The demised legendary singing sensation, Frank Sinatra, known solely as “The Voice”, probably lend its name to the new television singing competition.
It’s a reality talent show which saw its initiation in the Netherlans & is now catching the world by storm. Its version, adopted & adapted globally, can differ from country to country, but its basic format is a blind audition, a battle phase & live performance shows.
Created & launched in 2010 by John de Mol, the owner of the production company called Talpa, its incredible success in the Netherlands has now caught on in China, where its own version of the show kicked off in July 2012.
The Voice comes with a “format bible,” which records every detail of the original TV program, such as lighting, theatrical design, stage setting and even standards for choosing the contestants.
The Voice has become a brand and television companies that want to produce it must pay a license fee to use the intellectual property.
“The success of the Voice worldwide can be explained by the positive energy that the show sends out. The coaches, the blind auditions and the fact that audience can play along add to this positivity,” said Maarten Meijs, managing director of Talpa Distribution.
It is fair to say The Voice is successful in another aspect: it earns a lot of money through advertising and televoting.
At a time when the consumers have their own ways to skip advertising, by recording programs or watching television on demand, advertisers are looking for new ways to incorporate publicity within shows. The Voice provides them with an opportunity.
An important element of the talent show is the color red. In the Netherlands, this element subtly refers to the main sponsor of the show: Vodafone, while in China, the color reminds the audience of the local main sponsor Jiaduobao drink.
Chinese audiences are drawn & attracted to the show because of the inherent nationalism theme, stressing on the concept of “living homogeneity”, quite apart from the commercial potential of product advertising & using digital media in the show.
By & large, The Voice renders people who live in obscurity the opportunity to become famous, stimulating celebrity mania.
It’s a known fact that some of the best talents, because of the lack of opportunity, lack of exposure, the natural fear of failure & rejection, become sadly missed, going to their graves with the best music interred with their bones.
So, let The Voice be heard & captivate!
If you have a gifted voice, sing to the world
Let your hidden singing gem be uncovered!
Source: CCTV/Xinhua
Source: Xinhua
Paul Chong's Blog 
It is fantastic that China opens up and let its citizens have a go at their own goals.