Radio 2 in the Park 2024

[John]

At 29p, we could all by 10 copies each (works out £2.90 - less than the cost of a pint!)

[Jono]

The X Factor winner Joe McElderry is losing out to Rage Against The Machine in the race for the UK Christmas Number One single.

Early midweek indications today (December 15) are that McElderry's single 'The Climb' (a cover of a song) has sold less than the US band, whose 1992 song 'Killing In The Name' is Number Two in the charts following a Facebook campaign to get them to the top spot.

However the physical format of McElderry's single is not released until tomorrow and this is expected to give the song a huge boost in the chart.

'Killing In The Name' shot to Number Two in the midweeks despite the Facebook campaign group going down periodically earlier this week. The song is Number One on the iTunes and Amazon.co.uk download charts.

The X Factor mogul Simon Cowell has branded the campaign "stupid" and "cynical".

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

[Viv]

I think the campaign is stupid as well, so I'm actually inclined to agree with the Cowell.

I've been invited to join in on Facebook, but have ignored all invitations.

[Chippy]

I read yesterday that the official chart only counts tracks which cost more than 40p.

This means amazon sales counts for nothing, bad news RATM.

(And thanks Viv)

[Robbie Keane]

Three points:

1) Can only buy 3 copies per vendor to make it officially count.

2) The 29p Amazon download DOES count - this has been checked and verified.

3) Cowell knows the campaign is the best thing to ever happen to an X-Factor winner. He's trolling us because he knows it'll give everyone mass publicity for the whole week. He's not stupid.

[Mark710]

May I ask a question???? From the States here and can't watch the X Factor...why are so many people against it becoming # 1 in the charts...is this about Simon Cowell????

[Robbie Keane]

The Christmas #1 used to be a huge deal in the UK until X-Factor came along and started coinciding the release of the winner's song with the Christmas race. That, in turn, eliminated the race and just gave the X-Factor winner an easy win before people had even heard the song. So this is a reaction to that, by choosing an anti-establishment song - as far apart from the winner's song as possible, in mainstream music terms - to forefront a campaign to put a bit of spice back into the race.

[Lucinda]

Actually screw Amazon - they let me pay for the track, so I guess it counts, but they won't let me download the bastard thing. Won't be using their download service again... the internet died while it was downloading, and I can't download it again.

Edit: Finally got it sorted, after speaking to a bloke on the phone in Ireland. At least Amazon actually phone the customer, rather than making the customer phone them. I've got the song, finally. Must have cost Amazon more than 29p to sort out though.

[DC]

is it only hmv and i tunes that count to the actual chart? we could do with a good list of legal sites that matter. i'm sure, however reliable it is. that the likes of 7 digital does not count.

[Mark710]

Thanks Mitchell....it appears that X Factor will win no matter what because of the volume of watchers..RATM...has only 300,000 members on Facebook...I admire symbolic rants....do it all the time here in the States

[Robbie Keane]

According to theofficialcharts.com, sites that contribute towards the chart include 7digital, HMV, iTunes, Napster, etc.

[Robbie Keane]

Thanks Mitchell....it appears that X Factor will win no matter what because of the volume of watchers..RATM...has only 300,000 members on Facebook...I admire symbolic rants....do it all the time here in the States

You're looking at the wrong group - it has 767,000 members, but only a percentage are buying thus far. Plus, the kicker will be physical sales which Joe will win on because Rage don't have a physical single out.

[DC]

According to theofficialcharts.com, sites that contribute towards the chart include 7digital, HMV, iTunes, Napster, etc.

i have an account with 7 digital, allthough i've only made on legal download from them. i'll d/l it there then, or maybe buy the cd? who knows.

[John]

Would it be more acceptable to people if they put bells over the song?

[Ratscallion]

Would it be more acceptable to people if they put bells over the song?

Jingle Bells for number 1!

[DC]

the rage against the machine track reminds me of playing 'grand theft auto: san andreas' years back.

i have now bought this track for memories of those times, and more so to help stop x factor getting the christmas number number one. even if they get it next week i don't care, it's a point to cowell.

[Roy H]

Right, my two-pennerth,

I heard "Killing In The Name" for the third time yesterday on Scott's show. The song is weak at best, having only eight lines of lyrics and would be categorised as 'unimaginative row' if if were allowed anywhere near my i-tunes library. The song has nothing to do with Christmas despite Beccy's comment that "It sounds Christmassy" Hello? Am I missing something? Why start a campaign to have this, a six year old song at the top of the chart? Anti establishment it may be, but thats all been done before, over and over.....

Dont get me wrong, I'm no fan of X Factor, Cowell or anything associated with the programme, in fact I've never watched a single episode since it had the misfortune to hit our screens. I've far better ways to spend my Saturday evenings. I would like to see a song which wasnt associated with the programme as the Christmas No1, or indeed a Christmas Top Ten with no X Factor songs in it. But RATM? No, I dont think so.

Just my opinion. No more, no less.......... :confused:

[Robbie Keane]

I don't even know where to start...

A song isn't bad based on how many lines of lyrics it includes. It makes a nice change from the bands who try to do too much and end up saying nothing, whereas the message of the Rage song is pretty unsubtle and crystal clear.

The song isn't Christmassy at all and I imagine Beccy/Becky was being sarcastic.

The song is 17 years old, not 6.

It was chosen because no other song would have worked as well as a PROTEST against the monopolisation of the Christmas #1. It needed to be a stark contrast to Joe's song in order to capture the imagination of the non-X-Factor viewing public.

You just don't like RATM, which is fine. But any other song just wouldn't have been as close to as successful.

[KingTutsWWH]

Rage Against the Machine on 5 Live this morning. 9.00 mins in, but the interview is good too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIa5NoPH9c&feature=youtube_gdata

This is very funny. It took them about four "F*ck you I won't do what you tell me's" 'til you heard a panicked voice saying "get rid of it" and they disappeared. Of course they were going to do this.

As Mitchell said, this whole business is a rage against the Cowell X Factor machine, and not doing what we're told. It is entirely irrelevant as to whether the song is Christmassy or not, whether you like it or not (which I do) or even whether you like Joe or not (I think he's a cutie, but his song's rrrrrubbish).

I find it a fascinating exercise in discovering the power of an internet protest too.

Having said all this I shan't be downloading anything as I already have RATM.

[Robbie Keane]

I aleady have two copies of the RATM album and still bought a copy.

[KingTutsWWH]

Meh. I'm cheap. I also don't like being told what to do either.

[groovyhoover]

Me and my friends have been debating this whole thing today...

The thing is, I can understand people's frustration with Simon Cowell constantly controlling the Christmas Number One (If he just released it any other week it would be far less of an irritation!) but I just can't help but feel for Joe - he will be the first winner not to go straight to number one - even Steve Brookstein managed that. However, if he doesn't go to number one this Sunday he will the following week anyway.

It does make the whole thing more exciting though, like it used to be. I would prefer it if someone was trying to beat him with an actual Christmas song, though.

So yeah, Joe for number one, if only because we have the same name .

[DC]

i don't like x factor of course. but the worst thing is that simon cowell thinks he is right and everyone else is wrong, he lives in a world where he thinks people don't go out weekends simply to watch the show. the people who have to hear about it endlessly have had enough, and even if rage against the machine dosen't get to number one. it's a statement.

another thing is, they make out like the winner is going to be around for the next 40 years and be bigger than any other artist known to man. they are sooo much better than superstars like paul mccartney and george michael simply because they won a karaoke contest. yeah right. go and ask steve brookside or whoever.

[Mark710]

I don't have a horse in this race....RATM...well I really don't listen to them...so I neither support or oppose them.....Simon Cowell, I don't particularly like....I listened to Joe's song yesterday and today as both Greg J. and Chris Moyles played it. The young lad does have a nice voice and it's a nice song. I hope he wins....I'd hate to see him punished because of any backlash from X Factor which I have never seen before...it sounds like it has the same format as American Idol.....So Joe, hope you win sweetie

[DC]

people who watch it are so smug and think they are better than you. go rage.