“Back in January it was revealed in an official statement that Simon Cowell was teaming up with the production company of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith to create an American Idol-style global TV show to find the next big DJ talent.
It was said at the time that Sony Pictures Television and Overbrook Entertainment would partner for the show, to be co-produced by Syco and Overbrook, and that it would “capture the incredible rise of the DJ phenomena”. They had been working on the show “for over a year” at that point, according to Cowell, who said “DJs are the new rock stars; it feels like the right time to make this show.”
Now, the New York Post reports that the show has been scrapped after a legal battle over top-billing on the credits between the production companies – a spokesperson for Syco informed the publication “Syco and Overbrook decided not to proceed together on a DJ-competition show… It’s not happening anymore because of Simon.”
Another source said the fall-out wasn’t related to production credits but did tell The Post: “There were some deal points that couldn’t be worked out, and Sony and Overbrook walked away.”
The show was set to capitalise on the current rise in popularity of electronic dance music, or EDM, and the rise of ‘superstar DJs’.
Alluding to the trend, Music Week research released earlier this year revealed that dance music DJ Calvin Harris, hailing from Scotland but now a global success, was the most successful songwriter in the UK singles chart in 2011.”
