PopFactor

With American Idol 4 underway on American TV and X Factor commissioned for another series in the UK this year I starting thinking about how these shows would work if the Singles Chart died.

It's fairly likely that at some point in the not too distant future there will be no singles chart, you can already get to number one by selling less than 20,000 copies of your single, it will die, those sort of numbers are just silly.

What is really needed is a talent contest that would produce an act capable of releasing a debut album, tour and credibility.

A Band Idol type of contest that could find the next Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight or The Strokes, individuality, talent, image, songwriting and performance would be essential elements.

It would be good to see a nationally televised Battle of the Bands with unsigned bands from each region (done regionally by BBC or ITV in say the 7.30 slot on ITV - or where Inside Out goes on BBC) with the top band from each region battling it out in a run of live national finals.

The winning band would get a recording contract for one album and a national university tour that could also act as a follow up documentary.

The show would be based on the bands playing their own materials on instruments, or a solo singer with a backing band and own songs. This would be much more fun to watch than 'Pop Factor'.