To What Extent Did The X Factor Alter The Distribution of Popular Music - Essay Example

Impact of the X-Factor on the Distribution of Popular Music Insert Insert of Learning 14 December Outline I. Introduction to the Paper II. Background to the X-Factor program a. Program concept b. Production stages c. Key players d. Screening/exhibition III. Impact of the program on the music market a. Demographics relating to viewership b. Trade response to the program i. Music charts ii. Advertising iii. Regulation c. Distribution of music IV. Trends and analysis of the impact of the program a. “Prefabricated celebrities” b. Upsetting of traditional music distribution systems c. Globalization of distribution channels d. Commercialization of entertainment V. Conclusion I. Introduction Over the last decade, reality shows have been the most popular programs on television. This phenomenon is not restricted to the United States or the UK, but is a universal phenomenon. There seems to be a correlation between the emergence of reality TV as a force, and the universal uptake of the internet (Butje, 2005). The X-Factor provides an interesting case study relating to the impact of reality TV on the lifestyle of people across the world. The show started in the UK and then spread to other countries. There are various franchises of the show in different countries across the world. The goal of this paper is to examine the impact of the X-Factor on the distribution of popular music. The best records relating to the show come from the UK since this is where the show has been running for the longest time. The other significant market for the show is the United States. This paper will focus on the impact of the show on distribution of music in the UK. II. Background to the X-Factor Program a. Program Concept The basic idea behind reality TV is the creation of a real life environment for people to carry out an activity when being filming. Most of the activities are competitive in nature. As opposed to scripted shows, reality TV thrives on the spontaneity of the participants. The outcomes are not fixed and therefore viewers remain glued to their screens because of the suspense. The X-Factor was not the premier singing reality TV contest. In fact, the show borrowed heavily from the Pop Idol screened in America before 2003 (Robinson &Robinson, 2005). In both shows, the participants undergo a series of auditions before reaching the screening stages where the finalists come up for intensive training and competition during the show. The basic idea behind the naming of the program and its whole gist is the discovery of the “X factor” that makes a musician tick. The show aims at discovering this intangible and indescribable factor in the contestants. b. Production Stages The show progresses through five stages. In the first stage, the producers carry out the primary auditions and gives contestants who will meet senior producers a “golden ticket”. The senior producers further identify contestants who proceed to the second stage. At the second stage, the judges audition the participants and classify them into three – the good ones who proceed to the next stage, the bad ones who are poor at singing, and the bizarre ones. This last category refers to those who stand out in some way that is neither good nor bad. The successful contestants go through further processing at the “boot camp” and then at the judges houses where the judges get an opportunity to mentor them. Those who pass these two stages successfully proceed to the final stage that forms the main part of the TV show. It is at the end of this final stage that the show picks its winner. c. Key Players The most influential person in the X-Factor show is Simon Cowell. Cowell was part of the team that produced Pop Idol in America. He left the Pop Idol production team in order to start the X-Factor in the UK. Cowell is currently part of the inaugural team of judges in X-Factor USA. The other key personalities in X-Factor are the judges. Each season has a set of judges to take the show through. This makes them very influential personalities to the viewers of the show. The list of judges changes from season to season. In some cases, the judges all remained through multiple seasons while at other times, new ones came and replaced all or some of them. Normally, the judges are influential media personalities and accomplished musicians. Other groups of influential players include sponsors, and viewers who participate in the choice of each season’s winner. d. Screening/Exhibition In the UK version of the show, the season starts in late August and runs until mid December in time for the winner to release a single for the Christmas number one chart. Since its inception, with the exception of 2009, the X-Factor winner always rises to the top of the charts. In the initial shows, the viewers get a chance to see what went on during the auditions up to the judges’ houses. These initial shows set the stage for the actual competition that takes place in earnest thereafter. Each of the judges gets an opportunity to mentor the contestants in a particular category of music. An additional twist to the screenplay is that a judge comes up as a winner if a contestant who passed through his house wins the contest. III. Impact of the Program on the Music Market The show has a clear influence in the music industry demonstrated by the role it has played in determining the winner of the Christmas number one chart in the UK. Part of its influence comes from the attention it commands among viewers, illustrating the kind of “competitive advantage” the show has over other programs (Montgomery and Porter, 1991, p.16). The number of contestants showing up for the first stage of the auditions has been on the increase every year. In 2011, the numbers topped two hundred thousand. a. Demographics Relating to Viewership Data from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board indicates that the show has grown in popularity over the years. The audience has doubled from an average of 7.4 million viewers (BARB) in the first season in 2004 to an average of 14.13 million viewers in the 2010 season. The viewership has been increasing steadily every year. b. Trade Response to the Program In the area of trade response to the program, there has been significant impact in three areas. i. Music Charts The first one is in the music charts, where the influence of the show is unprecedented. Every year, the single released by the winner has topped the Christmas number one chart. In 2009, there was a Facebook campaign against the dominance of the show in the charts. It saw the winner lose the slot for that year. However, he made it to the top one week later. This effect has made betting on the charts irrelevant because the outcome is predictable. Some of the winners have been able to ride on the wave to launch their musical careers with up to twenty number one singles coming from the winners over the years (Wall, 2004). ii. Advertising Programs with the level of ratings that the X-Factor enjoys attract a lot of interest from advertisers. In fact, there has been a view that the program’s heavy commercialization is distracting it from the primary goal of identifying musical talent. This commoditization is not unique to it. Indeed modern day television gets financing from advertisers and the better a program is in generating good ratings, the better the interest it gets from advertisers (Mercer, 2009). The X-Factor attracts the some of the biggest advertisers such as Sony, Pepsi, and Verizon who are keen to get good publicity by association to the program. iii. Regulation The third impact that the program has had is in the area of regulation. The UK government passed new laws relating to television competitions, which made it impossible for viewers from Ireland to participate in the show as voters. The production company opted for online voting for Irish viewers. In other areas, the enforcement of betting laws have been challenged by the show since it has generated very large audiences which are difficult to police in order to ensure that all the voting and betting is fair. In the area of copyrights, there was a tussle between Cowell and the producers of Pop Idol, who felt that Cowell breached copyright laws by launching a show very similar to theirs. c. Distribution of Music In the area of distribution of Music, the show is responsible for upsetting traditional channels of distribution. The impact is not industry wide but it is notable enough. Music distribution channels have grown over time in the UK. In many instances, the singers first made songs before they became popular. The show seems to turn the process around by creating celebrities before they produce a single song. One may argue that it is a more proactive approach that takes away the struggles a musician may face by following traditional channels. In this sense, the show saves the participants the loss of time, the risk of abuse by unscrupulous producers and the painstaking work that it takes for an unaided individual to raise to the top of the charts. On the other side, the show makes it appear as though talent is all one needs to succeed in the music industry. It fails to instill the character required to sustain a musical career that most musicians normally develop while in the trenches. In this sense, the show is upsetting the normal development cycle of a lasting musician. IV. Trends and Analysis of the Impact of the Program a. “Prefabricated Celebrities” The program has succeeded in making celebrities from talented people. While there are many benefits of this to promising musicians, it makes the playing field uneven. It provides opportunity to some while leaving others out. The celebrities it creates are not just the winners of the show but all the contestants who rise to the final levels of the show. The exposure is so immense that they tend to become celebrities in their own right. Since they do not come from normal channels, they do not develop in all aspects of music production (Maromonte, 1998). Celebrity status gained over time allows individuals to develop and mature. b. Upsetting of Traditional Music Distribution Systems The second effect of the show on traditional music distribution is that it upsets the established channels. Before the show, the Christmas number one chart had a lot of meaning for aspiring musicians. The appeal is no longer there because the shows’ winners have monopolized it since its inception. Luckily, the overall effect of the show on UK charts remains localized. However, there is a serious risk of the show having an inordinate effect on the music industry by creating opportunities for budding musicians to get popularity at the expense of those without the opportunity to be in the show (Mark, 2004). The point is that the show is creating a large pool of well-known personalities who have an undue advantage over other talented persons who have no access to the show. In a matter of time, what will matter in the growth of musicians will be whether one has been a contestant in the show. c. Globalization of Distribution Channels The third trend emanating from the show is the high degree of globalization (Dalic, 2007). Currently, the X-Factor is a franchise with several franchises across the world. While it makes perfect business sense to spread around a popular idea, it nonetheless produces certain ripple effects in the global music industry that will have some undesirable impacts in the long term (Harvard Business School, 2005). The X-Factor is in its first season in the US, Albania, and Argentina among other countries. Once the concept becomes part of the preferred pathways to success in the musical arena, the casualty will be the depth of character required for long-term success in the music industry. This will affect the local channels in all the countries hosting the show. In the long term, some music channels will disappear completely without the opportunity for recovery. d. Commercialization of Entertainment The final trend identified because of analyzing the show is that there is increasing commercialization of entertainment. Often reality shows depend heavily on sponsors’ money to the extent that the show cannot operate without huge sponsorship deals (Institute of Management and Administration, 2006). What happens in this case is that viewers must live with a very large number of advertisements, which even eventually kill viewing pleasure. The program becomes like a commercial for the sponsors with the show acting as an interlude. While there is a cost incurred in the preparation of entertaining content, the profit motive drives the advertising component too far to the point that it impedes entertainment. The demand for advertising space by sponsors is making the show less attractive to viewers. This creates tension for the viewers struggling to follow the developments in the program. V. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that the X-Factor show will have increasing influence in the music industry as long as reality television remains popular. The downside is that the program is having a subtle impact in the music industry by disrupting traditional distribution channels. While this is happening, there are no long-term alternatives coming up to ensure that the benefits of traditional music distribution do not die. Reference List Butje, M., 2005. Product Marketing for Technology Companies. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Dalic, T., 2007. Globalization of Marketing Strategies in Light of Segmentation and Cultural Diversity. Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag. Harvard Business School, 2005. Strategy: Create and Implement the Best Strategy for Your Business. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Institute of Management and Administration, 2006.Cost Reduction and Control Best Practices: The Best Ways for a Financial Manager to save Money. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Mark, D., 2004. Strategy: A Step by Step Approach to the Developement and Presentation of World Class Business Strategy. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. 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