cold coffee: Is the X Factor past its expiry date?

The X Factor UK (2004-present)

This post was inspired by one of my housemate's journalism assignments, in which she had to collect vox pops (for those of you unfamiliar with journalistic lingo, these are snippets of opinions forming the voice of the public) asking people whether or not they think the X Factor has run its course.

This got me thinking. The X Factor used to be purely a talent contest in which singers would audition, be told whether or not music mogul Simon Cowell thought they were good enough, and then they would partake in numerous rounds until the lucky few reached live shows...

I doubt many of you even remember the first few winners, because let's be honest, where on Earth have Steve Brookstein and Shayne Ward gone?! The biggest named winner of the X Factor is undoubtedly Leona Lewis who is now a household name in both the UK and the US, is this where the show peaked?

L-R: Steve Brookstein, Shayne Ward and Leona Lewis

In a way, yes... Because ever since Leona, it seems the winners haven't had as much success as the runners up have. And X Factor has just turned into a platform by which people get noticed and it doesn't seem to matter if the public vote you as their winner or not, because if Simon Cowell thinks you're good enough, you're bound to be signed to his label anyway. Take JLS, Olly Murs and One Direction for example, all three have two things in common: 1) none of them were crowned winners of the competition yet, 2) they all appear regularly in the music charts.

L-R: JLS, Olly Murs and One Direction

It is these kinds of success which have been damaging to the show's reputation, simply because people don't really see it as a contest any more, because even though a winner is announced at the end of the series - it doesn't necessarily mean they've won. One Direction have had better chart successes than many of the previous winners of the shows (both Joe McElderry and Matt Cardle were cut from their record labels after just a few releases), and they were the first British band ever to have their debut album go straight in at number one in the american charts.

I feel that the typically 'pop' artists that the X Factor produces are another reason why the contestants never do as well in the real music world. People these days have music tastes which gravitate more towards indie or dance music, and the acts that the show produces don't usually fall into these genres.

The judges have also shot themselves in the foot with their frequency of putting 'joke' acts through, those who make good television rather than actually being talented. Acts such as Jedward (who now have a career more popular than acts who have previously won the show), Wagner and this year's Rylan are the reasons why the show isn't taken seriously any more, but it's all a clever ploy, because who can take their eyes of off the TV when one of these acts is performing? And in all honesty, the public like to keep acts like these in just to annoy Simon Cowell, seeing as if one of them were to win - it would be his money funding their recording contract.

L-R: Wagner, Jedward and Rylan Clark

Is it really fair to boot talented acts out of a talent competition, in order to keep in acts that people laugh at, and not with? No. It doesn't seem to matter whether or not someone can sing, as long as they can please the crowd and this in itself has caused the show to lose its credibility.

This year's X Factor has seen a group of more current artists such as James Arthur and Lucy Spraggan who both have their own unique styles of performance, and they would easily slide into the current charts.