What Does the Winner of ‘The Voice’ Get?

What does the winner of NBC’s The Voice get?

The winning singer at the end of each season of The Voice takes home a cash prize and a recording contract, but that’s no guarantee of professional success after the show is over.

During Tuesday’s finale of NBC’s The Voice, host Carson Daly announced that Aiden Ross — a Texas A&M University student and member of Team Niall Horan — earned the most votes from America, securing the Season 28 win.

Fellow coaches Reba McEntire, Michael Bublé, and Snoop Dogg gave Ross a standing ovation as he celebrated the victory.

The rising star will walk away with a $100,000 cash prize and a recording contract with Universal Music Group.

Read More: ‘The Voice’ Blind Audition That Moved Reba McEntire to Tears [Watch]

As for coach Niall Horan, the win marks a major milestone: he now holds a perfect record, with the winning contestant in every season he’s coached

The $100,000 prize does come with a few strings attached. The New York Daily News reports that if a contestant violates their contract with NBC, they will not keep the prize.

• The cash prize has remained the same since the premiere of The Voice — Season 1 winner Javier Colon also took home $100K.
• Previous winners signed with different record companies. For example, Cassadee Pope and Danielle Bradbery signed to Big Machine Label Group.
• Winners are also eligible to earn royalties on future music sales.

Any contestant who reveals the details of the contract can be subject to a lawsuit between $100,000 and $1 million.

Previous winners of The Voice have been open about the fact that signing a label deal is not necessarily a ticket to fame and fortune; in fact, far more Voice winners have experienced lukewarm marketplace results at best than have gone on to major commercial success.

Sundance Head and Craig Wayne Boyd are two The Voice winners who expressed disappointment with how their record labels treated them immediately after winning. Season 13 winner Chloe Kohanski had all but disappeared professionally before she showed up to say goodbye to Blake Shelton during the Season 23 finale.

Read More: Reba McEntire Admits She Was ‘Dreading’ Coaching ‘The Voice’ at First

Along with the cash prize, trophy, and record deal, for the most part, contestants still have the mentorship and support of their celebrity coaches after the show. Season 14 champion Brynn Cartelli opened mentor/coach Kelly Clarkson‘s Meaning of Life Tour along with Kelsea Ballerini.

Contestants are often seen appearing on The Voice with new music or collaborations after their season is done, so the association can pay off in future exposure for new products. Cartelli also says the show’s wardrobe department let her take “anything she wanted” home with her.

According to the New York Daily News, contestants are paid a small stipend to cover expenses during the filming of the show, but they give up some basic legal protections in agreeing to take their shot at riches and fame.

The contract stipulates that The Voice can change the rules at any time, eliminate contestants even if they are winning via public votes, and completely ignore the show’s voting system altogether, including the sales for the contestants’ iTunes songs.