffany22534 March 29, 2013

    Hell yes. They need to f****** cancel all and keep ONE!!!! American Idol is more classic and better for AMERICA! The Voice needs to stay in the Uk along with XFlopster!

  12. honestly March 29, 2013

    By just having a singing competition connected with their names they cap off. The sky isn’t the limit for them it’s more like the roof of the building. They never get enough promo and stuff like that.

  13. CiCi Slaaaaays March 29, 2013

    Yes these singing shows have really ran its course… its more a bout who has the biggest celebrity judges then the actual consistents

  14. jason March 29, 2013

    AMERICAN IDOL IS STILL THE ONLY ONE PRODUCING STARS!

    THE MEDIA TRIES TO PAINT IDOL AS A SINKING SHIP JUST AS WE DO EVERYDAY BECAUSE WE LIKE THE NEWER AND FRESHER THINGS!

    HOWEVER AS IS PROVEN, AI STILL REMAINS THE BEST OF THEM ALL. THIS YEARS TOP TEN IS BE FAR ONE OF THE BEST WE’VE SEEN IN A WHILE AND IS ALMOST GUARANTEED TWO COUNTRY STARS IN JANELLE AND KREE!

    X FACTOR HAS PRODUCED NO STARS!

    THE VOICE HAS PRODUCED NO STARS!

    SUNDAY BEST HAS PRODUCED NO STARS!

    AMERICAN IDOL – KELLY CLARKSON, JORDIN SPARKS, CARRIE UNDERWOOD, RUBEN STUDDARD AND FANTASIA HAVE ALL GONE ON TO MAJOR SUCCESS!

    EVEN AMERICAN IDOL FINALISTS HAVE DONE AMAZING THINGS – JENNIFER HUDSON IS NOW A GRAMMY AND OSCAR WINNER, CHRIS DAUGHTRY HAD MASSIVE SUCCESS WITH HIS FIRST ALBUM, KATHERINE MCPHEE PLAYS THE LEAD ON NBC’S “THE SMASH”, CLAY AIKEN HAD INITIAL WHIRLWIND SUCCESS AND ADAM LAMBERT HAS BECOME A FORCE IN THE INDUSTRY.

    THE WINNER WITH THE LEAST SUCCESS ON IDOL HAS DONE BETTER THAN THE WINNER ON ALL THE OTHER SHOWS! WITHOUT A DOUBT!

    • CiCi Slaaaaays March 29, 2013

      the last real star idol made was carrie Underwood

      • jason March 29, 2013

        THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS…WE AGREE THAT SOME WINNERS HAVE FLOPPED. HOWEVER COLTON DIXON IS NOT TOPPING CHRISTIAN MUSIC CHARTS AND PHIL PHILLIPS HAD A TOP 5 SINGLE AND #1 ADULT CONTEMPORARY SINGLE WITH “HOME” – THATS MORE THAN ANY WINNER CAN SAY FROM ANY OTHER SHOW!

      • FAF March 29, 2013

        Fantasia has a grammy too! Lets not forget! Phillip Phillips home single sold millions of copies! He is a country star as well!

      • Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

        fanny has no longevity tho… they creature stars for the moment thats it

      • Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

        create**

      • truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

        @Bye Felicia b**** stfu!! she’s been here since 04 so go to hell h**

      • Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

        fanny hasn’t been relevant since her first album shes no were on the level of Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Hudson

      • Navy Sailor!!! March 29, 2013

        Fantasia has no longevity? What? She has been out for ten years. A platinum album, two gold albums, #1 singles, a Grammy, shes been on broadway..she is going to be one of the GREATS like Patti & Gladys. Mark my words honey.

        And Sundays Best produced the GRAMMY AWARD WINNING LeAndria Johnson.

      • Navy Sailor!!! March 29, 2013

        Fanny has sold more records than Jennifer and has had more hits. Don’t let the Oscar award fool you. Neither of Jennifer Hudson’s albums did well. She hasn’t had any SIGNIFICANT movie roles since DG (she sucked in SATC and did that Mandela movie ever come out??) The public doesn’t like her. That’s why she came in like seventh place on AI…and the judges made her a wildcard to get into the top 10.

      • Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

        Kelly just released her greatest hits album n Carrie performed on the Grammys this year when will fanny ?? fanny isnt a real star shes hasn’t made no impact her first album went platinum but not the other one i wonder why like i said idol only creates stars for the moment…

  15. CiCi Slaaaaays March 29, 2013

    why is Mariah on idol she does nothing for the show. .. Nicki is the star on idol babies

    • truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

      worry about ciara not flopping AGAIN b****!!

    • jason March 29, 2013

      you watch for Nicki so speak for yourself…fact of the matter is her wannabe simon antics and crass and uncultured behaviour has turned many persons off so you stay watching for Nicki! I will stay muting everytime she speaks!

      • truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

        and i’ll just stop watching…as i have. OMG I CAINT STAND THAT B****!!

    • It Takes One… March 29, 2013

      Why is C-Error still reaching for something that is not there ie: HER CAREER?

  16. truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

    (standing with bath robe on)Hey Samantha..*pops tongue* when u gon put up an icki post? Perferrably one talkn about how the A.I. audience blast her on fb and the CONSTANT chant of ‘GET RID OF HER!!’ in their fb comments or just ask us do we think that icki is bringin A.I. down. (slowly shashays into the bath room to bathe and when i get to the door i look slightly over my right shoulder and views sam thru the corner of my eyes and looks up alluringly with my fake eyelashes then let my robe slowly slide down off my right shoulder. walks in bathroom to take a bubble bath. throws robe out.)

    • FAF March 29, 2013

      They never chant that LMAOO
      lets talk about how they boo her and she laughs and when they boo MOOriah she gets to back-talking and rambling…

      LMAO !!!

      • truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

        OBVISOUSLY you don’t be on fb A.I. because that is what nearly HALF the comments are chanting…H**!!!

  17. King B>Rihanna March 29, 2013

    AI may have produced stars but it has not done that lately so yes it has run it’s course.

  18. Blue March 29, 2013

    I read an article once that basically said that the rise to fame and success of an artist like Rihanna, now im including bieber too, makes this talent shows useless, while this contests go through weeks of grueling and intense, training and stress to deliver each week to hopefully win the title, and hopeful make it big, riri lays on the beach and waits to be discovered, bieber puts up a few vids on utube and waits to be discovered…

  19. Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

    the real stars idol has produced

    Kelly Clarkson
    Carrie Underwood
    & Jennifer Hudson. the rest have one or two hits singles but the albums flop they have no longevity and alot are just forgettable

    • truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

      and yo B**** ass won’t have longevity on this post with you delusions u b****!!!

    • Navy Sailor!!! March 29, 2013

      But Jennifer had one minor hit and BOTH of her albums flopped!! There is no demand for her music. Lets not.

      • Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

        Jennifer has endorsements a decent acting n music career Jennifer is a bigger star than fanny babe

      • Navy Sailor!!! March 29, 2013

        And fantasia is a SINGER. Jennifer can have her endorsements because at the end of the day, shes IRRELEVANT musically. Clive Davis is trying to make jennifer the next Whitney, but it won’t work! Shes LOUD, boring and the public doesn’t like her. 🙂 Fantasia is LOVED by the greats. Mariah, Patti, Gladys, Diane Warren, Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Elton John….she may not sell like Carrie, but she isn’t going ANYWHERE. Trust me honey. 🙂

      • Eye Candy March 29, 2013

        I agree. J. Hudson has endorsements. She got called to tribute Whitney Houston during the Grammy’s. When will Fantasia? J. Hudson got called to sing during the superbowl! When will Fantasia? J. Hudson is always called at events and her face is all over the T.V. for weight watchers. When will Fantasia ever have an endorsement that big? Fantasia may have sold more records than her but overall, Jennifer Hudson is 10x more successful than that fat, ugly, homewrecking, raspy voiced, chipmunk sounding woman.

      • Navy Sailor!!! March 29, 2013

        But what will she do when the endorsements fade and a new big voiced church diva comes along? She won’t be able to fall back on her music, because no ones checking for her musically.

      • Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

        @EyeCandy Exactly babe no lies detected

      • Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

        has fantasia ever performed at the grammys or superbowl???

      • Navy Sailor!!! March 29, 2013

        No, she hasn’t but neither has A LOT of talented people. Fantasia WON a Grammy though and it wasn’t a sympathy Grammy either. But I’m not a Fantasia stan so I refuse to go back and forth about this.

    • MelyB March 30, 2013

      You two going back & forth re JHud & Fantasia’s careers is sickening. Both are working at something they love doing & are enjoying their lives. They both have a fan base that supports them but neither has crossed over to mainstream music success which does not mean that they are flops or their music is bad ~ they’re seen as r&b artists and as we’ve discussed on this board ad nauseum, r&b is fallen off in mainstream audience eyes.

      On topic – No I don’t think they’ve run their course. I think that record labels don’t know how to “grow” or promote artists AND today’s audience doesn’t support artists like they used to. If Kelly Clarkson was a contestant on AI in 2013, I doubt she’d be as successful because people would steal her music from youtube instead of buying her cd.

  20. Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

    btw these shows are a joke now you have talent less b****** like Britney Spears n Nicki Minaj judging singing shows when they cant sing themselves.

    • FAF March 29, 2013

      Britney has diamond albums and singing is subjective Nicki writes and brands herself something you have FAILED to do

      wheres your judging on the panel???? I’ll wait

      • Bye Felicia March 29, 2013

        gurl stfu doesn’t mean Britney non singing ass deserves diamond album we know Britney can’t sing never could

      • Navy Sailor!!! March 29, 2013

        Britney’s voice is UNIQUE. She has the look, the sound, the dance moves and the team who made her a MEGASTAR. Am I a fan? No. But I will give credit where it’s due! She is a Pop ICON and she deserved EVERY album sale she got! 🙂

  21. FAF March 29, 2013

    I think the issue is that being a winner of Idol does not mean that they will be patronized past their first album. Fantasia has one platinum(debut) and the others are gold certified .. because once the ‘IDOL’ novelty wears off these stars are meant to fend for themselves and do not have 21 managing their careers they make dumb decisions. So besides country music, which is a heavily purchased market with loyal fans, it is hard for a pop star or R&B act to perform well in today’s market. Its the industry’s fault, not the competition’s.

    Idol can stay everything else can go! AND WE LOVE NICKI!

    • truth(icki is a KMART, NO GRAMMY NOD, PFRR FLOP, SQUID EYED b**** March 29, 2013

      b**** i will drag the F*** outta you for stanning for THAT B****!! SAM I GOT A NEW CHEERLEADER OUTFIT AND NEW CHEERLEADER AND WE WANT TO SLAY ICKI…PLEASE POST A BLOG TO START AND STAN WAR ABOUT THE B****!!

  22. Alvaro March 29, 2013

    In terms of producing superstars I think they’re done.

    Well maybe except the UK & producing boy bands…

    Americal Idol… I was expecting so much more this season with Mariah…

    X Factor USA… Well, first season was crap. The second one could have been great, but the contestantes weren’t good at all. They were only good looking. This is not a show for Glee, sorry.

    The Voice… Now that still rocks. As a TV show. Not so sure about producing long lasting careers of the winners

  23. the real xoxo March 29, 2013

    Name one icon/legend to come out a TV talent show. Exactly.
    The public choose nice people, not original artists.
    The producers pick people who will make good TV, not serious musicians with longevity.
    If Mariah went on X factor she would be booted off because she is a diva b****. You have to be “relatable” to succeed on these shows, most real stars have arrogance.

    • Trev March 29, 2013

      well ummm how do you expect them to be a legend in 2013 when the earliest show started in 2001 lol…it takes time hun

  24. MISHKA March 29, 2013

    I have yet to hear a hit from an alumni of The Voice or X-Factor USA, except from Marcus Canty who is doing his thing.

    They made it all about celebrities as judges or hosts, that’s where the plot done got lost. All good things come to an end.

    *Cue Chris Brown’s “Say Goodbye”*

  25. eric March 29, 2013

    i think it’s about how the producers approach the concept. I ffwd through everything on Idol except the individual performances, because the other stuff is tired. I don’t watch The Voice and X-Factor because it’s more of the stuff I’m already ffwd through on Idol.

  26. POP ROYALTY ( RUDE BOY) March 29, 2013

    Personally , I like “THE VOICE” more , simply because you Press on the button based only on what you heard , you won’t be distracted by looks and other nonsense like other shows.

    Also I Believe “Mariah carey” is so much better than this “Idol” panel.

    if i had a talent i will go to idol because look at ppl who won ? they had careers , not like when you go to other shows and you are ” flavor of the moment” till the season finish and then kisses&goodbye.

    so for a talented artist :
    American idol.

    for viewers :
    The VOICE.

    *leaves*

  27. DOSSOME March 29, 2013

    American Idol gave me FANTASIA so i will always be here for AI,i could care less for the rest.People can go dissing fanny all they want but i think she made so much out of so little..kelly and carrie get 10times the amount of promo fanny gets and the fact she’s still here and always manages to impress on the limited promotional avenues her label source for her warrants my respect…the problem with AI now is putting 3 qualified judges on the same pannel with a gimmick..nicki is no simon,a smart businessman who btw was responsible for the success of many acts in europe including leona and westlife while nicki makes some of the dumbest business choices (kmart anyone?) by signing on any dotted lines she sees..Americans can clearly see nicki doesn’t give a f*** about those contestants and she doesn’t help by always trying to validate why she’s on the panel in the 1st place,that’s why they turn off…all the same,AI is still best there is

    • MelyB March 30, 2013

      ^5 to your comment. Although this season of AI has strong female contestants, the last season I was fully invested as a viewer was the year Fantasia won. I was excited about the show this year solely because of Mariah but the disdain she & Nicki have towards each other is very UGLY to watch when it should be all about the contestants.

      I don’t like the X-Factor and think this might be its last year; I can’t think of a single way they could improve that show.

      I love the Voice & Sunday Best and really like the fact that the Voice sells contestants’ songs on ITunes so at least we can buy music from our favorites.

  28. DOSSOME March 29, 2013

    American Idol gave me FANTASIA so i will always be here for AI,i could care less for the rest.People can go dissing fanny all they want but i think she made so much out of so little..kelly and carrie get 10times the amount of promo fanny gets and the fact she’s still here and always manages to impress on the limited promotional avenues her label source for her warrants my respect…the problem with AI now is putting 3 qualified judges on the same pannel with a gimmick..nicki is no simon,a smart businessman who btw was responsible for the success of many acts in europe including leona and westlife while nicki makes some of the dumbest business choices (kmart anyone?) by signing on any dotted lines she sees..Americans can clearly see nicki doesn’t give a f*** about those contestants and she doesn’t help by always trying to validate why she’s on the panel in the 1st place,that’s why they turn off…all the same,AI is still best there is

  29. JER March 29, 2013

    YES! No one cares for the outcome, they just want ot be apart of the process. Since Taylor Hicks won American Idol he proved that America doesn’t care about what happens to the winner, just that they were entertained for a few months and got to be apart of the show by voting.

  30. Kim Kardashian Stan March 29, 2013

    floptasia…

  31. babymonster March 29, 2013

    people still watch that crap? i havent watched since jordin flopks

  32. Music Soul Harmony March 29, 2013

    The real xoxo: American Idol is about singing talent tho.
    X factor should be more about artistry, image, and the whole
    Package. I think AI was good at making singers more serious
    About their vocals until its starting to be more about ratings
    When nicki and Mariah came on. Honestly, nicki makes
    MC look bad. Which is y the show’s rating has dropped.
    A lot of ppl know nicki is a fad and don’t like her on the show period.
    So what’s the lesson here? When u don’t listen to the public,
    You lose fans and ratings decline…

    • babymonster March 29, 2013

      shut up ugly

  33. Matthew Charlery-Smith March 29, 2013

    They should do 2 year cycles. That gives them enough time to develop an artist rather than this conveyor belt nonsense we can see happening. People get so into the new season middle of the year they forget the previous winner who releases their first proper single the same time the new winner is announced.

    We’ll see. I haven’t watched any of these shows consistently since Will Young and Gareth Gates!

  34. ThatStrawberryJuice March 29, 2013

    What’s discouraging is that most all of these talent shows have one only female coach which is unfair when we all know female make the most of the music industry nowadays, some people just want the female coach to be the b**** or the diva instead of taking the lead in a most interesting and enriching way, not all shows need a Simon Cowell, I think the judges’ dinamic on AI is lame as f*ck, X Factor was more of the same but it was nice to see two famales on the table, The Voice’s format is wonderful and it’s amazing that they change some of the coaches once in a while, I found Usher and Shakira very refreshing, sometimes I just can’t stand Mariah and Nicki’s attitude towards each other and don’t come around with that ol’ s***, the only International acts that AI has given us is Kelly Clarkson maybe Adam Lambert as well, and they keep on prizing the same white folks that play guitar….I’m sick of it. I’ve really given up on AI this season and get more caught on the Voice tbh, and the X factor just doesn’t make it for me, maybe a give it a try next season.

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