No deal: This year The Voice has no Universal Music prize
New coach Kate Miller-Heidke says a development deal instead of a record deal "would have been my total wet dream as a young artist."
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For the first time in The Voice history, there is no record deal with Universal Music Australia as part of the winner’s prize.
Over its 12 seasons winners have always won cash and a contract with Universal.
While the $100,000 cash prize remains, instead the winner receives an artist development package with recording studio, Studios 301 in Alexandria.
Yet according to coach Kate Miller-Heidke it’s a better outcome, giving emerging artists time to grow without being shackled to a contract.
“In the past some of these artists have ended up locked into contracts with major labels, before they’ve even really figured out who they are as artists,” Miller-Heidke told TV Tonight.
“You do need time as an artist to be able to hone your craft. I think the risk when you when you’re so young or inexperienced, to go out there and be shackled to a major label straight right off the bat, is too early.
“It would have been my total wet dream”
“We need to give these artists a chance to play lots of shows, to figure out what they want to say as an artist. I think that’s why this year, the prize is awesome. I mean, it would have been my total wet dream as a young artist to be given this prize from Studios 301, which is just an incredible studio.”
So this means young singers won’t have the burden of having to recoup the investment attached to a record deal?
“Absolutely. Or they feel pressure to make a certain kind of music, pressure to make a covers record. This way it’s completely up to the artist….I mean, it’s what I would prefer.”
Language
Kate Miller-Heidke admits she was surprised to be approached for the show.
She’s not alone on that front given that in 2005 she performed an ode to Australian Idol on RocKwiz with lyrics referring to auditionees having their dreams crushed, two d***head hosts, and “watching a really short guy singing sing annoying song by Craig David.”
“I’m 20 years older, and perhaps see the world with a bit more nuance than I did back then”
But Miller-Heidke concedes she has matured since then while Reality TV has also shifted.
“I’m 20 years older, and perhaps see the world with a bit more nuance than I did back then,” she admits.
“But also, there’s a difference with The Voice. It’s not about making fun of anyone -although that sort of thing is really fun to watch- but The Voice is about nurturing talent, coaching people, mentoring people and helping them be the best they can be. It’s all about the voice which is my lifelong passion. I’ve always been obsessed with singing, and I still am.
“I was surprised when they asked me. It sort of came out of left field, but the more I thought about it, the more it sounded tantalising.
“They were basically auditioning me”
“They got me in to do a couple of mock blind auditions. I was listening to auditions, but they were basically auditioning me to see how I functioned under that kind of pressure. I had so much fun doing those, it was like playing a game -doing an acting workshop, but all about singing. And I also realised that I’ve learned a lot in my 22 plus years having a career in music. I’ve genuinely felt like I had something to offer so that excited me too.”
Coaching alongside Guy Sebastian, Adam Lambert and Leann Rimes, she was nonetheless in no doubt about the level of talent the show has uncovered.
“That was a big shock for me actually. Not just the the amount of talent we had, but the breadth and diversity of the voices. We had, singers in every kind of genre and it’s just so delightful and surprising to hear such an eclectic lineup of talents. I really loved that about it.
“There were songwriters, people who came on to reinvent songs. It was the opposite of karaoke. It was people who really had something to say.
“Television is a totally new world for me, and I was really nervous at first”
“Television is a totally new world for me, and I was really nervous at first. But everyone helped me feel comfortable. Guy Sebastian was really generous and encouraging. If I ever had any questions or needed any advice, I knew I could go to him, and he was lovely. But it’s a really beautiful team of people and was a steep learning curve for me. It was a challenge.”
As she builds her team through Blind Auditions, Milleer-Heidke is tight-lipped about who joins her team, but excited for the end result.
“I’m just so proud of them all. You can’t help but feel a little bit maternal, a bit of a mother hen to all these lovely young people. They’re all so different. I just hope I was able to help them in some way. I think some of them are incredibly talented and potentially have long careers ahead of them.”
The Voice screens 7:30pm Monday – Wednesday on Seven.
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13 Responses
I’m not surprised by no recording contract, as I’ve never heard any music from any artists who’s won The Voice, even those I’ve voted for. I knew I’d never see them again.i maintain that no one has ever become famous from The Voice, and that includes the overseas ones. Unlike Idol and X Factor who have had hundreds go onto careers, even …. Got Talent shows have found big stars. I’m really surprised that the Voice is still on the air any where. It’s sad though, but it’s flawed because of the rounds and it’s all about the judges not the artists. The way they beg them to get on their team, but don’t care about discarding them through the rounds.
The Voice is a TV show but the point of launching a music career for a contestant is flawed. The only contestant that I can think of that has had a successful music career after the show in Oz or the UK is Becky Hill.
X Factor and Idol on the other hand have many.
Who the hell is Becky Hill? Anyway no one from the Voice anywhere has become famous that’s a fact.
I’ve tried to watch this show many times before and I always get put off by the way that the judges act and how it seems to be more about them than the actual contestants.
I couldn’t even name a single contestant from the show, I don’t know if winning the show gets you anywhere other than having a few $$ in your bank account from the cash prize.
I ain’t a musician but I agree this would be a better prize for many than a contract. Remember with a lot of these shows not just in Australia the contestants who don’t win seem to have a better idea of what they want to do as initially they have to find their contract after fine tuning their style. Look at some of the people who haven’t won just look at Vera Cruz (Celia Pavey) and Sheldon Riley
These shows have been on for many years now, I can only name a handful of artists that have made careers from them.
Thank goodness the recording contract with Universal Music is gone.
For a big international label, they don’t seem to have any idea how to launch, develop & promote a new artist in this streaming age.
I wonder if the label still have any contestants still signed to them.
It’s probably not a bad thing there’s no Universal Music prize for this year’s winner of The Voice, because most (if not all) previous winners have more or less fallen into obscurity. Now sure, you may have heard them perform at Carols or get their music used in network promos in the months afterwards, but it’s not as if any winners of The Voice winners have managed to score Top 10 hits and sell-out concert tours!
I suppose the producers think that “tHe eXpOsuRe” will be enough to satisfy future contestants, because let’s face it, while a development deal sounds good in theory, record labels, like their customers, want instant gratification, and if artists aren’t producing immediate results, then they get dumped faster than Ten did Yasmin.
I can only recall one winner in the history of the series, Karise Eden, and I don’t think she’s done or released anything noteworthy since her brief time in the spotlight. Oh, and don’t get me started on the disgraceful nepotism of not only allowing Chris Sebastian to compete (when he already has access to the industry via his brother), but to give him the grand prize too.
This show is not about the contestants. It’s all about promoting B grade celebrities! Thank god Delta Goodrem is gone! The contestants can’t even win a recording contract. Most people in music industry say they wouldn’t touch the show with a barge poll. Think it will bomb against The Block and Hunted/Amazing Race
Its about ratings and revenue for 7.
I cannot fathom the reasoning behind 7 bombarding us with promos for the voice and actually showing who the singers the judges are turnng for and showing judges comments as well, cannot call them “the blinds” when we have already seen the result. H ave they no idea what a teaser is at 7.
Kate Miller-Heidke may have a good point there and she would know from experience.
I think studio time can be good. If the contestant can get some tracks recorded, or at least get a single produced, it can be released independently. There’s more creative freedom when independent as labels may have a particular style or genre to fulfil. If record labels show interest, the artist can choose or negotiate the best contract. Better than being tied to a single record label deal. It’s a game changer.