The Voice Australia has made a major change to the prize for the winner of the 2024 series, after it was revealed for its disappointing track record of creating megastars.
The talent show has been held in Australia since 2012, but only a few winners have achieved global fame, unlike other reality TV shows.
Winners of the show have won, among other things, a cash prize of $100,000, as well as a long-awaited recording deal with Universal Music Australia or EMI Music Australia.
However, the winner of the 2024 series will no longer automatically receive a recording contract, but will only take home the cash prize after a major change.
Instead, the winner will receive an artist development package at the smaller recording studio Studios 301, located in Alexandria.
It is claimed that the controversial move could actually be a good thing for the 2024 winner and could break the “terrible vicious circle” of talents failing to capitalise on their victories.
New judge Kate Miller-Heidke defended the change, saying that being “chained” to a major record label early in your career can be more of a curse than a blessing.
“In the past, some of these artists were locked into major label contracts before they even figured out who they were as an artist,” she told TV Tonight.
The Voice Australia has made a major change to its winner’s prize after it became known for its disappointing track record of creating megastars (Pictured: Judge Guy Sebastian)
‘You need time as an artist to perfect your craft. I think the risk, when you are so young or inexperienced, of being tied to a major label right away is too early.
“We need to give these artists the opportunity to play a lot, so they can figure out what they want to say as an artist.”
Meanwhile, an insider claimed the shake-up could break the “spell” that has plagued previous The Voice winners, who have seen their music careers fail to take off.
They argued that the recording contracts actually hindered the winners, as the contracts did not give them the rights to their own music or distribution.
“A record deal sounds good in theory, but ask the last three winners about their journeys with these types of contracts and they’ll tell you a pretty dark story,” the insider said. Yahoo! Lifestyle.
‘The last three winners have been fantastic, but apart from their loyal fans, they are not household names.’
“There are so many voices and executives that want to control you and make money off of these artists,” they added. “The record deal has actually had a negative effect on the winners of many of our reality shows.”
Previous winners of The Voice Australia include Bella Taylor Smith, Diana Rouvas, Ellie Drennan and most recently mother of two Tarryn Stokes.
Winners of the show secured a cash prize of $100,000 and a recording contract with Universal Music Australia, but the latter will no longer be offered (Picture: Judge Adam Lambert)
The show’s most famous contestant is Celia Pavey, also known as Vera Blue. She was the runner-up on The Voice in 2013 and later won an ARIA Award.
For comparison, the long-running talent show Australian Idol has produced a host of household names, including The Voice judge Guy Sebastian.
Other globally recognized talents who emerged through the competition include Ricki-Lee Coulter, Jessica Mauboy, Courtney Act and Shannon Noll.
An Australian recently went viral after sharing a TikTok video in which he expressed his “hatred” for the reality TV show, claiming it has yet to produce a single celebrity.
“I can’t describe how much I hate this show,” he wrote in the caption of the short clip. “12 years and not a single artist has come out of it.
“How can you, as a beginning artist, think it’s a good idea to apply for this show?”
More than 200 Australians responded en masse to the comments in agreement with him, with the clip being viewed thousands of times.
“The jury consists of artists who have proven themselves,” one person wrote, to which the video maker replied: “That guy hasn’t been that relevant in the charts for a while, but I have to admit he has a damn good voice.”
Amid all the criticism, there is also a major change taking place in the 2024 series: three well-known judges have been replaced.
Coaches Rita Ora, Jessica Mauboy and Jason Derulo failed to secure a new contract for the series. Guy Sebastian was the only one to return.
The famous trio were replaced in the 2024 series by newcomers LeAnn Rimes, 41, Kate Miller Heidke, 42, and Adam Lambert, 42.
However, new coach Kate Miller-Heidke (pictured) defended the change, saying that being “chained” to a major label early in your career can be more of a curse than a blessing.
The 2024 series has also undergone another major shake-up as three of the show’s mainstay judges – Jessica Mauboy, Rita Ora and Jason Derulo – were replaced, with only Guy Sebastian returning
According to a production insider, the reasons for the change were the salaries of the former judges and the producers’ desire to keep costs low.
“The decision was made last year and the casting team had been looking for a while,” the insider said. Yahoo Lifestyle.
The insider added that salary increases are needed to keep returning stars on the show and that the price tag for the previous batch was “too expensive.”
“The company always said that Jessica, Rita and Jason were all too busy, but I don’t think anyone is too busy to be making these kinds of salaries,” they continued.
“It definitely had to do with keeping costs down.”