American Idol may not have yet to announce judges for season 13, but auditions are already in gear across the country.

With the recent executive shakeup, the Fox show has been working on new ways to revive falling ratings.

"I can tell you there will be a lot of changes to this season," said host Ryan Secrest, according to E!. "It's going to feel different, it's going to look different, we've got a new team that's working on the show, and we're finalizing the panel which will be different."

It has been rumored that the new judges will be culled form former Idol contestants and it appears they will have a little more to view than just singing when the new season roles around. New hopefuls are allowed to use guitars during this round of auditions, something that looks as if it will translate into the competition stage of the program.

The musical accompaniment will skew the show more in the direction of NBC's widely popular The Voice. Former executive producer Nigel Lythgoe believes it was competition from The Voice and similar shows that pulled viewers away from Idol last spring.

"This is the first time, I think, that we've seen, with 'The X Factor' and 'The Voice,' competition for ['Idol']," Lythgoe told Huffington Post.

However, senior supervising producer Patrick Lynn told MLive they just to look at the Detroit auditions line to see that they are "still the big dog."

Season 13 is set to air on FOX this January.

Tags: American Idol