The X Factor: Scouting Talent or Strangling Creativity? (Feature)
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Written by Daniel Lynch
As X-Factor fever yet again takes over our TV screens and obliterates any microcosm of common sense that may have been lingering in the minds of the masses I find it increasingly difficult to understand it’s real value. Granted, millions are pocketed by Herr Cowell and his lapdog Louis and it evidently makes great viewing as illustrated by the statistics. But does the show actually add anything of real substance to an already fiercely competitive music industry?
This year, as with any year, all the boxes are ticked for the ingredients of great TV. There’s the obvious- the competition. Everybody has their favourite contestant, who they support through desperate renditions of ‘Chasing Cars’ or maybe ‘I Will Survive’ for the more daring would-be-pop star. With each song comes the customary vocal acrobatics and elongated ‘oh’s which often fail in their aim of showing off the contestant’s voice. The fans pour their money into phone votes and quickly become emotionally involved in the show, doing all they can to support their favourite.
There are the mandatory character roles to be filled. First up is the sob story of somebody dedicating their pursuit of stardom to a loved one. Cue the violins... Next is the forty something who thought they’d never have the chance to break out of the boring 9-5 routine and into the world of a recording artist. And, inevitably, the baby faced sixteen year old who has the voice of an angel, but can they fight back the tears when it comes to the results?
Finally the twist in the tale, coming this year in the form of allowing previously rejected candidates to form a group together and re-enter in the ‘group’ category. The Spice Girls didn’t last, 5ive didn’t last, Take That should never have reformed and groups like SClub7, HearSay and the like have faded into obscurity before deciding to ‘concentrate on other projects.’ Manufactured groups have been done to death; the world doesn’t need another Westlife or JLS.
And so at the end of it all, the winner will release a single (most likely somebody else’s song) and probably get to No.1. They’ll have another few years in the limelight before somebody realises that they really aren’t all that talented or unique and they get cut from their recording contract. The ‘also rans’ who made the final stages may even get a record deal of some kind and release a single or two, again most likely with a cover amongst them, before similarly fading into the nothingness enjoyed by other one-hit-wonders.
It really begs the question what did the world do before Pop Idol, X-Factor and other such programmes? How did we become so hooked and almost dependant on them? Was there such a void of talent that such drastic measures as open televised auditions had to be arranged to find one act to create an image around and auto tune beyond recognition? Was it impossible for record company bosses to effectively scout unsigned acts?
Of course not. They simply saw an opportunity for a win win situation.
Given 20 options, any person will choose a favourite to support. In many cases one of these options will be more attractive than the others and so gain support from more people than another less attractive option. Such is true in any scenario. Cowell and co capitalised on this, banking (no pun intended) on the fact that at least one of their contestants would have the bare minimum amount of talent or tear-jerking background story to win support and so make money. However, the strongest contestant on the X-Factor, is only strong in relation to the immediate competition i.e. other contestants. With this the cycle of churning out sub-standard acts year after year develops. Certainly, the winner may well be the best in the competition, but in the real world, with real competition, their ‘fame’ may only be sustained by the short lived loyalty of fans that followed the TV show. The same fans who will watch the next series and immediately turn their focus to a new contestant thus leaving the first winner hurtling towards the aforementioned obscurity.
The contestants themselves are quite often little more than opportunists, told by a friend or family member they can sing. The vast majority most likely have jobs, or are students being educated to get a job in the future. Some see the competition as a quick route out of their current situation. Regardless of background, very few of the contestants actually pursue singing as an occupation prior to entering the competition. Very few can play any musical instrument, have any sort of musical training or have any idea what it is like to be a performing artist beyond what they read in glossy magazines. And therein lays a huge problem.
Bands like the Who, the Rolling Stones, Status Quo, Aerosmith, AC/DC... I could go on... these bands have lasted for various reasons. One obvious reason is their music. However, the music didn’t just happen; long before any of these bands had a CD out, one or two of the founding members may have played guitar together in a garage and decided to get a full band together. So began the process of writing, recording and touring which is vital to the long term success of any musician. This experience, built up over years, prepares the musician for the rigours of a career in music. The average X-Factor contestant has none of this. Moreover, given that no bands are accepted onto the X-Factor, no contestant will ever be likely to have this. One reason for the short-lived success of competition winners could be this lack of vital experience.
Another could be lack of actual talent.
The bands mentioned above, and even solo artists like David Bowie, Elton John and Tom Jones have all gotten to where they are today without the X-Factor. Each solo artist or band member has displayed a spark of talent and determination which makes them truly unique. This spark made them want to be in a band, or encouraged an existing band to choose them as a new member; it helped make the band’s music stand out from other unsigned bands on the circuit. The same spark drove the individual and their band to larger audiences and forced management and labels to take notice. At a time in the 60s and 70s when ‘making it’ was much more difficult than it is now, these bands stood out and demanded listeners to take notice. The moral here is ‘real talent will out.’
The same can hardly be said of the majority of X-Factor contestants. Sure they are better than the immediate competition but in the real world many are exposed as being distinctly average. If an individual was so talented and wanted a career in music so much, would they not have been found through more natural means than a TV competition?
With such talent among unsigned bands in the UK it is nothing short of criminal that sub-standard acts are given such prominence on prime time TV and in the charts. That the public become emotionally attached to contestants so early in the process removes the element of risk involved in investing in an unsigned band who has toured the UK. Despite the achievement of such a tour, it is impossible the band would have been exposed to as many people as a contestant on a TV show. The maths is simple, Cowell and co profit but it is the audience who ultimately suffers. The band fall by the way side, discouraged by an apathetic public and return to the life they had given up to commit to achieving their goals. Meanwhile, the opportunistic and relatively talentless sob story/forty something/baby-faced teen is shot to stardom, albeit short lived and doomed to appear on ‘I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here’ a few years later.
It’s about time somebody realised the failings of such competitions as X-Factor. The road to fame for these people is as swift as it is long. They get there fast, but just as quickly they disappear. They’re no more than a short term profit for industry bosses until the next competition ‘winner’ pops up to be cashed in on. They add nothing of real substance or value to modern music. They won’t be remembered in 20 years like the Zepplins, Queens and Beatles of this world. At the same time, real, long lasting talent is ignored. Instead of seeing a local band play live, the masses are glued to TV sets showing the X-Factor. This trend needs to be stopped and more must be done to promote talented and sustainable bands. A first step would be cutting the X-Factor...I can only dream of such a day.
Given the choice, would you prefer to manage a winner of the X-Factor or a band who, despite the risk, could outlive the winner by decades and earn millions more?
I know which one I’d choose...
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It really begs the question what did the world do before Pop Idol, X-Factor and other such programmes? How did we become so hooked and almost dependant on them? Was there such a void of talent that such drastic measures as open televised auditions had to be arranged to find one act to create an image around and auto tune beyond recognition? Was it impossible for record company bosses to effectively scout unsigned acts?
