NBC’s ‘The Voice’: iTunes sales favor Amber Carrington, Michelle Chamuel

If you remember back on “The Voice” last season, we tried to judge the vote tallies of certain performers by the number of copies that their songs sold on iTunes, since this was a key part of the voting equation. Not only that, but there was that massive multiplier that seemed to be a little bit unfair if your song made it into the top ten.

We don’t know if the show is going to use the multipliers or the carryovers in single sales moving into this season just yet, mostly because they pretty much gave Cassadee Pope the trophy last year before the finale even came on the air. However, iTunes sales are still a part of the equation, and they add an interesting facet into the strategy behind each performance. Not only do you have to pick a song that the coaches like, but is interesting enough for viewers to want to buy.

Take, for example, what is typically an anomaly: Usually, the first singer to perform gets the least amount of support from the viewers. However, Amber Carrington did a unique cover of Rihanna’s “Stay,” and it landed her just outside of the top 10 as of this writing. On the flip side, Judith Hill has been featured all season long, and has ties to Michael Jackson, but her cover of the standard “Feeling Good” was around #80. This song has been covered a million times over the years, and young people do not have as much of an interest in picking it up.

Michelle Chamuel and Sarah Simmons are the only other contestants currently in the top 30, whereas Caroline Glaser’s “The A-Team” was right outside of the top 30. The guys are currently getting completely decimated, as both Vedo and Josiah Hawley were each well outside of the top 100.

Do you think that contestants should really pander their song choices specifically to impress iTunes buyers? If you want to read our full review of Monday night’s “Voice” episode, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: NBC