Although The Voice has yet to launch a singing superstar, this piece from Reuters notes that the singing show “has become one of the music industry’s most coveted promotional platforms with its influence far outpacing Fox rivals American Idol and The X Factor.”
“It continues to be a launching pad and a shot of steroids for certain songs,” said Joe Levy, editor of trade magazine Billboard whose annual poll of industry experts published this week showed a big jump in influence for the show.
He points to the recent performance by one of its judges, Christina Aguilera, singing “Say Something” with pop group A Great Big World. It helped the song claim the top spot on Billboard’s digital songs chart last week.
“The Voice,” which airs twice a week and draws about 12.7 million viewers per episode, ranked as the sixth-best venue for promoting music up from No. 37 in 2012, according to the magazine.
Meanwhile, a live performance on “American Idol,” which can still best “The Voice” in attracting viewers, fell to No. 60 from No. 17, and Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor” did not make the list of 75.
The Voice appears on the list twice–#56 for it’s ability to promote the songs that contestants cover.
The article also gives The Voice credit for helping Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” become the biggest hit of the summer. The song had been out for two months when Thicke performed it on the show in May. The single catapulted 42 spots to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Although American Idol still commands more for advertising rates, that could change, as The Voice captures “the popular culture buzz it’s rival once had.”
Via Reuters
