[1] During its short run Popstars Live had a troubled history, with two key personnel, Christine Anu and John Paul Young, leaving the program in April 2004 while others have publicly expressed their own concerns about the show.
Record sales for Idol contestants also played a role in the resurrection of Popstars with Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian releasing an album Just as I Am that went six times platinum in Australia and runner up Shannon Noll's That's What I'm Talking About striking up sales of five times platinum.
In a statement issued on her departure, she said: "I chose to play a positive role model and wanted to encourage these young people in their endeavours, rather than criticise them.
Ian "Molly" Meldrum and Tania Doko were also criticising elements of the program in the media in early April.
Trevor Steel, a UK record producer and the former lead singer of eighties pop group The Escape Club, was brought in by Universal Music as a replacement judge to offer stronger criticism of contestants.
In their first week of sales from 5 April 2004, the single barely made the Australian Top 50 and the album could only debut at number 61.
This contrasts with the sales success of artists appearing on Australian Idol and to a lesser extent the original Popstars.
With the television program being moved to a different timeslot less likely to catch the eyes of potential record buyers and the single failing to attract support of radio, it seems as though the album will disappoint the hopes of Universal Music who would have been hoping to match the success of BMG Records from Australian Idol contestants.