Inside "American Idol": Why you don't see some of the best auditions

Don't you hate it when at the end of these audition shows you see mere glimpses of people who made it through to Hollywood? And why does it seem that the same tired old songs are sung over and over again in the auditions we do see?

The key to answering these questions is to learn about song rights.

If a performance is to be shown on TV — whether early in auditions or in the finals — the show must pay for or otherwise obtain the rights to do so from whoever owns the song. Sometimes this is referred to as getting clearance. If the producers don't want to pay, or if the owner of the song simply doesn't want to allow it, you won't see the performance — and this happens a lot before the Top 36 (Top 24 in previous years) are selected. By the time of the Top 36, the contestants must select from an approved list of songs that the show has already gotten clearance for, or try to obtain rights at the last minute.

Read the rest of the article at The Seattle Times