Why "The Voice" is Better than American Idol

Now that the "The Voice" has run it's course, it's time to compare it against American Idol.

Now that a winner has been selected (Javier Colon) for the vocal competition show The Voice, it's time to compare it to that other juggernaut, American Idol. For my money, The Voice wins, here why:

Quality

There's no question the caliber of the contestants was far and away better than anything we've seen on America Idol regardless of season. The top eight on The Voice all could have easily beat anyone from American Idol over the years, except perhaps Carrie Underwood and first season winner Kelly Clarkson.

Professionalism

From the get-go, The Voice demonstrated it was serious about showcasing actual talent, and doing so in a professional way. By skipping past the auditions and only showing us the gems, the producers of this show sought to highlight talent, not simply use their air time as a vehicle to ridicule contestants. Also, by starting the show off with the judges chairs turned backwards to the contestants as they performed, the producers once again showed us they meant it when they said the show was about "the voice". making sure contestants got on the show through their vocal talent alone. Continuing on from there, the judges/coaches all took the role of mentor, rather than as critic, making the show more enjoyable for the viewers. Also, by showing how the coaches voted, the show gave itself a dose of honesty in a medium not known for such.

Voting

The voting method on The Voice was better too; choosing to count downloads on iTunes was a stroke of genius. Not only was it a good way to count votes in general, but it provided prospective record companies proof that the contestants (not just the winner) were capable of selling records.

Diversity

It was truly fun to see singers of all ages, genders and races performing with one another as well as alone. Also, it was good to see performers that weren't all in the mold of modern pop or even country; real people with real personalities that looked like regular people for the most part. Compared to American Idol, it was breath of fresh air.

Credible Judges

Unlike American Idol, which has become almost a laughing-stock, the people who put together The Voice were clearly serious about hiring judges/coaches that carried some actual weight in the music business; while maybe not A-List stars, the coaches are certainly all known for both their accomplishments and personalities. What we as viewers saw over the course of the short season was accomplished professionals mentoring gifted wannabe's in truly moving ways.

Having said all that, there is still room for improvement on The Voice. The main thing would be to fix

the live audio feed. Listening to a replay of the singers on Hulu with a computer, you'd hardly even know it was the same performers we'd all seen live (or even taped) just days before. Also, there seems to be some disconnect about what the purpose of the teams had to do with the outcome of the show; it still came down to one performer winning. And finally, to ward off popularity/beauty contests, why not keep the faces of the contestants covered so that when America votes, it will be all about The Voice, instead of a cute face or effusive personality?