Johnny Wright, the music manager who has helped shape the careers of pop icons Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and the Jonas Brothers, will be teaming up with talent competition web site Yobi.tv to create a non-scripted singing competition, to be voted on by the site’s users.
The competition, titled Take The Stage, will follow ten aspiring singers — finalists from the site’s previously-held YOBISing competition — as they work with Wright and other industry figures to become the music industry’s Next Big Thing.
Take The Stage plans to differ from similarly minded shows American Idol and X Factor by having each contestant write and perform solely original content rather than putting them through pre-arranged exercises chosen by judges, essentially allowing the contestants to grow within their own genres instead of forcing them into unfamiliar areas.
The ten singers will also be sticking around for the entire planned 15-webisode series rather than being voted off, with a cumulative voting system in place to try and prevent late bloomers from being bounced early. The winner of the contest will receive $20,000 and a management contract with Wright and Yobi.tv.
“I’ve worked with some of the brightest pop stars over the last 15 years, but they all started out just like all of the auditioners on Yobi.tv — talented and looking for a break,” said Wright in a press release. “I know the next Justin Timberlake or Britney Spears or Adele is out there — and I’m counting on the Yobi.tv viewers to find them.”
The web series will debut later in the Spring, with an announcement coming during the site’s weekly live chat tonight, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m EST.
