Rage Against the X Factor?

[Beaumonde]

Well, some of you may already know about the protest that's going on against the X Factor.
If you're in the UK you'll know that EVERY SINGLE YEAR the X Factor winner gets the Christmas No. 1, like it's their right, which is a bit ridiculous. So people have decided to mass-buy Rage Against the Machines track "Killing In The Name"

At the moment RATM is number one on iTunes, HMV, Play, Amazon, etc, but the X Factor single is still number 2. And with the actual single CD being released in shops tomorrow it's gonna get a LOT more sales, because all the old people will want to buy it.

Come on, wouldn't it be fantastic to have this as the 2009 christmas number one? - www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkuOAY-S6OY
It would be hilarious. And much better than Joe singing a crap version of a mediocre song.

Has anyone brought RATM? My brother's going to if Joe is winning at the end of the week.

Here's the back-up Facebook group (the real one with 700,000 odd fans had 'server trouble') - www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=37655682127

[untouchable]

What's the big deal with who is number 1? To be honest this nonsense seems quite childish and kind of shows people really don't have lives.

[Beaumonde]

Dec 15, 2009 19:11:40 GMT -5 untouchable said:

What's the big deal with who is number 1? To be honest this nonsense seems quite childish and kind of shows people really don't have lives.

Yeah, it's pretty childish to take away the Christmas number 1 from Joe McElderry. But is it a bad thing? nah.

I don't care about charts, or much music in them. The Christmas number 1 is a big thing for the public for some reason, I dunno if it is in Canada. So having it be some old punk rock band instead of X Factor would just be a big "stfu" to them.

[Beaumonde]

Dec 15, 2009 20:41:15 GMT -5 said:

Although in previous years the top 3 x-factor finalists sold;
Shayne (700k +)
Alexandra (500k +)
Leona (500k +)
All in the same period.

I think for RATM to be number one it would be a little diabolical. It's a good song but Christmas number one? Really?

The fact that the highest selling one got around 750,000 makes me happy! If everyone in that facebook group bought 2 copies each (not even costing them £2...) then RATM would easily win. I don't think they'll do that, but there's still hope.

Heh, yeah it's not very christmas-y. Which is why I want it to win. That, and it'll piss a lot of people off while being a nice change.

[Beaumonde]

Rage are about 37,000 purchases ahead of Joe. Happy days! Saturday will be the real decider.
People are organising flash mobs in some city centres (probably outside their biggest HMV) on Saturday. It'll be chaos with the Christmas shoppers!

[Beaumonde]

Well, they aren't going out to buy the single. There isn't actually a hard copy of RATM to buy in shops. I think if there was then Rage would get ahead a lot further. Flash mob = like a flash dance, or flash freeze mob. They basically gather in one spot and act naturally, then all freak out when they play the song.

Yeah, I think they should of chosen a song from an Independent record label. But it might not of gotten as many people on board with the campaign.

I find some of the things the X Factor judges are saying totally ridiculous. They act like it's a personal attack on themselves and Joe, when really it's about not having to deal with the rubbish X Factor spews out to the public.
Apparently the campaign has taken the 'fun' out of the Christmas No. 1 battle, when there hasn't been a battle for atleast 5 years! This campaign has actually made it somewhat exciting for a change.

Joe isn't taking it personally at all, he's taking it well. So, good for him. He hadn't heard of the group or the song before now. Bless his cotton socks.

[henzINNIT]

I bought my copy of Rage. Nothing like a festive Xfactor revolt.

[Paul]

I enjoy X Factor and don't really like the Rage song... but I still want Rage to be #1. The whole thing is hilarious.

The smug X Factor judges are always saying "it's up to the public", but they're not happy when the public tell them to f*** off, are they? ;D

[wenxina]

You know what would be funnier? If people stopped worrying about ridiculous things, and instead of wasting money on determining who gets a No. 1 single on Christmas, donated their money towards something charitable instead, and made Christmas possible for people who don't have the means to even have the things that most people take for granted.
Sorry to rain on this parade, but this - this whole ridiculous campaign - just strikes me as the dumbest thing I've heard this season, and it pisses me off that people are worrying about something this inane when the current economic recession means that plenty people are having to do with less, or without the usual festivities.
Go donate a book, or a toy, or money. Or even your time. Read Dickens, and maybe for two seconds, consider how lucky you are. Be a better human being than just another one of the drones of corporate consumerism.
This little rant goes out to nobody in particular, but everybody out there.

[henzINNIT]

Just fyi wex, "Rage Against The Xfactor" linked Shelter (homeless charity) all over the place throughout the movement and have raised over £35,000 from donating facebookers.

[wenxina]

Good for them. But that's initiative on the behalf of the band, not the people trying to sway the results one way or the other.
But thanks for the info.

[Paul]

Dec 19, 2009 15:00:11 GMT -5 wenxina said:

You know what would be funnier? If people stopped worrying about ridiculous things, and instead of wasting money on determining who gets a No. 1 single on Christmas, donated their money towards something charitable instead, and made Christmas possible for people who don't have the means to even have the things that most people take for granted.
Sorry to rain on this parade, but this - this whole ridiculous campaign - just strikes me as the dumbest thing I've heard this season, and it pisses me off that people are worrying about something this inane when the current economic recession means that plenty people are having to do with less, or without the usual festivities.
Go donate a book, or a toy, or money. Or even your time. Read Dickens, and maybe for two seconds, consider how lucky you are. Be a better human being than just another one of the drones of corporate consumerism.
This little rant goes out to nobody in particular, but everybody out there.

Xi, I think it's extremely unfair of you to guilt-trip people for taking interest in a chart competition. Many people, myself included (even though I do watch and enjoy the show sometimes) are completely sick of hearing about X Factor. It's dominated the UK media with pathetic scandal and manufactured gossip, and the last god-knows-how-many #1s have been associated with the show (Cheryl, Alexandra, Susan Boyle, etc etc ). Pushing Rage to #1 is just a light-hearted "f*** you" to a show that has become increasingly smug about it's own importance. It's mildly amusing, not life or death.

Also, no offense, but who are you to tell people what to do with their money? If you want to give money to charity and help others less fortunate, that's very generous but don't try and force others to do the same. If someone wants to spend a few quid on itunes or whatever getting Rage to #1, that's their prerogative. Personally, I don't care enough to sway the vote either way (I don't even follow the charts), but I'm not going to get all self-righteous over those that do. Someone could just as easily call Buffy an inane waste of time and judge you for wasting $4 a month on that.

[wenxina]

Dec 19, 2009 19:52:04 GMT -5 Paul said:

Xi, I think it's extremely unfair of you to guilt-trip people for taking interest in a chart competition. Many people, myself included (even though I do watch and enjoy the show sometimes) are completely sick of hearing about X Factor. It's dominated the UK media with pathetic scandal and manufactured gossip, and the last god-knows-how-many #1s have been associated with the show (Cheryl, Alexandra, Susan Boyle, etc etc ). Pushing Rage to #1 is just a light-hearted "f*** you" to a show that has become increasingly smug about it's own importance. It's mildly amusing, not life or death.

Also, no offense, but who are you to tell people what to do with their money? If you want to give money to charity and help others less fortunate, that's very generous but don't try and force others to do the same. If someone wants to spend a few quid on itunes or whatever getting Rage to #1, that's their prerogative. Personally, I don't care enough to sway the vote either way (I don't even follow the charts), but I'm not going to get all self-righteous over those that do. Someone could just as easily call Buffy an inane waste of time and judge you for wasting $4 a month on that.

You're missing the point here. If you've nothing to feel guilty about, you wouldn't feel a twinge. I don't really care what anyone does with their money. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything. I'm doing exactly the same thing as the people organizing this fiasco; saying that I'm sick of the status quo (in this case, inane competitions), and proposing a course of action (spending time, energy and money on something more worthwhile, say for example, charity). I may "waste" $4 a month, but there'll also be money and other donations going to various charities and such, so I'm not just talking the talk here. The difference here is that I'm not buying a comic book just for the sake of outcompeting another one. I'm not wasting time, energy, and money buying multiple copies of the same book to push sales in any way. There are more important things to life. Which was basically the point. I don't care if you or anyone blows $500 on an epic night of debauchery, as long as you're doing it because you want to, and not to prove a pointless point. It's the competition that I scorn, not what you choose to do with your money. The competition is the pointless thing. It's harmless, but also inane. Tiny Tim is crying. Don't trip on the guilt.

[Beaumonde]

Rage won! Hallelujah, it's a Christmas miracle!

[Paul]

Dec 19, 2009 22:51:31 GMT -5 wenxina said:

Dec 19, 2009 19:52:04 GMT -5 Paul said:

Xi, I think it's extremely unfair of you to guilt-trip people for taking interest in a chart competition. Many people, myself included (even though I do watch and enjoy the show sometimes) are completely sick of hearing about X Factor. It's dominated the UK media with pathetic scandal and manufactured gossip, and the last god-knows-how-many #1s have been associated with the show (Cheryl, Alexandra, Susan Boyle, etc etc ). Pushing Rage to #1 is just a light-hearted "f*** you" to a show that has become increasingly smug about it's own importance. It's mildly amusing, not life or death.

Also, no offense, but who are you to tell people what to do with their money? If you want to give money to charity and help others less fortunate, that's very generous but don't try and force others to do the same. If someone wants to spend a few quid on itunes or whatever getting Rage to #1, that's their prerogative. Personally, I don't care enough to sway the vote either way (I don't even follow the charts), but I'm not going to get all self-righteous over those that do. Someone could just as easily call Buffy an inane waste of time and judge you for wasting $4 a month on that.

You're missing the point here. If you've nothing to feel guilty about, you wouldn't feel a twinge. I don't really care what anyone does with their money. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything. I'm doing exactly the same thing as the people organizing this fiasco; saying that I'm sick of the status quo (in this case, inane competitions), and proposing a course of action (spending time, energy and money on something more worthwhile, say for example, charity). I may "waste" $4 a month, but there'll also be money and other donations going to various charities and such, so I'm not just talking the talk here. The difference here is that I'm not buying a comic book just for the sake of outcompeting another one. I'm not wasting time, energy, and money buying multiple copies of the same book to push sales in any way. There are more important things to life. Which was basically the point. I don't care if you or anyone blows $500 on an epic night of debauchery, as long as you're doing it because you want to, and not to prove a pointless point. It's the competition that I scorn, not what you choose to do with your money. The competition is the pointless thing. It's harmless, but also inane. Tiny Tim is crying. Don't trip on the guilt.

I just think wanting X Factor to lose #1 and maybe spending a few quid to affect the outcome is harmless and understandable. Yeah, it's a bit inane and pointless, but so are a lot of things we care about.

I don't want to fall out here, but your "How dare you care about superficial things, go out and feed the homeless!" attitude a bit condescending.

[henzINNIT]

Dec 19, 2009 15:56:15 GMT -5 wenxina said:

Good for them. But that's initiative on the behalf of the band, not the people trying to sway the results one way or the other.
But thanks for the info.

The band had absolutely nothing to do with it, they don't even exist anymore. It's all from the people swaying the results.

Dec 19, 2009 22:16:05 GMT -5 said:

It really isn't that funny. How funny will it be for those people that have bought the RATM song just to try and get it to number one only to find it at number two. It is a sad state of affiars. People buy the Xfactor single becuase they like the artist, they know the artist and obviously enjoy the song. Can any of that be said for RATM? I'm not saying that it can't, but they are not everyone's ideal (neither is Joe) but the song that shifts the most singles is deemed the more popular. Are people buying RATM's single for its geuiness? Probably not. I now have about 20 friends of mine who are fans of the facebook group even though I know for fact that 70% of them won't physically download the song, the facebook group is literally telling people how to spend their money now becuase the song is predicted to be 10,000+copies behind the Xfactor song.

I'll be glad when it is all over later today.

I really don't know what is more disheartening, this battle for number one or that I don't have any snow yet!

Huge, massive generalisation. Everyone I know who has supported Rage have been fans of the band. It's chart manipulation, but that doesn't mean it isn't because the song is awesome. Personally I'm very satisfied that there is still this many people about that support that music, apparently more than those who support Miley Cyrus covers (No offense to Joe, seems a nice guy).

[Kara]

Dec 15, 2009 19:11:40 GMT -5 untouchable said:

What's the big deal with who is number 1? To be honest this nonsense seems quite childish and kind of shows people really don't have lives.

Agreeed.

[wenxina]

Dec 20, 2009 16:56:39 GMT -5 henzINNIT said:

Dec 19, 2009 15:56:15 GMT -5 wenxina said:

Good for them. But that's initiative on the behalf of the band, not the people trying to sway the results one way or the other.
But thanks for the info.

The band had absolutely nothing to do with it, they don't even exist anymore. It's all from the people swaying the results.

Sorry, misread "X-Factor" for "Machine"... temporary brainfart or something. While I'm glad that some good is coming out of this nonsense, it's still, in the greater scheme of things, nonsense. But I'm done... I don't know how many times I can type "nonsense" before the word looks utterly nonsensical to me.
People will lead their lives the way they want to, regardless of my very large soapbox (that used to contain artisan, organic, eco-friendly soap).

[wenxina]

Kinda brings to mind Love, Actually, no?

[henzINNIT]

Dec 20, 2009 21:21:57 GMT -5 said:

Dec 20, 2009 16:56:39 GMT -5 henzINNIT said:

Huge, massive generalisation. Everyone I know who has supported Rage have been fans of the band. It's chart manipulation, but that doesn't mean it isn't because the song is awesome. Personally I'm very satisfied that there is still this many people about that support that music, apparently more than those who support Miley Cyrus covers (No offense to Joe, seems a nice guy).

Huge and massive in the same sentence? Really. Actually if you read the post, its states that Joe is also not everyone's Ideal. I still stand by that probably 70% of my 20 friends won't have downloaded the song. No generalisation at all, I don't think you can generalie music taste. But thats a totally different conversation.

Thankfully it is over. RATM won and have already commented on Radio1, there was 52000+ singles in it in the end. People had made their point and then it became official. Like I said previously Joe should be very happy with a number 2. I haven't listened to the charts in years but its interetsing how its probably been one of the top conversation topics of the week.

I thought it better than repeating huge

I did actually read it, and was captivated by this part: "People buy the Xfactor single becuase they like the artist, they know the artist and obviously enjoy the song. Can any of that be said for RATM? I'm not saying that it can't, but they are not everyone's ideal (neither is Joe) but the song that shifts the most singles is deemed the more popular. Are people buying RATM's single for its geuiness? Probably not." and felt the need to clarify that although the movement was intending to damage Xfactor's dominance of the xmas charts, it was done using a popular song of a very different nature. I didn't like the implication that the song was elected solely to cause uproar. It was intended as an example of forgotten quality music. I doubt it would have been successful if Rage weren't so well liked, I certainly wouldn't have bought a song I didn't like.

It's all gravy though, xmas gravy in fact (whatever that means)