Kevin's Watch

Just seen that there is a campaign on Facebook, maybe elsewhere, to stop the X-Factor winner (simon cowell's program) getting to number 1 at christmas AGAIN!

So, please all UK KWers, buy and download a copy of 'Killing In The Name Of' by Rage Against The Machine, before 23.59 Saturday night! It costs 67p from Tesco's website or there are other places.....

from the Facebook group....

--Buy 1 for yourself, and maximum another 2 as a 'gift' for someone--

iTUNES - 99p - track #2 (click on 'view in itunes' on the right)
bit.ly/ratm-itunes

PLAY.COM - 65p - it's the only track on the page
bit.ly/ratm-play

7DIGITAL - 50p - track #2
bit.ly/rage-7digital

HMV.COM - 79p (careful - this is track #1)
bit.ly/ratm-hmv

TUNETRIBE - 49P - track #2 - LIVE version (yes it counts)
bit.ly/ratm-tunetribe
or
bit.ly/rage-tunetribe (Studio Version)

TESCO DIGITAL - 67p - track #2
bit.ly/ratm-tesco

WE7 - £1.07p - track #2
bit.ly/ratm-we7

AMAZON ALLEGEDLY IS CHART ELIGIBLE, BUT IM HEARING MANY CONFLICTING STORIES ON THIS. MAYBE PUT THESE ABOVE VENDORS FIRST

I've thought this was great since I first heard about it, apparently RATM had the lead in sales as of yesterday, thanks to the very convenient delayof a large number of the physical copies of the X-Factor winner's CDs from reaching stores.

Simon Cowell's response to this was to claim it's clearly an attack on him personally, and that the X-Factor winner needs this big hit to get their career going and the campaign would hurt them. The first part is just pure ego from him, the second is untrue and the whole point of the protest in the first place - christmas number one is not one of the prizes to be given out by his competition, and we should never have reached the position where an X-Facotr christmas number one is taken for granted. It just makes the position meaningless.

Perfect choice of song for the protest, too.

And they won. Rage Against the Machine's Killing In The Name is UK christmas number 1 for 2009.

Simon Cowell seems to have had a complete turn around in outlook in the past week, too... predictably.

UK Christmas Number 1 2009

Rage Against The Machine have promised a free UK gig in 2010 to celebrate, they're also saying they'll donate the profits (of 500,000 downloads) to the homeless charity Shelter that the couple who set up the Facebook group were asking people to donate to (and that raised £70000 just through Facebook).



I'd hate to be a parent in the next few weeks though!

I honestly thought it wasn't possible. I'm astonished.

I think Simon Cowell is more intelligent and talented than Rage Against the Machine. The irony here is that despite Rage's usual hypocritical message the only winner here are the record companies. Rage once again reinforces corporations.

I agree, Loremaster. Rage Against the Machine are a huge global band signed to a major label, and they beat an unknown who'd just released his first record after winning a talent competition.

But Mr Cowell seems to think that the Christmas Number One, which traditionally was a coveted achievement, now 'belongs' to the winner of his show.

I think the 'victory' here is for the sentiment expressed in the song over perceived dumming down of music.

This years contender.....

Pittenweem Pharmacy song