The end is nigh for Singing Competitions and it's all in the numbers

A new format show called Rising Star is really smelling a lot like the end is on the cards for reality TV and it's not only Rising Star with bad news this week.

The Voice Australia's winner CD sales really sucked. I reported over on my music loving blog Aussie music was healthy, but maybe not so much for reality stars. Young Anja only sold 1,952 copies of her lame debut album.

This is no doubt the Voice failed to get that much interest in 2014, the tour also had to discount to get bums on seats and god help the Voice Kids tour. And not to mention the Voice Kids record.

With X Factor now in the final 12 how will their winners album sell? Nothing can be as lame as Anja's debut. I mean CD sales are bad Sia reportedly only sold 50,000 copies of her record in the US the week it went to number one. For a population of the US and Sia's exposure on Ellen and her "no publicity" or photos of her face campaign really got her good milage.

No one really buys music anymore, we all stream from sites like Soundcloud and Spotify or listen to Pandora or digital radio. It's sad one of my biggest loves is struggling to get sales, at least tours and festivals are still in some markets doing well. Stereosonic the two day epic dance festival is still kicking goals, whilst their is excitement building and plenty of rumours swirling for Laneway Festival and Soundwave.

This genre specific festivals seem to be where it's at in 2014.

So will the Voice Kids be back in 2015? Will Rising Star hit Australia? And how will the X Factor winner's album going? 1,952 copies sets the bar low, but still even as Christmas presents do the 12-18 year olds who vote want a CD or $15 for beer for Christmas?

So many questions and I have spent so long thinking about reality stars Vs real (or non reality artists). It's so hard to make it in 2014 but so many acts like Sia have been banging around for years and then bang, it hits great success or bang like Lorde at under 20 this girl is one of the biggest stars under the sun and all over the radio. So is it a great marketing team and some killer music videos or a TV show that is more likely to get you radio play and more than 1,952 sales of your debut album in it's first sales week?

I think the key is a great song, a sleek and unique look and most importantly the music needs to speak to people. Australians are good to adapt to new acts, Lana Del Rey was a huge success early on as was Pink back in her day, she was way more popular here than in her homeland of the USA.

I think handwork will always pay, in most aspects of life but particularly music and unfortunately, crying on live TV does not equal years of writing music and songs and playing gigs to 5-10 people in some shitty pub.

Sorry X Factor top 12 I think your five minutes of fame may only be one or two minutes this year.