THIS IS IT!

It's the last day of sales for both the X-Factor single and the challengers: Rage Against the Machine.

There's been a lot fo talk the last week, both positive and negative, about the campaign and no matter where you stand today is the decider.

As a member of the RATM camp I would like to encourage as many people as possible to BUY BUY BUY!

Over 900'000 people have joined the Facebook group but only 300'000 have bought the song. Obviously we can do much better and with the X-Factor single due to have a big day of sales today we need a big push to see us through. We're currently at number one - let's stay that way!

I'd give anything to see the look on Simon's face if he doesn't get number one.

One thing that has struck me about this whole event is the arrogance of both SC and Cheryl Cole, calling it 'selfish' and 'mean', as if Joe is entitled to the number one simply for getting through a 12-week karaoke programme. What happened to artists working for years, writing music and hitting the pubs and clubs, to make it big? XF sums up what is very wrong with the music industry at the moment. We want the next big thing then drop then weeks later, there's no permanance in music. What happened to bands being together 10, 20, 30 years? You would never see a band like that form today.

There has been criticism about the choice of song, after all rap metal isn't to everyone's taste. It's certainly not mine, but you can't deny the integrity and soul in the music and lyrics. As Tom Morello stated, KITN was written in a small, industrial slum whilst The Climb was written by a bunch of over-paid songwriters (paraphrased from the Radio5Live interview). Even if KITN isn't to your taste I urge you to buy it anyway, simply to help make a statement that the X-Factor is a karaoke competition and it's products are not 'artists'. Plus for 29p it's a small price to pay to see that smug smiles wiped from Simon Cowell's face



Of course there has also been big criticism of the Sony angle. Detractors have said that ultimately Simon Cowell wins as both acts are signed to Sony so our campaign is mis-guided. This is untrue. Joe Mc is signed to SyCo, Simon's own label which is owned by Sony. RATM are signed to Epic Records which are also owned by Sony. Channel 4 contacted the company and were told that even though tey owened both labels, Simon Cowell recieved no profits from RATM as they were part of seperate companies. Yes Sony is probably making a nice profit from all this but if you go high enough all music is owned by a few so it's irrelevant. This campaign was never about protesting record companies, it was about protesting XF's stranglehold on the charts.

As a big boost Rage Against the Machine have announced they will perform a free victory gig in the UK should they take the number one slot. Tom Morello on Twitter stated: RAGE ANNOUNCE THEY WILL PLAY MASSIVE FREE VICTORY GIG IN UK IF "KILLING IN THE NAME" IS NUMBER ONE XMAS SINGLE!!! Let's go!!!

Of course there's also the charity angle: the FB group have been campaigning for Shelter and the current total stands at ££52,822.63. That's a phonomenal amount for a 'selfish' and 'miserable' group who wouldn't achieve anything. RATM have also said that the proceeds they get from this campaign (through song sales) will go partly to Shelter and partly to a charity that fund music for poor kids in the UK. A very noble gesture.

Finally all you need is the info to know how to help:

Price Comparison site - [urlhttp://bit.ly/comparedownloadprices[/url

--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)
[urlhttp://bit.ly/ratm-itunes[/url

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

7DIGITAL - 50p - track #2
[urlhttp://bit.ly/rage-7digital[/url

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

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

TESCO DIGITAL - 67p - track #2
[urlhttp://bit.ly/ratm-tesco[/url

WE7 - £1.07p - track #2
[urlhttp://bit.ly/ratm-we7[/url

You can also get it from Amazon for 29p. There is a method of getting £4 free credit though the Nokia Ovi Player, which you can use to download the track so it won't cost anything. Details here: [urlhttp://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2228594104&topic=14614[/url

** REMEMBER **
Do not buy any more than 3 copies per vendor, I'd be safe and stick with 2 to be honest. Bulk-buying is flagged and not included.

Find the FB group here: [urlhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=2228594104[/url
The JustGiving Shelter page here: [urlhttp://www.justgiving.com/ratm4xmas[/url

[url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2777954/Rage-Against-The-Machine-guitarist-Tom-Morello-has-urged-music-fans-to-make-history-by-stopping-X-Factor-claiming-the-Christmas-No1-spot.htmlTom Morello of RATM speaks out....[/url

You've done your homework! But, even if RATM do make it to number one, the X-Factor single won't sell any less, Rage would've just sold more, as their audiences aren't really the same. I can't see people browsing iTunes, wanting the XF single and changing their mind! The XF single is still going to make the same money isn't it?

Quote ="Carbon Glacier"You've done your homework! But, even if RATM do make it to number one, the X-Factor single won't sell any less, Rage would've just sold more, as their audiences aren't really the same. I can't see people browsing iTunes, wanting the XF single and changing their mind! The XF single is still going to make the same money isn't it?'" No, it's easy to copy & paste www.hotukdeals.com/item/553878/r ... killing-in

Quote ="Carbon Glacier"You've done your homework! But, even if RATM do make it to number one, the X-Factor single won't sell any less, Rage would've just sold more, as their audiences aren't really the same. I can't see people browsing iTunes, wanting the XF single and changing their mind! The XF single is still going to make the same money isn't it?'" No, it's easy to copy & paste www.hotukdeals.com/item/553878/r ... killing-in

I agree Rugbychick.

The point of the campaign is to show the youth of today that the future of music [and culture in general is in their hands not Cowell and his cronies.I strongly feel that this protest could help kick start what is needed.

Reclaim the Christmas no 1 spot from corporate greed,download RATM Killing in the name.

The spirit of John Peel lives on !

The whole thing is a joke. i for one am not gonna buy ratm or x factor rubbish. number one simpley does not matter to me.. its about my own personal taste. Im not a sheep.

i feel sorry for cliff richard,cowell has sent him hurtling into long overdue retirement now he has boxed xmas off,nothing against ratm,i have seen them live albeit a good few years ago,this campaign would have had more credence if they would have chose a really cheesy crimbo number to pitt against the little smiler.
i'm not really d though because the last single i bought was years ago.

Who cares?????....Considering that the singles chart died the day that the 7 inch vinyl was done away with, I don't see the point in joining in with what is basically a media driven campaign, which is just as cynical as any X Factor puppet having a pointless 'number 1'.

The daft thing is that all this silly battle does is keep Cowell & his cronies in the limelight for longer than they should be....The only actual way to defeat Cowell would be to simply ignore him and his pointless artists, instead of keeping them in the headlines with more tedious nonsense.

Irrelevant. Does anyone really care ( and within that I include the billionaire Simon Cowell) ?

One thing that has struck me about this whole event is the arrogance of both SC and Cheryl Cole, calling it 'selfish' and 'mean', as if Joe is entitled to the number one simply for getting through a 12-week karaoke programme. What happened to artists working for years, writing music and hitting the pubs and clubs, to make it big? XF sums up what is very wrong with the music industry at the moment. We want the next big thing then drop then weeks later, there's no permanance in music. What happened to bands being together 10, 20, 30 years? You would never see a band like that form today.


That paragraph is the reason i despise X Factor...The show is just a money making machine now..
I'm not really a big fan of RATM but i'd honestly settle for anything other than X Factor monopolising the Crimbo Number 1

The way the music industry is now is nothing new; for the 50s and 60s it was all about 'tin pan alley' music writers and producers and their puppet artistes. Elvis Presley was a stooge for Colonel Tom Parker.

It took the stature of a band like The Beatles to change all this. It will happen again.

Kill commercial music off and download whichever overrated track you prefer for free (illegally of course). Win Win situation.

Cowell & his pet-puppet, Sheryl Cole, reek of double standards. They've spent the whole series harping on about the public being in charge of keeping terrible acts like Jedward in the X Factor competition. Yet when the public decide to buy a different song to 'Our Wayne's' cover version of a god-awful all-American pap song (co-written by Billy Ray-Cyrus apparantly), they claim bullying & selfishness as a motive.

My motive not to buy 'The Climb' is that it smells like it just got deposited out of a dogs bottom.

Sack it, despite being cynical about it's chances of actually being number one and regarding it as a waste of money as obviously I already own the album, I've just bitten the bullet and bought Killing In The Name from iTunes. You gotta be in it to win it and all that. I don't even know what the X Factor song is as I'm completely out the loop on popular music but I hate all that reality TV karaoke rubbish and there are few bands in this world I have more respect for than Rage Against The Machine who I've loved for years so it'd be brilliant if they win this.

the bad news is ratm are also on cowells label

How's that, then? By downloading a 17 year old song??? Jesus.

And as is pointed out above, Cowell will still benefit financially from this rather immature campaign. So if the point was to get at him, it's rather backfired IMO. Pathetic and pointless.

Rugbychick said Cowell willnt benifit from this.

Why is this campaign immature?

To be honest I don't think the billionaire (probably) that is Simon Cowell will exactly struggle to make more money here as simply by creating a race for number one will inspire loads of X Factor fans who were "maybe" gonna buy that single to definitely do so as they want it to beat Rage, meaning the X Factor single will sell more copies than it would have normally whether it gets to number one or not.

We have got the first race for Christmas number one in this country for years now though and doesn't it feel just a little bit like old times, with a healthy dose of punk rock rebellious spirit thrown in for good measure. I've bought the Rage track because I want it to win. Simon Cowell is irrelevant.

This is the first time in a decade I've been interested in the race for Christmas number one and I'm enjoying it so whether it ultimately proves successful or not this campaign has achieved something and got people talking.

I used to enjoy the race for christmas number one but xfactor and other of a similar ilk have killed it off.

If this inspires others to produce good quality christmas songs in the future that will compete then I am all for it. With the exposure of Xfactor it is going to be very difficult for anyone to compete and for that reason I am pleased about the uprising against xfactor.

I dont care about Cowell or really whether Joe or ratm wins it would just me nice to have the competition back again.

When was it that the last good quality crimbo song was released?

Far from immature. I cannot recall a unity for a common cause, despite it being superficial for a long time.

The public are fed up of being force fed crap, and have decided to give themselves a choice.

If this situation hadn't arose, this year would have been the same as the previous God knows how many years and would have continued to do so for the foreseeable future.

Wasn't it the same last year when everyone was encouraged to download Hallelujah, only to find Leonard Cohen on Cowell's label?

I suppose this whole 'buy RATM and get them to number one' is meant to be [irebellion[/i against the 'do as I'm told to' consumption patterns?

Dunno, that 'bring back the old facebook layout' group has got big numbers!

What a pile of crap. How many millions watched X Factor? They weren't force fed it or made to watch it - they chose to.

The whole thing's a load of irrelevant tripe - Cowell couldn't buy this publicity and will, once again, be laughing all the way to the bank.

Remember, the public gets what the public wants.

Didn't know Simon Cowell owned Sony?

They are both on totally separate labels, that are subsidiaries of Sony Music but Cowell wont receive a penny.

It's clearly stated in the OP.

My thoughts exactly. Since when has anyone cared what was Christmas No. 1 anyway, seriously?

No-one has a gun held to their head when mulling over if they should buy the X-Factor single or not. If you want to buy it, buy it, if you don't, don't. The irony of the whole Team RATM argument isn't lost on me - 'don't do what Simon Cowell tells you, do what we tell you instead.' Brilliant.

Am bored with all this now.

That said, it's an awesome tune. I shan't be buying it though, I did that fifteen years ago, when I was raging against the machine, maaan. Now I'm a stock controller, go figure, eh.