Love him or hate him, Simon Cowell has created the show that is going to put American Idol out of business. It is very entertaining, well put together, and positive. The updated format makes AI look tired and old. No more endless strings of tone-deaf losers making fools of themselves in acapella hotel room auditions for cheap laughs. And the upper end of the talent is better. Where did they find all these people? I'm going to miss Steven Tyler. The rest of AI, no. Its time has come and gone.
X Factor was the original, in England. American Idol was his American version. The new X Factor is more true to the original.
Have you seen the UK version? I'm guessing there are some differences, since American tastes are different. And surely some features have evolved over the years. Fox was afraid to tamper much with AI, so they let it stagnate. I remember when AI was new, and everybody was saying, "You have got to see this new music show. That rude British judge just tells everybody EXACTLY what he thinks!" The audition shows were all about his witty insults. This year's Simon comes across much more positive, mostly because they don't put very many talent-free morons in front of him anymore. Seems like there were 5 or 6 of those clustered in the middle of the show. My 'mute' button got a brief workout. I really like having a large live audience for the first-round audition shows. That wasn't feasible in the early days of AI, but Simon has the budget for it now. Instrumental tracks are another big plus. Acapella singing is very hard for most people, and it's a skill that professionals don't need. If you are at a concert and someone appears to be singing acapella, you can bet your last dollar that they are hearing instruments their earpiece monitors to help them stay on key.
though both shows share their similarities without a doubt the x factor is the better show. i'm am british - so let me vouch on the aforementioned.
I've seen clips; but mostly I've read about the stuff on forums and in the papers :2thumbsup: Susan Boyle was discovered on X-Factor
I wonder who will be the US version of Louis Wash? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do2kdrjLQ3o"]The Many Faces of Louis Walsh - YouTube
Who cares about talent shows? Anybody with real singing ability who doesn't have the money to record a professionally produced demo and hire an agent with connections to important people. I like the idea of big companies paying for these competitions. They have plenty of cash. Why should one young singer get a recording contract over another just because her father can afford to give her every possible advantage? That doesn't benefit music fans. With AI, you don't have to win anymore to get enough national exposure to launch a career. Anybody in the top 8 or 10 has a shot. Music fans might have never gotten a chance to hear Chris Daughtry (my favorite AI guy) if he hadn't been on that show. There seems to be one or two good ones to come out of every year's top 8. I'd say this year's X-Factor is going to have a lot more than two. And even if you don't care about watching either show, you're still going to get something out of the deal because you will be hearing from the better people when they go pro. I've never been one of those people who had to watch every single AI episode. I'm not going to do that with XF either.
But the talent shows end up being about popularity just as much, maybe even more, than the industry itself.
I love the british one So Im looking forward to the american one tonight!! My friend already watched it and said it seems a bit fake... but i dont know.. I'll see
I think you're at least half right. IMO, the last time the most talented person won American Idol was Kelly Clarkson. If you have real talent, all you have to do these days is get in the top 8. A record deal will follow. Recording industry people (like L.A. Reid) watch these shows too, and they know that winning is all about getting teenage girls to send in text votes. These shows work well for pop music. They don't take the place of dive bars for blues musicians, or university classes for classical musicians. I like variety and diversity, so I see a place for all these things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUt4UHBMHt4"]Geo Godley Exposes Himself On X Factor - LIVE - 9/21/11 - YouTube
I'm tired of the fad. Any half decent act and the Judges will wax lyrical about them being able to sell millions of records worldwide, even though out of the top twelve of a half dozen formats across a hundred countries per year.....tens of thousands of contestants, only a handful have actually gone on to sell millions. If Clarkson or is the best to have come from all of that, sums up everything. Most of the big acts in the music industry in the last decade have broken mainly thanks to Youtube Not saying I dont watch them, but the best parts are the auditions, that cringe factor.....then they narrow it down to the top 12 or whatever and its gets boring and I switch off
For most of them, probably 50,000 records would be a more realistic goal. But that beats the hell out of playing bars two nights a week that seat 50 people, and hoping you can sell 6 or 8 CDs during breaks. If you haven't ever been a musician, you probably have no idea how hard it is to make any money at all these days. I took a lot of music classes in college and knew a lot of talented music majors. With the exception of the ones that are employed by public schools and churches, I don't know of any who have been able to make a living from music. Most of them, when they can find a place to play, don't even make enough to pay for gas to get there. In their wildest dreams, they get to play on a CD that sells 20,000 copies someday. Americans will pay $12 to see a minor league baseball game that counts for absolutely nothing, but they won't pay a $5 cover at a bar to hear a live band that isn't well-known. We love music, but we expect it to be free. I think Carrie Underwood has sold the most records. Chris Daughtry is my favorite of the bunch, and he has done well too. But in the long run, Jennifer Hudson's Broadway and film career may surpass anything done by the other AI alumni. Well? What did you think?
