Could American Idol have been saved (and if so, how?)

[BogoGog24]

You know what's funny? I just thought to myself now that I think most people could agree the demise of the show happened when the same type of winner kept winning. But ironically how do we keep getting the same type of winner if so many fans are saying they hate seeing a WGWG win? That's odd to me. I see fans of the show on these boards, as well as other forums like IDF, MJs, Michael Slezak's blog, etc. complain about the reign of the WGWG, yet they keep winning every year. Who is voting for them if it seems like majority of Idol fans aren't? The fans who visit these types of forums and blogs must not represent the majority voting audience I guess.

[perfectstorm]

I think someone like Phil Phillips is certainly a worthy winner.  But I also think his post show success has less to do with Idol.  Home is more identified by the general public as the song from the Olympics, than it is Idol, which is a good thing for his career.

 

I think the show's failure to produce a successful winner, as evident with Nick, Caleb, Candice made the show irrelevant in terms of the industry, media.

 

Also, the age of the show, the competition from The Voice are all contributing factors that eventually led the show to being cancelled.

[Guest]

Fair enough; I honestly hadn't heard it anywhere after the show ended.

I couldn't turn on the radio or tv without being bombarded by Home.  It was like HGTV's theme song, some insurance company's theme song, plus all the other uses.  And I didn't even watch the Olympics.  

[Kromm]

You know what's funny? I just thought to myself now that I think most people could agree the demise of the show happened when the same type of winner kept winning. But ironically how do we keep getting the same type of winner if so many fans are saying they hate seeing a WGWG win? That's odd to me. I see fans of the show on these boards, as well as other forums like IDF, MJs, Michael Slezak's blog, etc. complain about the reign of the WGWG, yet they keep winning every year. Who is voting for them if it seems like majority of Idol fans aren't? The fans who visit these types of forums and blogs must not represent the majority voting audience I guess.

What makes anyone think that the "so many fans" we see complaining about WGWG accurately represents the full public?  So yeah, as you say, why assume it's an accurate sampling?

 

What's clearer is that by and large the music of these winners wasn't selling either. But that's due to a different factor--that people sometimes vote for reality winners based upon elements other than what they're willing to spend money on.

 

But if you put those two things together, I do think it's fair to speculate that people who are vocal about something might be more likely to be ones spending money. So maybe the bitching and moaning anti-WGWG crowd isn't representative, but... they could be more important.  Maybe. I'm not saying that's a sure conclusion either.

[MarkHB]

If the theory is correct that the WGWG phenomenon was driven by the mad texting skilz of girls ages 10-16 or so, and if the WGWG thing is considered a problem, then a big step toward minimizing it was the one they took last season (or the year before, whenever it was): limiting the number of votes per device.  But really, I think the "times change and audiences do too" argument is strong: the same people who were voting for Kelly and Carrie back in the day are now, in the end, voting for people whose sound will be at home on the MOR / Hot-AC station that's playing in their office, and many of today's kids who would be voting for Top 40 artists aren't touching the show with a 10-foot pole, at least not in sufficient numbers for those artists to win.

[rose711]

After seeing who they pt through, no, there is no way Idol could have been saved. Putting through young singers just to try to get young viewers is just terrible decision making.

The one way to save Idol would to actually find a super star. They cut so much talent and it seemed that the "judges" were not happy with some of the choices. That we didn't see much of the performances but mostly the judges seems like an attempt to take the focus off the talent because of the low quality.

I expect Idol to lose the viewers, like me, who came back because it was the last season.

[Guest]

I think the anti-WGWG crowd was just a vocal minority on a fun topic.  I was behind each WGWG, for the most part.  It's not really something that comes up in discussion, though.  I didn't like them due to their race or instrument, it's just that they were to me the best of the options.  I don't listen to country or R&B, though, which is probably common among viewers.  And I think more viewers are female like me and just like a dude singing.  Most of the music I buy is male vocalists.  My radio station is alt rock and it's male dominated.  It's not sexism, it's just what I like.

[rereader2]

Yeah, I don't vote by gender--I DO tend to vote by type of music, just as I tend to buy artists in the type of music I like, and I what I mostly like in the pop world is the "quieter" singer/songwriters like Sara Bareilles and Ed Sheeran. They keep putting through women (well, mostly young girls) that skew country or diva and I'm certainly not going to vote to hear more of that!

(I also like quirky surprises, but they don't make it to the finale.)

Edited February 7, 2016 by rereader2

[perfectstorm]

After seeing who they pt through, no, there is no way Idol could have been saved. Putting through young singers just to try to get young viewers is just terrible decision making.

The one way to save Idol would to actually find a super star. They cut so much talent and it seemed that the "judges" were not happy with some of the choices. That we didn't see much of the performances but mostly the judges seems like an attempt to take the focus off the talent because of the low quality.

I expect Idol to lose the viewers, like me, who came back because it was the last season.

Idol's ratings have been pretty consistent with last season.  They were never going to find a superstar.  Those days are over.  And it has nothing to do with the age of the contestants. At 30, last year's winner was one of the oldest ever.

I actually like the majority this year that have gone through.  I think several of them have the potential of being launched.

Edited February 7, 2016 by ifoundit

[rose711]

It sounds like the judges are picking the top 14. Then they pick 8 of the top 10 and the viewers get two wild cards. I wonder if it would have been better if they changed to that format sooner?

I suppose I should wait to see who they put through, but they cut some really good singers last week. They cut the older, better singers in favor of the teenagers.

[Guest]

Yeah, I don't vote by gender--I DO tend to vote by type of music, just as I tend to buy artists in the type of music I like, and I what I mostly like in the pop world is the "quieter" singer/songwriters like Sara Bareilles and Ed Sheeran. They keep putting through women (well, mostly young girls) that skew country or diva and I'm certainly not going to vote to hear more of that!

(I also like quirky surprises, but they don't make it to the finale.)

Good point.  Crystal is the only singer/songwriter girl I can think of who made it far.  I would've been ok with her over Lee, though I didn't mind Lee.

 

Girls with a rock edge that come to mind are maybe Carly Smithson, Allison Iraheta, Jessica Muse and Jax?  To me they all (except Allison) came across a little overstyled to look edgy which tends to backfire into "trying too hard", and I think Allison was just a little young and the rock fans had Adam that season.    

[Kromm]

Good point.  Crystal is the only singer/songwriter girl I can think of who made it far.  I would've been ok with her over Lee, though I didn't mind Lee.

 

Girls with a rock edge that come to mind are maybe Carly Smithson, Allison Iraheta, Jessica Muse and Jax?  To me they all (except Allison) came across a little overstyled to look edgy which tends to backfire into "trying too hard", and I think Allison was just a little young and the rock fans had Adam that season.    

I you examine that list of rocker girls there's a dichotomy though between some of them who seemed to be putting it on as an image and those who were really that way... I mean who had some real grit in their lives rather than just being young girls who just wanted to live an intentional "alt" lifestyle. Jax (poser) and Crystal (real) probably represent the two extremes the most.

[queenanne]

Yeah, I don't vote by gender--I DO tend to vote by type of music, just as I tend to buy artists in the type of music I like, and I what I mostly like in the pop world is the "quieter" singer/songwriters like Sara Bareilles and Ed Sheeran. They keep putting through women (well, mostly young girls) that skew country or diva and I'm certainly not going to vote to hear more of that!

(I also like quirky surprises, but they don't make it to the finale.)

 

I think a problem could be that the "quieter" people are TV bores, because they "look" smaller, if that makes any sense.  Clearly there are exceptions; but many of the quieter singer-songwriter-folky types, seem likely to be dwarfed by TV and to trigger a subconscious "yeah, that person's better off never leaving the coffeeshop".  If you're a balladeer who can vibrate with inner intensity like Sheeran or Bowersox (IMO), that's when you stand a fighting chance being blown up live on TV and framed by the stage of the Kodiak.

[rereader2]

I think a problem could be that the "quieter" people are TV bores, because they "look" smaller, if that makes any sense.  Clearly there are exceptions; but many of the quieter singer-songwriter-folky types, seem likely to be dwarfed by TV and to trigger a subconscious "yeah, that person's better off never leaving the coffeeshop".  If you're a balladeer who can vibrate with inner intensity like Sheeran or Bowersox (IMO), that's when you stand a fighting chance being blown up live on TV and framed by the stage of the Kodiak.

 

Hmm. I'd've said it's the other way around--I am sitting in my home with all those AI closeups in my lap, and I don't want a stadium act in my living room trying to blow me out of my house!