Killing in the Name (Of Christmas)

[Dingle]

Defo lies.

[ROC]

Jouzy, you're handsome and all, but sometimes, you gotta approve of independent music, man!

[K]

Baha, Cowell said this...

“If there’s a campaign, and I think the campaign’s aimed directly atme, it’s stupid,” said Cowell at a press conference in London today.

“I think it’s quite a cynical campaign geared at me which isactually going to spoil the party for these three (contestant),”continues Cowell. “I also think it’s incredibly dismissive of thepeople who watch and enjoy the show… to treat our audiences as ifthey’re stupid and I don’t like that.”

[K]

src: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/dec/10/simon-cowell-rage-against-machine

[METALMAN]

Yeah! It's Christmas... yippie! Feel the enthusiasm.

Okay, now to business.

So we all know that Simon Cowell WILL be number 1. We can try and go whichever way we want about it, but in all honesty if he really wanted to win he could just buy a bunch of CDs himself with all the money he has - rumour has it, all the beds in his house are just made from blocks of money.

But I understand. You feel angry that ITV and Simon we'll congratulate themselves once more for getting another person to number 1 so we can forget about them next year. (Who is George Sampson anyway?)

You want an alternative vote. So you got together with your friends and decided to rebel against Simon Cowell and his pals up at Sony BMG and go for the rebel vote. Some of you went for Journey, some of your went for Rage Against The Machine.

However this is a terrible mistake. And here is why.

1) This whole process still presumes musical arrogance. You are not so much rejecting Simon Cowell's political control over the media, but instead presuming your musical tastes are better. It is nothing more than musical rivalry, and basing your decision on what to buy based upon your musical preferences, does nothing to send a message to Simon Cowell.

2) The whole project would be much stronger if people dind't buy seperate tracks, a problem caused by the above problem.

3) It's COMPLETELY ILOGICAL. Simon Cowell releases his X Factor winners through Sony BMG who scoop the uber profits from the single.

Meanwhile Rage Against The Machine are signed to Epic, a record label that is a subsidary of Sony BMG.

Meanwhile, Journey were originally on CBS, then sold to Columbia, who are now owned by - drumroll please - Sony BMG.

So whichever one you buy your money goes to Sony BMG. Furthermore, given the fact that had you not protested, you would just not have brought a record, by attempting to protest you are actually further increasing the profits of Sony BMG making it more likely they will continue to fuel Cowell's project at musical monopoly.

4) What the hell do Journey and RATM have to do with X Factor? Nothing, they're just tracks that get played a lot in student clubs, and therefore became popular with students in recent years.

---- A Real Alternative ---

It is with this in mind I propose a serious alternative to the Christmas no. 1, and I ask you all to join me in this important campaign to make this year's Christmas number 1 no other than....

... 'this 12 second clip of a sea lion I just found on iTunes'

Not only is it available on iTunes but you can also get it on Amazon. So you can all have a good listen to a 12 second sample of the 12 second track before you buys it, here is the link to the Amazon page.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Lion-Sound-Effect-Ringtone/dp/B001QTLSB4/ref=dm_ap_trk41?ie=UTF8&qid=1260205257&sr=8-1

Rest assured if you look you can find it on iTunes as well.

Remember, whatever you do, don't buy it before the 14th, otherwise we may peak too early.

[DFF]

I don't know about anyone else but, I'm not actually fussed about whether or not Sony make money off it. I'ts more of a straight forward 'up yours' to Cowell for having the arrogance to pretty much plan and claim the Xmas number 1 each year.

[Downward Spiral]

Sorry, the 'arrogance'... What part of doing his job really fucking well by making a shitload of money for his employers by selling more singles than anyone has any real right to in a singles market which is pretty fucking dead on its feet, can precisely be described as 'arrogance'? That's what pisses me off about these ridiculous campaigns: they neglect the fact that Simon Cowell and his acts deserve to have the Christmas number 1 because they're the only people who put any fucking effort into getting it.

And this is coming from someone who frickin LOVES "Killing in the Name Of". It just probably deserves better than to meaninglessly get to number one as a 'fuck you' to someone who probably won't actually give a fuck. And rightly so.

[METALMAN]

The charts mean nothing now anyway really.

[GA!]

They haven't meant anything since downloads came in as any random track from any random artist (mostly the flavour of the month) is eligible now. It's practically ended the chance of an independent artist from ever entering the top 40 again because people do - for some reason - buy five Lady Gaga tracks but not the rest of the album.

[DFF]

They haven't meant anything since downloads came in as any random track from any random artist (mostly the flavour of the month) is eligible now. It's practically ended the chance of an independent artist from ever entering the top 40 again because people do - for some reason - buy five Lady Gaga tracks but not the rest of the album.

Actually, didn't some random unsigned, unknown artist break the top 40 just after they started doing downloads, by downloads alone? I'm sure I read it somewhere but can't for the life of me remember the band's name.

[GA!]

They haven't meant anything since downloads came in as any random track from any random artist (mostly the flavour of the month) is eligible now. It's practically ended the chance of an independent artist from ever entering the top 40 again because people do - for some reason - buy five Lady Gaga tracks but not the rest of the album.

Actually, didn't some random unsigned, unknown artist break the top 40 just after they started doing downloads, by downloads alone? I'm sure I read it somewhere but can't for the life of me remember the band's name.

It may have happened for a couple of weeks out of novelty, as well as doing stuff like putting Billie Piper into the top 20, but now pop artists stay in the top 40 with their latest song for months and months, then have their previous singles clog up between number 41-75 on the chart.

By the way, this is brilliant: http://tinyurl.com/y8qza8r

[METALMAN]

The fact that Tinchy Stryder has had two number ones shows how meaningless the charts are now.

Oh and odds for RATM to be number one have been cut to 3-1.

I think I might buy the track. I'm not a particularly huge fan of the song or the band but it would be nice to have a change from X-Factor winner number one with RISE UP OUT OF SEAT GOSPEL CHORUS BIT at the end.

[Baddar]

Simon Cowell's been moaning;

Speaking at a press conference with the competition's finalists Stacey Solomon, Joe McElderry and Olly Murs, and its judges Dannii Minogue, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh, Simon said: "If there's a campaign, and I think the campaign's aimed directly at me, it's stupid. Me having a No 1 record at Christmas is not going to change my life particularly.

"It does however change these guys' lives and we put this opportunity there so that the winner of the X Factor gets the chance of having a big hit record.

"I think it's quite a cynical campaign geared at me which is actually going to spoil the party for these three.

"I also think it's incredibly dismissive of the people who watch and enjoy the show... to treat our audiences as if they're stupid and I don't like that."

Simon also played down the impact of the trend for the X Factor's winner to take the No 1 spot.

He said: "Everyone has this slightly distorted view of Christmas No 1s being incredible. There was that ghastly Cliff Richard song a few years ago, Bob The Builder. So we haven't exactly taken away anything special, it just so happens that our record, to coincide with the show, goes out at Christmas."

I think the point is that they have taken away something special, as there was a time the Christmas number one meant something. Now it's just held by the winner of The X Factor which takes everything away from it.

And if in years to come the XF winner doesn't release a song, I'm sure Westlife will happily oblige by doing a cover of something.

[RPS]

Sorry, the 'arrogance'... What part of doing his job really fucking well by making a shitload of money for his employers by selling more singles than anyone has any real right to in a singles market which is pretty fucking dead on its feet, can precisely be described as 'arrogance'? That's what pisses me off about these ridiculous campaigns: they neglect the fact that Simon Cowell and his acts deserve to have the Christmas number 1 because they're the only people who put any fucking effort into getting it.

So true. I barely watch these type of reality shows like X-Factor, or Got Talent, or Idol, but in an era when the music business is taking a huge hit from illegal file sharing, Simon Cowell and scores of other people have been able to make music at least profitable and, depending on who you talk to, interesting again. I read an interview with the singer from La Roux and she was rightfully pissed, stating that shows like X-Factor bypass the long career path many bands and artists take. However, it's also ignores the fact that this has been happening for years - just nowadays the television audience is playing an active role in being the talent scouts.

[Cactus Drags]

Anyone who thinks this "campaign" is anything more than people thinking manufactured pop music is shite and that it'd be a bit of a larf to see Rage at number one is a fucking idiot.

[Dingle]

I'm in agreement on the 'for a laugh' school of thought.

[GA!]

You can download it now and it'll count towards the charts.

[METALMAN]

I am going to download Santa's List by Cliff Richard to give the fan-dabi-dozi man a number one in this decade. I implore you to do the same!

If ever a decade goes by without Cliff Richard topping the charts, the world will end.

[GA!]

I am going to download Santa's List by Cliff Richard to give the fan-dabi-dozi man a number one in this decade. I implore you to do the same!

If ever a decade goes by without Cliff Richard topping the charts, the world will end.

This is why the Mayans predicted the world will end in 2012.

[YI]

http://www.nme.com/news/rage-against-the-machine/48877

Doubt it'll stay there, as the physical release of the X-Factor guys will be coming out tomorrow, which is when most of the target audience will buy it.

Edited December 16, 2009 by YI