The Stage

X Factor attacked for contract banning work for show rejects

Published Tuesday 11 October 2005 at 14:05 by Liz Thomas

Agent Alan Whitehead has hit out at ITV’s The X Factor for stopping acts that have not made the finals from working, because of a clause in contracts performers have to sign before taking part in the show.

Whitehead, who has been an agent for more than 20 years, has signed up singing twins the Chapman Brothers, who were ousted from the programme’s ‘boot camp’ stage two weeks ago.

The show’s contract, which all contestants sign before entering boot camp, stipulates that failed acts cannot perform or record for a three month period after the series has finished.

Whitehead said: “They are making sure that acts don’t get the full benefit of being on the show. What concerns me is that young people who are taking part in this might not seek legal advice before signing and might run into problems. We are going ahead with our plans and are signing a deal with Halo Records.”

He added that such shows only provided a short term fix and the only way to sustain a long career in the industry was through hard work. He pointed to the poor performance of last year’s winner, Steve Brookstein, who was dumped by manager Simon Cowell in August after his album flopped.

A show insider said that the clause was necessary in order to keep the public focus on the series but artists would be able to work three months after it ended and that the date it expired was made clear.

The X Factor has been a huge hit for ITV, regularly getting ratings in excess of 7 million on Saturday nights. A spokesman for the programme said: “We do not discuss artists’ contracts.”