As these things go, that was a pretty good article I thought. I think I asked about this same issue a year ago or so, though I think my version was more like: "Why is it that "The Voice" is a much more enjoyable show to watch, while "AI" seems to do a better job of producing commercially successful recording artists?" I have since hypothesized that part of the answer is that AI is more likely to get singers who have not really had a full swing at commercial success yet, while TV seems to mostly feed on good acts that have already had a real shot, with recording contracts, national concert tours, etc, and for some reason failed. As a result, while the average singer on TV is better than the average singer on AI, most of the TV singers have already demonstrated they lack the magic to transition to a real star, while AI will occasionally hit on someone who does have it, and a few more who have enough of it to make a living. While I have enjoyed more than a few performances on TV, only one or two really rise above what you would hear from a good lounge singer.
But I think the point made here is probably even more important - either by intelligence design or accidental evolution, TV has really become a show that is much more about the judges/mentors. Not just the corny schmoozing in the twirling chairs, but the clips of them "coaching" their singers and talking a little bit about what it takes to be successful is actually kind of interesting. If there was a similar show with NBA players holding a 12 week tryout looking for a playground baller who would get as a prize a 10-day contract with an NBA team, I would be interested in hearing and seeing Kobe Bryant coach the kid up a little, and opine on what it takes to translate raw skills in to professional success. [Wait a minute - copyright that brilliant idea]. I care about basketball more than I do popular music, but I still find it interesting enough to watch. And critically, in that hypothetical NBA show, what I would be interested in primarily is not so much the playground kid (99.5% of whom would flame out during the 10-day contract, get little or no playing time and then never be heard from again) but what famous and effective professionals are like and have to say about their craft and business. AI on the other hand has figured out too late that it is about the contestants more than the judges, which I guess is why the original AI was able to succeed with a list of judges that probably would not at the time have even been considered "B" List. On Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 7:11 AM, Mark Jeffries <[email protected]> wrote: > Six cycles in with a seventh to start on Sept. 22, the NBC reality comp > has yet to find a superstar singer (unlike "Idol," with its two > unchallenged superstars Kelly and Carrie and several others who are doing > better than OK), but it's sure made its panel of "coaches" more famous than > they already were--this Billboard cover story has Adam Levine mentioning > that his band Maroon 5 was starting to skid before the show brought his > Douchiest Man Alive persona into millions of homes and Blake Shelton (who > probably wouldn't be hawking for Pizza Hut if not for the show) saying that > he'll stay with the show to the very end (although he and Levine, the keys > on the panel since Day 1, are most likely reupping cycle-by-cycle): > > > http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6251215/the-voice-billboard-cover-story-gwen-stefani-adam-levine-pharrell-williams-blake-shelton?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=biz_breakingnews&utm_campaign=Breaking%20News > > -- > -- > TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "TV or Not TV" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
