Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kirk Jay has landed in the iTunes Top 10 three times, but it’s Chris Kroeze (right) who has the bonus points on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

How much difference can a simple rule change make in the outcome on The Voice?

We’re about to find out in the week ahead.

Prior to Season 15, The Voice awarded bonus points to any singer who landed in the Top 10 on the iTunes charts.

For voting purposes, their iTunes downloads were multiplied by five anytime they accomplished that feat.

For Season 15, The Voice decided to focus entirely on streaming. The artists with the most streams would get the bonus, and only one bonus would be awarded per week.

In both cases, any bonuses earned during the live shows carried over to the artist’s vote total for the season finale.

For the past two weeks, the most streamed artist has been Chris Kroeze of Team Blake. He’s gotten the streaming bonus; all those votes will carry over to this week’s total as well.

What’s more, someone with an Apple Music account can stream a song up to 10 times. The old limit was one download per iTunes account. So you have to figure the bonus is worth more in Season 15 than it has been in past seasons.

Now, check out the iTunes results below to see what would have happened if the rules hadn’t been changed.

Under the old rules, Kirk Jay would be entering the finale with three iTunes bonuses. Chevel Shepherd and Kennedy Holmes would have scored one bonus apiece. Chris Kroeze’s bonus point through four weeks under the old rules: 0.

Under the new rules, Chris is the only singer heading into the finale with bonus points. Remember, the most streamed artist for the first two weeks of the lives was Reagan Strange, and she’s been eliminated.

And with most of Wisconsin seemingly supporting the country-rocker, I won’t be at all surprised to see Chris earn the bonus again on Tuesday.

Top 8

#4 — Chevel Shepherd (Team Kelly), “Blue”
#6 — Kirk Jay (Team Blake), “I Swear”
#11 — Kennedy Holmes (Team Jennifer), “This is Me”
#12 — Reagan Strange (Team Adam), “You Are the Reason”
#14 — Chris Kroeze (Team Blake), “Can’t You See”
#18 — MaKenzie Thomas (Team Jennifer), “Vision of Love”
#49 — Sarah Grace (Team Kelly), “Sign of the Times”
#101 — Kymberli Joye (Team Kelly), “Never Alone”

Top 10

#3 — Sarah Grace (Team Kelly), “Amazing Grace”
#4 — Kirk Jay (Team Blake), “Tomorrow”
#15 — MaKenzie Thomas (Team Jennifer), “Because You Loved Me”
#23 — Chevel Shepherd (Team Kelly), “You’re Lookin’ at Country”
#25 — Kymberli Joye (Team Kelly), “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”
#41 — Kennedy Holmes (Team Jennifer), “Me Too”
#43 — Dave Fenley (Team Blake), “When You Say Nothing At All”
#59 — Chris Kroeze (Team Blake), “Callin’ Baton Rouge”
#109 — Reagan Strange (Team Adam), “Cry”
#177 — DeAndre Nico (Team Adam), “That’s What I Like”

See also …
Ranking the Top 4
Simple rule change could make big difference
Voting already underway for Voice finale
A look back at Chevel Shepherd’s performances
A look back at Chris Kroeze’s performances
A look back at Kennedy Holmes’ performances
A look back at Kirk Jay’s performances

Top 11

#7 — Kennedy Holmes (Team Jennifer): “Greatest Love of All”
#8 — Kymberli Joye (Team Kelly): “Break Every Chain”
#15 — Chevel Shepherd (Team Kelly): “Space Cowboy”
#21 — Chris Kroeze (Team Blake): Long Train Runnin’
#22 — Kirk Jay (Team Blake): “Body Like a Back Road”
#23 — MaKenzie Thomas (Team Jennifer): “Emotion”
#90 — Reagan Strange (Team Adam): “Complicated”
#91 — Sarah Grace (Team Kelly): “Dog Days Are Over”
#117 — DeAndre Nico (Team Adam): “Cry for You”
#178 — Dave Fenley (Team Blake): “Use Me”
DNC — Lynnea Moorer (Team Kelly): “Consequences”

Top 13

#10 — Kirk Jay (Team Blake): “I’m Already There”
#23 — Reagan Strange (Team Adam): “You Say”
#24 — Tyke James (Team Adam): “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”
#38 — Chevel Shepherd (Team Kelly): “Little White Church”
#56 — Chris Kroeze (Team Blake): “Let It Be”
#79 — Kennedy Holmes (Team Jennifer): “Wind Beneath My Wing”
#123 — Sarah Grace (Team Kelly): “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
#145 — DeAndre Nico (Team Adam): “I Can Only Imagine”