Quote:
“Singing show still ‘massively popular’ globally, according to Rob Wade
Like everyone else, “The X Factor” executive producer Rob Wade sees stories about how interest in televised singing competitions has waned.
He’s reading. He’s just not buying.
“Ironic would be the word,” muses Wade, because at the same time he also says that for Thursday's “The X Factor” auditions at Nassau Coliseum, “we’re expecting our biggest turnout ever.”
The Fox show is still feeling residual impact from creator Simon Cowell’s early comment — which he has said several times he regrets — that he expected 20 million viewers.
In its first cycle last spring, it averaged about 12.5 million. Last fall it finished with about 9.6 million.
Wade says those numbers don’t reflect the show’s true fan base.
“We’re a massively popular show globally and in the U.S.,” he says. It’s just that “a lot of our audience doesn’t watch much (traditional) TV. They watch us on the Internet, or on their phones. If they do watch on TV, they’ve probably taped it.
“When you total up our seven-day viewing, it doubles our live audience. It’s something that Nielsen hasn’t yet found a way to fully reflect.”
Wade also notes, “We’re No. 1 by far in social media. We have tremendous engagement among younger fans there.”
For the Long Island auditions, the only ones in the northeast for the shows that will air this fall, Wade says hopefuls should just follow the standard drill: Come out of the box hard.
“Realistically, you’ve only got a few seconds to get the judges’ attention,” he says. “And I think most people know that by now — that you don’t come in with a 10-minute David Bowie song.
“Most people do sing covers, and that’s probably a good idea, because if we know the song, we have something to judge it against.”
He added, “It’s not easy. But to be able to sing for actual A&R people is an opportunity most performers and writers never even get.””
“Singing show still ‘massively popular’ globally, according to Rob Wade
Like everyone else, “The X Factor” executive producer Rob Wade sees stories about how interest in televised singing competitions has waned.
He’s reading. He’s just not buying.
“Ironic would be the word,” muses Wade, because at the same time he also says that for Thursday's “The X Factor” auditions at Nassau Coliseum, “we’re expecting our biggest turnout ever.”
The Fox show is still feeling residual impact from creator Simon Cowell’s early comment — which he has said several times he regrets — that he expected 20 million viewers.
In its first cycle last spring, it averaged about 12.5 million. Last fall it finished with about 9.6 million.
Wade says those numbers don’t reflect the show’s true fan base.
“We’re a massively popular show globally and in the U.S.,” he says. It’s just that “a lot of our audience doesn’t watch much (traditional) TV. They watch us on the Internet, or on their phones. If they do watch on TV, they’ve probably taped it.
“When you total up our seven-day viewing, it doubles our live audience. It’s something that Nielsen hasn’t yet found a way to fully reflect.”
Wade also notes, “We’re No. 1 by far in social media. We have tremendous engagement among younger fans there.”
For the Long Island auditions, the only ones in the northeast for the shows that will air this fall, Wade says hopefuls should just follow the standard drill: Come out of the box hard.
“Realistically, you’ve only got a few seconds to get the judges’ attention,” he says. “And I think most people know that by now — that you don’t come in with a 10-minute David Bowie song.
“Most people do sing covers, and that’s probably a good idea, because if we know the song, we have something to judge it against.”
He added, “It’s not easy. But to be able to sing for actual A&R people is an opportunity most performers and writers never even get.””
NY Daily News
