Reports have revealed that Simon Cowell's upcoming Netflix show, The Midas Touch, was off to a rocky start.
Radar Online reported that only 40 contestants showed up on the first day of auditions in Liverpool last July 6, 2024.
"They started arriving slowly from about 9am on Saturday but the biggest number in the queue never amounted to more than about 40," an eyewitness revealed. "By early afternoon, the number arriving had virtually dried up and it was the same story on the Sunday audition."
According to the source, the number of railings that the production had set up suggested that they were expecting hundreds or thousands of people to line up to become part of the next One Direction. However, they only had "a fraction of those kind of numbers."
A source told The Mirror that the auditions would be unlike any other had seen, compared to X-Factor, where One Direction was formed back then.
"These auditions will not look like The X Factor in the slightest - no shiny desks, big productions or celebrity guests. It will be incredibly stripped back," a source told the outlet. "Simon has amassed a team of real experts - songwriters, producers and A&R people - who he really trusts. Together they'll be chatting to the talent and trying to work out who should go through."
However, Cowell reportedly wanted to throw the same amount of pressure the contestants have gone through in X-Factor on The Midas Touch.
During the process, he wants to build a band that "will have an impact" and can be "bigger than One Direction."
In an interview, Cowell described the project as a risk, especially because the industry is becoming a "crowded marketplace."
"There are so many people trying to get attention online - hundreds of thousands if not millions of people. What these shows do is you get a bigger audience. I would argue there is a bigger need for these shows than 10,20 years ago," Cowell went on.
Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan had previously revealed that they unfollowed Cowell on Instagram after Cowell revealed his biggest regret from managing the boy band was not owning their name.
"I can be very naive at times, and that was me being very, very naive. So next time that'll be part of the deal. I have to own the name," Cowell shared. "They can still make most of the money, but I need to own the name."
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
