Simon and his evil empire have fallen at the knees of the Rage Against the Machine’s internet viral campaign. However, what does this tell us about mass conformism in this post-modern musical age?
Word of mouth can be an inspiring thing; that’s the lesson being broadcast to the nation via the internet from its most recent cult counterculture. Said counterculture started an online sensation on Facebook a month ago in the form of an internet viral campaign looking to beat X Factor to the Christmas number 1 spot. The now infamous Facebook group titled RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE FOR CHRISTMAS NO.1 eventually gathered enough speed to topple winner Joe McElderry’s efforts at an X Factor Christmas number 1. Currently sporting a staggering 996, 589 members, the group promoted the online purchase of a secret weapon; Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 hit ‘Killing in the Name’. Very fitting.
Although as the words ‘Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me’ blast out of the majority of people’s shiny and new iPod docking stations this Christmas, don’t be surprised if this success story leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste. Why? Well, for one thing, the question lingers as to whether all this mass anti-establishment hysteria has created in itself another monster: A large quantity of humans revolting against Cowell’s pop machine, by...conforming. Now, conforming against conformism is rather post-modern, I’m sure you’ll agree. I’m all for giving a too-smug Cowell a festive kick in the crown jewels, but is what we’re doing right, just to prove a point? To some of you, the whole debacle may raise all sorts of underlying questions on morality and principles. To others, you might not give two hoots – you may just be happy to have ‘shown the world that we DO have a voice!’
One question: Should our individual and sacred musical tastes be open to utilitarian or democratic referendum? Granted, we collectively made a hard-hitting political song
Number 1 with a budget of zero, however if we are not careful we may end up with the X Factor again; something to please the masses. Because that’s what this is really all about – pleasing the masses. With a victory over the X Factor musical factory, we appear to have made a small stand against the commercial machine. However, it may be hard to divorce ourselves from the morality of what we have done. That coupled with conspiracy theories suggesting that the online campaign organised by Jon and Tracy Morter was actually a marketing scheme cooked up by Sony Records to dominate the chart raises questions on who is driving who.
As an afterthought - McElderry has now bagged the New Year’s Number 1 spot. His effort sold 196,000 copies in its second week, compared with 69,000 copies shifted by Killing In The Name, which slipped to second. So were we postponing the inevitable, and if so, was there any point? I’ll let you be the judges of that. Get it? X Factor – judges? Sigh...
