‘The Voice’ News: Reality Show Hits Over 20 Million Songs Downloaded On iTunes, Yet No Breakout Stars [VIDEO]
The Voice has reached a huge accomplishment by selling over 20 million song downloads through iTunes as its seventh season nears its end, but it still has yet to see any breakout stars.
Will 'The Voice' Finally See A Breakout Star This Season Once The Show Ends?
The show launched in April 2011 and Billboard reported on Monday that just a few days before Thanksgiving the NBC reality singing competition show reached sales of more than 20 million songs downloaded on iTunes.
This feat is a huge milestone that was commemorated during Monday night's show. The downloads for this accomplishment only include the songs performed on the show and not those that are released by winners post-competition.
The Voice has released sales figures since its inception and allowed tracks from the show to appear on the iTunes and Billboard charts. Billboard further reported that the singing competition show hit the 10 million mark in late May 2013, which was about midway through season 4.
Paul Telegdy, president of alternative and late night programming at NBC, said, "We argue in the car," while talking about his debates with his 11- and 13-year-old daughters. "What's the real measure of success? Digital downloads are the simplest, the easiest to track. We're watching [streaming services] closely, but that's less of interest to me. If one of my daughters said, 'Oh my God, this young emerging artist had 2 million YouTube views and 16 million starts,' I'd say I only want to know how many starts and finishes."
Telegdy added, "That 20 million emanating from the show doesn't tell the full story. We would love to have a star, but one way we distinguished ourselves from other shows since day one is we have never made the promise of stardom. Music is not about instant stardom and the stories that get traction these days in the [mainstream] are more about substance and hard work."
Watch The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
