Rage against the X factor:

"Ba, Humbug! I Won't do what you tell me!"

The current race for the Christmas number one is being battled out through internet downloads, touted as Rock verses Pop, It is also a fight for the long tail, which is where there is greater choice and access to niche markets brought to the discerning consumer via the internet. This economic ideal is not being realised within the music business where the blockbuster marketing mentality is prevailing. Typified by X factor which I believe is some sort of talent show where only the most popular prevail. Never watched it!

The winner take all approach of blockbuster marketing cashes in on the cost advantages of the brisk sellers and relies on what is perceived as best and most acceptable to those who follow the herd. This leads to the predictable economic imbalance of the 80/20 rule where roughly 80% share goes to the top 20%, and remaining 20% goes to bottom 80% in the statistical tail. Whilst there is a lot of rubbish out there at the end of the tail, pushing the most "popular" upon us sets in groupthink, it cuts of the long tail, stifling creativity, originality, innovation and choice.

Rage Against The Machine are angry and do swearing, you can take Joe home to meet your parents.


Links

Rage Against The Machine's Morello praises chart race "...There are a lot of people who don't feel represented by it and this Christmas in the UK they're having their say ..." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8415750.stm Page last updated at 13:34 GMT, Wednesday, 16 December 2009

What is anti-X Factor song Killing In The Name all about? "...While anyone who has heard it will be able to describe how the song ends, it's less clear what's going on beforehand - other than that it's very, very angry "http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8419446.stm Page last updated at 11:05 GMT, Friday, 18 December 2009

Rage Against the Machine - the perfect Christmas No 1 for our times Music Blog, the Guardian Posted by Ben Myers Friday 18 December 2009 15.53 GMT guardian.co.uk http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/dec/18/rage-against-the-machine-christmas-no1-battle

The Long Tail Chris Anderson "...For too long we've been suffering the tyranny of lowest-common-denominator fare, subjected to brain-dead summer blockbusters and manufactured pop." http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html Issue 12.10 - October 2004



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