'The Voice' vs 'American Idol': Why 'The Voice' has probably gotten it more right

(YOUTUBE / THE VOICE)Sawyer Fredericks performing "Iris"

"American Idol" clearly was a cultural phenomenon and inits heyday it commanded remarkable viewership, spawning superstars. "The Voice," in comparison, has not had a winner that approximated the star power of past Idol winners and even non-winners who went on to have successful careers. But, it is "The Voice" that is staying on, safe for at least two more seasons, and Idol, which will be singing its swan song in its 15thand final season next year.

So why does it seem like "The Voice" is going to reign supreme in the reality singing competition, while Idol will be laid to rest? The answers may lie in their fundamental differences. While Idol focuses on its contestants, Voice focuses more on its celebrity judges. One might be able to name all of the past Idol winners, but maybe only a rabid Voice fan can easily identify all the past Voice winners.

Idol's focus on its contestants and winners have definitely given birth to legitimate stars, who until now are relevant in the music industry, but this focus has also taken its toll on the show itself. This means, more time for the judges to go out to different States to audition talents, more time for the show to focus on the back stories of the contestants. There are the hometown visits for the last few standing, and after the winner is crowned, an Idol tour to different locations. All in all, this takes the show more time to recover and prepare for a new season.

Voice, on the other hand, focuses on its celebrity judges. The key Blind Auditions are done in one location, and although auditions are held in multiple locations, the judges are not required to go out to these places. There are no hometown visits and there is no aftershow tour. There is no real pressure to make their winner into household names, unlike Idol. While it is obvious that the show is still a talent competition at heart, a big degree of its popularity is the fact that the coaches are also in competition with each other and a lot of airtime is spent on these coaches' banter and verbal calisthenics. One may not remember more than a few winners of the Voice, but a lot will remember Blake Shelton and Adam Levine's frequent "fights" and antics.

Voice also airs two seasons a year, enabling the show to squeeze more out of their time in the spotlight. Idol takes too much time between seasons, letting fans move on to other shows.

Feedback from fans of both shows are definitely split in the middle. By its very title, "American Idol" is in search of a star. While "The Voice" is in search of a voice that resonates (their blind audition concept is actually genius), but this could also mean, the winner may have the best voice, but probably not the most star potential, probably explaining the fate of most Voice winners.

So as Idol ends with its 15th and final season, Voice will continue on airing a few more seasons, even more, if their formula continues working. At the end of the day, TV networks need to make money out of the shows they produce. Whether their winners go on to become multi-million record sellers should actually not be their concern, as long as their shows continue to give returns that enable them to prosper.

 

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