Why should “The Voice” get all the glory?
Proving that songs from “The X Factor” can also make waves on the iTunes charts, Alex and Sierra’s stripped rendition of One Direction’s “Best Song Ever” ascended into the Top 25 on the overall single sales chart.
The performance, which received nearly as much buzz as the act’s audition–a noteworthy, Civil Wars-esque rendition of “Toxic”–was a highlight of Wednesday’s Top 10 performance show. And though the judges were not unanimous in their praise (Kelly Rowland criticized Sierra’s pitch), the critics whose voice matters most–the voters–clearly notarized the performance with their seal of approval. Alex & Sierra advanced into the top eight and now have iTunes bragging rights.
Simon Cowell, the act’s coach and the most influential “X Factor” judge, was among those who loved the rendition.
While the iTunes success is a great sign for Alex and Sierra, it actually comes with a negative ramification for “The X Factor.” Insofar as the song did chart, it means iTunes is not obscuring download information for “X Factor” recordings. If “The X Factor” songs are not appearing on the single sales charts, and they have not been, it is because fans are not buying them en masse.
Sales for “Best Song Ever,” the best so far for an “X Factor” season three performance, also pale in comparison to many of this season’s “The Voice” numbers. Matthew Schuler’s “Hallelujah,” the season’s best seller, reached as high as number one and continues to linger in the chart’s upper portion.
While “The X Factor” does not reward iTunes sales the way “The Voice” does, and therefore removes a clear incentive to buy, there is no reason to believe fans would not buy singles they found truly compelling.