RATM & The X-Factor

The X-Factor is part of what’s wrong with the music industry at the moment – it’s still subscribing to the “rock star” image where you sell millions of CD’s, the labels & distributors take a huge cut and it’s the execs who decide who the want to turn into the next star. They use platforms like the X-factor to reinforce the idea that to “make it” as a chart act, you need the backing of the majors, to win the X-Factor, etc. and it’s your only way to get into music.

Cowell is coming out saying if it wasn’t for the X-factor, we wouldn’t have discovered genuinely talented people like Leona etc. Fair enough, but if it wasn’t for the X-factor and it ramming the “we’re discovering new talent” message, what other avenues would talented people have had available to them to promote themselves?

I’m working with guys at the minute who are trying to give bands a way to make it on their own, and the RATM campaign proves that all you need to make a number one, even a Christmas number one, is a facebook group and a download on iTunes. *Anyone* can do that, and that’s what needs to be made clear.

It’s not about a personal attack on Cowell (I actually like the guy, I think he’s smart and is making the most of what he’s got). It’s not about the song (though it’s somewhat amusing to think of Killing in the name being a christmas number one!). It not about Facebook vs X-Factor as some of the media is billing it, it goes deeper. With this, people are now saying they want more from their music than manufactured pop and its time has passed. Even if RATM don’t make number one, it’ll be number two beyond any shadow of a doubt and I think the message is pretty clear.

Thing is, the facebook group has 750K members. Even if each member just buys *one* copy of the single, it’ll be almost double what the xmas number one sold last year.

Oh, and the campaign has raised over £30K for Shelter so far, and Tom Morello (RATM’s bass player) has come out this morning on radio and said he will donate earnings from the single to Youth Music, a scheme helping young musicians in the UK.

So come on, get on Amazon and get your copy it’s only 29p, and show you want more from your music than just regurgitated saccharine cover pop.

Do here, do it now!

QUICK EDIT – The .29p version DOES count towards the chart. Amazon have to buy it for 40p, which they are – they can retail it for whatever they want, this has been confirmed multiple times by Amazon and The Official Charts Company.

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