DIY 'American Idol': NBC's Refocuses Music Industry on 'The Voice'

Apparently "American Idol" isn't democratic enough, what with their auditions in select parts of the country and such. NBC is hoping to one-up the competition by drawing contestants...from their couches?

"The Voice," set to air this spring, gives potential contestants the chance to audition right from their living room. All you need is a microphone and a webcam, common components to any laptop these days.

All you have to do is go to the Online Audition tool, select your song (you have to choose from the options presented), and start singing. You can also watch videos of other entrees to size up the competition. The computer will then rate your performance on a scale of 1 to 10, and if you score high enough, the casting team behind "The Voice" will listen to you personally.

The song selections are "My Girl," "Stand By Your Man," "Second That Emotion," "Angel of the Morning," "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Better Days," "Just a Dream," "The Man Who Can't Be Moved," and "Shake It." So if you've been dominating at karaoke to one of these, hop on it and see if the computer approves. Contestants have until March 1st to submit their audition.

If you get onto the show itself, you then audition for the coaches to be on their team. But here's the catch - coaches will select contestants without being able to see them. NBC credits this stunning innovation to rotating chairs, but I've found that closing one's eyes also has the desired effect. A wall would also work.

From there, coaches will guide their contestants, developing them as singers, and occasionally pitting team members against each other. This is still show business, folks.

After these battles, the strongest members of each team will go on to perform live onstage. By now, of course, they'll probably know what they look like and looks just might come into play.

The grand prize is a recording contract and $100,000. So whoever said buying a laptop would cut into your student loan debt has another thing coming.