in the last few days several people both in the real world and the virtual domain have chatted to me about the current xmas single campaign expecting me to jump up and declare my support for the crusty old nu-metal dross, and my reaction has been met with open eyed disbelief.
in case you have been living under a rock for the last week the situation is as follows – a bunch of net nerds have decided to show the man who’s the real santa, and driven forth the idea that rather than let that nasty evil simon cowell and his x-factor politburo take over the crimbo charts yet again they would rather have an onset of naughty swearwords and little else.
now a few years ago i may have indeed been all for such games, but at the end of 2009 this strikes me as a blow for, well nothing really.
you see i have 2 children.
one aged 6 and the other a soon to be taxi service demanding teen.
during any week in recent times they have their full and varied lives, and as parents we are lucky if we are allowed to partake in their various activities.
however, for the last few months, the one unifying time has been saturday night and the enjoyments of the entertainment show that is the x-factor.
throughout the whole process of auditions, the live eliminations, we have shouted, argued, and yes, when the emotional strings are pulled, shed a tear together.
i cannot deny the whole experience has been rather wonderful as i suspect next year the teen will be past caring, and the youngest be too busy bashing aliens on a games console somewhere.
in the ireallylovemusic household, the program has basically become the modern equivalent of top of the pops in as much as it has instigated an interest in pop music in both of my offspring and provided many golden hours of family enjoyment.
the youngest now insists on watching music videos ad infinitum, whereas the eldest does his research via youtube to track down the original versions of the slaughtered songs.
try and argue that one out of court.
of course, i cannot for one minute defend the actual musical content of the show given that it is by and large mass produced middle of the road, soul sapping dross, but like politicians, in a democracy, you get what you vote for.
so, who is the campaign aimed at ?
let’s look at the options :
simon cowell ?
behave.
the final show pulled in more viewers than any other show this year, the overall ratings are up, more votes on the phone lines, all of which dictates a lot more advertising revenue.
and while the viewers are on board, the evil empire that is syco, will get the the show recommissioned.
simple as that.
i fully suspect that the fact that the end product, the xmas single, might not get to the top of the charts has absolutely no bearing on simon cowell at all.
i think its fairly clear he is a business man through and through. not a music fan. so chart positions mean nothing, whereas sales figures, advertising revenue, sell out arena tours etc are the real end game.
in fact the notoriety of the whole situation probably makes him look in the mirror at the end of every day and perform another one of those mwha-ha-ha-ha laughs while the number 1 xmas hit by one of his older projects, mr blobby, is blaring out of his mansion shaking 5.1 surround system.
the music industry ?
again, behave.
by picking a crappy old nu-metal ‘anthem’ that was released on a major label back in the day (rage against the machines catalogue is owned by the same company that own the x-factor) this is a complete misfire.
if the campaigners had chosen a lesser known, independently released track by a band few had heard of, (hey, how about choosing a good song as opposed to the second rate student chantalong crap that is fuck you!) then perhaps this would have held more weight, but as it is, it’s a joke.
the music industry will be loving this whole game (for that is what it is), in as much as it just makes a bunch of people pay a lot of money for a track that can be picked up on the album for a fraction of the cost from any cd trade in shop.
also, i have since heard that the price on said track has gone up via itunes .
who’s the joke on now ?
the winner : joe ?
well, this is the real answer if you ask me.
over the last few months the kid has proved he can sing, he has worked hard, and risen to the challenges of the shows demands.
i mean going from school to standing on a stage and singing live in front of millions of viewers within a matter of a few weeks is no mean feat.
he has proven himself to be a genuinely good kid – and one that could indeed carve a career out of the process. whether as a pop star, or as joseph,or a red coat only time will tell.
however, he has a chance just as many others have, of whom only a few have managed to sustain the game.
and this is why i think the whole campaign is misplaced.
the chances are that joe will not become a long lasting pop phenomena, he will release a made-to-order album that will sell relatively well, he will appear on tv here and there, and then when next years model kicks in, his rankings will fall, but in the meantime, he will get to ‘live his dream’ and just where is the pain in that ?
basically, to begrudge him his one moment of true pop fame i think is just a case of seasonally adjusted mean spirits, a sour faced internet joke that for all its supposed honourable intent will actually achieve little other than a shrug and a different crap song at the top of the charts.
well done everyone – more power to you all.