Dizzee turns talent judge
It takes a bold TV channel to have a dig at Simon Cowell’s empire but there’s no mistaking the implication behind Sky 1′s new Summer talent search, Must Be The Music.
As Jamie Cullum, who joins Dizzee Rascal and Sharleen Spiteri on the “superstar judging panel”, says: “I know that some people may feel that their unique approach to music doesn’t normally have a voice, but they are exactly who we are looking for – genuine talent in whatever form it takes.”
Nationwide auditions have already begun to find the next “Kanye West or Kings Of Leon, Arctic Monkeys or Katherine Jenkins”. The suggestion is that Princess Productions is not simply seeking the most tear-jerking back-story to package around the hopefuls.
“This show is about a passion for music and a desire to perform,” they say, marking a break from The X Factor and its ilk. Any type of musical talent, “be they a gospel choir, an indie rock band, a rapper or a soprano singer” is welcomed.
Sharleen is here to help
And instead of nailing the winner to a restrictive, exclusive contract with an entity like Cowell’s Syco, the “unique new format hands back control to the artists themselves, empowered by creative support, promotional advice and a cash fund of £100,000 to kick start their career.”
Viewers will get to download musical collaborations between the hopefuls and star names - a link-up with the Sky Songs download service sounds logical. The audience will have a ”huge impact on the success of their favourite artist’s career”, rather than deciding outright in a phone vote who wins, perhaps.
For talented artists who fell foul of Cowell, Must Be The Music could offer a second chance of securing that valuable break.
After its success with Got To Dance, which returns in an expanded form this year, Must Be The Music is a good test of whether Sky 1 can now beat terrestrial rivals on the most valuable entertainment terrain of all, the live studio talent search. But will the judges prove too generally positive and helpful, for audiences brought up on Cowell’s acid drops?
BBC One appears locked in an endless Saturday night cycle of Strictly Come Dancing, extended beyond viewers’ patience followed by another West End talent search. Sky’s proposition to find genuine unsigned, undiscovered talent, sounds dangerously close to public service television.
