There are just two days to go before this year’s Christmas Number One is revealed, and supporters of the ‘anti-X-Factor’ campaign to promote Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing in the Name” believe that Simon Cowell has sabotaged their Facebook group.
Traditionally the Christmas Number One is provided by the winner of X-Factor, which this year was Geordie Joe McElderry. However, fed up with the dominance of X-Factor, an online group was set up on Facebook to promote the Rage Against the Machine single in an attempt to get it to #1 for this Sunday’s chart.
The Facebook page stated:
Fed up of Simon Cowell’s latest karaoke act being Christmas No. 1? Me too … So who’s up for a mass-purchase of the track ‘KILLING IN THE NAME’ from December 13th … as a protest to the X Factor monotony?
Early figures suggested that the ploy was working too, as ‘Killing in the Name’ was initially outselling McElderry’s effort… of course, that was before the X-Factor single was even available in the shops! It was previously only available for download.
Fans of Rage Against the Machine cried foul when their Facebook page disappeared for a short while, believing Simon Cowell was somehow behind it.
One of the fans commented on the ‘sabotage’:
I think it was sabotage! Cowell is threatened by the group as he has made loads of remarks about it already.
Zane Lowe played Killing In The Name Of on radio 1 at 7pm to show his support and he had dubbed in Cowell’s comments about the group. Get over it Cowell, Rage are awesome and will be Christmas number one!
The Rage Against the Machine campaign looks doomed to failure, as Gennaro Castaldo from HMV commented:
We have placed our largest order in 10 years on this single, 500,000 will be available in stores around the country tomorrow.
There really has been a massive Facebook campaign for Killing in the Name of but I think X Factor will knock it off.
We are expecting that most customers will actually buy this single in a store rather than online.
The X Factor is the only show to reach a family-based audience, it’s the only platform that artists can go on now.
Big name U.S. artists line up to get on there because they know they will get a massive audience.
It was a brave effort by the Rage fans, but ultimately the X-Factor is watched by millions of people across the UK, whereas Rage Against the Machine are a slightly cheesy, niche US band. It was never really going to work, so Geordie Joe’s first #1 should be secured Sunday night.
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“Rage Against the Machine are a slightly cheesy, niche US band”
I’ll give you one thing, they are from the USA. That statement strongly hints that you have never listened to any music from the band. How on Earth are they “slightly cheesy”?!
Well…if I’m not mistaken…the RageFactor group totally pulled it off…and Rage is the 2009 Christmas #1.
Is that a picture of you at the top of the page? ..And you call Rage cheesy! You and Joe McCheese are fully fledged mature stilton. Rot in hell!
PS: Rage No.1
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