Rage Against the Machine beats Simon Cowell to UK Christmas Number 1. Rage Against the Machine beats Simon Cowell to UK Christmas Number 1. shares If you needed more proof of the weight behind social media, this is it. Rage Against the Machine have just had their first UK Number 1. They got it thanks to an Facebook group campaign, beating X-Factor winner Joe McElderry. FIND OUT WHY Killing in the Name, the single, was released over 15 years ago. RATM spent nothing on marketing and yet they made it to Christmas No.1. In taking the title for 2009, Killing In The Name also sets two new landmarks, becoming the UK’s first download-only Christmas number one and notching up the biggest one-week download sales total in British chart history. A week ago X-Factor Winner Joe McElderry appeared to be a Shoo in for Christmas No.1. Every year, for four years, the Winner of X-Factor has been number one at Christmas. But this year Jon and Tracy Morter , of Essex, who decided to set up a protest campaign on Facebook and promote Rage Against the Machine as a possible contender.

Cowell praised the couple behind the anti-X Factor online drive. He said: “I am gutted for Joe because a number one single meant a lot to him but I have to congratulate Jon and Tracy, who started the Facebook campaign. “I called Jon on Saturday to congratulate the two of them that, win or lose, they turned this into a very exciting race for the Christmas number one. HMV’s Gennaro Castaldo said: “This is a truly remarkable outcome – possibly the greatest chart upset ever, which few people could have imagined when Joe claimed the X Factor crown last weekend. Rage Against The Machine sold 502672 copies, beating X Factor Joe by approximately 50,000 sales. Former CEO of The Next Web. A fan of startups, entrepreneurship, getting things done faster, penning the occasional blog post, taking photos, designing, listening to good music and making lurrrve.

Contact Rage Against the Machine beats X Factor's Joe to Christmas No 1 | Music | The Guardian Rage Against the Machine beats X Factor's Joe to Christmas No 1 After a Facebook campaign against Simon Cowell's chart domination, music fans celebrate their victory Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine performing at the Reading Festival. Photograph: Chiaki Nozu/FilmMagic.com Sunday 20 December 2009 14.00 EST First published on Sunday 20 December 2009 14.00 EST Close This article is 7 years old In recent years, it had become as predictable as elections in North Korea – singer wins X Factor, singer's debut single goes to No 1. So when Joe McElderry won the TV talent contest, he was no doubt confident he would celebrate Christmas at the top of the charts. Alas for the 18-year-old from South Shields, it wasn't to be: a song almost his own age denied him the top spot after a successful online campaign.

Killing In The Name, an expletive-heavy rock song first released in 1992 by the Californian rock band Rage Against the Machine , won the battle for Christmas top spot on the basis of downloads only. It sold about 500,000 copies last week, about 50,000 more than The Climb, McElderry's earnest ballad. Depending on your view, the Rage victory was either a delicious dismantling of the X Factor Christmas No 1 juggernaut or a cynical assault on the festive charts. There was, though, some indignation when it emerged both records had links to Simon Cowell , the entertainment industry's favourite pantomime baddy. With the Rage track having been released by Sony, and McElderry's by Cowell's Syco, a Sony subsidiary, some claimed the high-waisted X Factor judge would emerge triumphant whichever act won the chart battle. Rock fan's campaign But arguably the real victor here was a rock fan from Essex who started a Facebook group a month ago with the (then) pie-in-the-sky idea of usurping the X Factor winner from the no 1 slot.

Jon Morter, 35, a part-time rock DJ and logistics expert from South Woodham Ferrers, near Chelmsford, decided it would be a bit of a giggle to start a campaign to encourage people to buy a record with pretty much the opposite vibe to the X Factor winner's ballad. While McElderry urges listeners to "keep the faith", the Rage track is best known for its now-ironic refrain: "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me." He had tried a similar wheeze last year, when he attempted to get Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up to the top of the Christmas charts. Alexandra Burke, the 2008 X Factor winner, won that battle, but having succeeded in propelling Astley to "the lower echelons of the chart", Morter was emboldened to try again. This time, he was helped by the comedian Peter Serafinowicz, who on 15 December urged his 268,000-plus Twitter followers to join in, and it snowballed from there.

By the time Paul McCartney and former X Factor winner Steve Brookstein had pledged their support, poor McElderry seemed doomed. When the Guardian broke the news to Morter that he had won, he was initially lost for words. "Oh bloody hell," he said, as the consequences of what he had done became clear. Composing himself, he said: "I think it just shows that in this day and age, if you want to say something, then you can – with the help of the internet and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter . If enough people are with you, you can beat the status quo." But doesn't he feel guilty about denying McElderry his first No 1? "Umm. no," he said. "Not really.

At the end of the day he has had a Christmas no 2 with his debut single, which is still a phenomenal achievement." Gracious in defeat Morter, a big Iron Maiden fan, said the choice of a relatively obscure Miley Cyrus cover for McElderry's single helped the Rage campaign: "If he had released Don't Stop Believing [the Journey song McElderry sang in an X Factor heat] we would have been dead and buried."McElderry took his defeat graciously, saying: "Fair play to the guys who have organised the Facebook campaign – it's been exciting to be part of a much-hyped battle and they definitely deserve congratulations. This time last year I never thought for one minute I'd win The X Factor , never mind having a single out. I'm just delighted to be in the charts." Despite Cowell giving some pseudo-grumpy interviews, he phoned Morter on Saturday night to congratulate him on the campaign. "He commended us on how we had marketed the campaign, and said if we won, he would be the first to congratulate us," Morter said.

Rage Against the Machine have pledged to give all profits of the single to the homelessness charity Shelter, and will perform a free victory gig in the UK to thank those who bought their single. McElderry is off on an Alpine skiing holiday to ponder his next move. Complaints of pro-X Factor bias to BBC after response to band's swearing in Christmas No 1 battle. By John Plunkett Published: 22 Dec 2009 Head-to-head with X Factor winner delivers healthy audience for radio top 40 shows. By John Plunkett Published: 21 Dec 2009 Charlie Brooker: Why Killing in the Name is a shot in the arm for the charts Published: 20 Dec 2009 Zack de la Rocha utters F-word during breakfast-time performance of song vying with X Factor winner's tune for Christmas No 1.

By John Plunkett Published: 17 Dec 2009 Rage Against the Machine: Simon Cowell admits he took Christmas No 1 for 'granted’ - Telegraph Celebrity news Rage Against the Machine: Simon Cowell admits he took Christmas No 1 for 'granted’ Simon Cowell, the media mogul, has admitted that he took the Christmas No 1 “for granted” after X Factor winner Joe McElderry was beaten by Rage Against The Machine. Image 1 of 2 The X Factor supremo admitted he took the Christmas No 1 spot for granted. Photo: REX FEATURES Image 1 of 2 Joe McElderry, left, was beaten to the top spot by Rage Against The Machine. Photo: PA 10:30AM GMT 21 Dec 2009 The rap metal group snatched the Christmas number one on Sunday with the help of an internet campaign on Facebook . The band topped the chart with their 1992 hit Killing In The Name after the internet campaign was launched to keep another of Cowell's X Factor acts off the festive top spot.

Killing In The Name sold more than 500,000 copies in the past week while McElderry's The Climb chalked up sales of 450,000 - a bonanza for record company Sony and retailers. It was not available on CD and is the first download-only Christmas number one, as well as achieving the biggest download sales total in a first week ever in the UK charts. On Friday Rage Against The Machine's lead was just 9,000 copies, but sales then soared by 200,000 to secure victory. Related Articles Rage defeats Joe McElderry 20 Dec 2009 Cowell, the X Factor supremo, had claimed that the campaign to prevent McElderry gaining the Christmas number one spot was like bullying. The past four Christmas number ones were by X Factor winners; Alexandra Burke's version of Hallelujah last year was one of the biggest selling festive singles ever. But Cowell conceded that he took the Christmas no 1 spot “or granted”. “I now realise I’ve taken too much for granted,” he told the Daily Mirror. “I have got to hold my hands up.

“I accept there are people that don’t like the X Factor.” The paper reported he had offered the pair who started the campaign , Jon and Tracy Morter, a job. "I am genuinely impressed by the campaign they have run," Cowell said. "It has been a good campaign they have run. "It has been a good campaign with no dirty tricks and without any funding. They have been passionate and worked hard." He added: "I offered them jobs at my record company. It could be in marketing or perhaps even running the company. "This is their first attempt at putting out a record and they got a Christmas no 1, so they have not done badly at all. "I wanted them to come and work for us. I was deadly serious but they haven't taken me up on the offer." McElderry, 18, had earlier taken his defeat graciously, saying: ''Fair play to the guys who have organised the Facebook campaign - it's been exciting to be part of a much-hyped battle and they definitely deserve congratulations.'' Who will be Christmas Number One for 2014? | OK! Magazine Home > Celebrity news > Who will be Christmas Number One for 2014?

Who will be Christmas Number One for 2014? This year's X Factor winner is set to be the nation's festive favourite By Catherine Earp Thursday, December 04, 2014 THE battle for Christmas Number One is hotting up. Two charity singles, a future X Factor winner and a rock anthem from heavy metal band Iron Maiden are all in the running to take the crown, but who will it be? X Factor winner – song TBC Ben Haenow has been tipped as this year's X Factor winner[Splash] Six of the show's previous winners have managed to top the charts at Christmas: Shane Ward, Leona Lewis, Leon Jackson, Alexandra Burke, Matt Cardle and Sam Bailey. However in recent years, James Arthur and Little Mix were both held from the top spot by a top-selling charity song. Poor Joe McElderry was also the subject of an internet campaign to stop the X Factor having yet another Christmas Number One, resulting in Rage Against The Machine taking the title. Can Ben Haenow, Fleur East, Lauren Platt or Andrea Faustini do it again? The bookies over at William Hill seem to think so.

All profits from sales of the song will go to charity Together For Short Lives. Current odds: 4/11 Iron Maiden – Number Of The Beast Iron Maiden, led by Bruce Dickinson, is tipped as a contender[Wenn] Iron Maiden's rock anthem Number Of The Beast doesn't sound like your typical chestnut-roasting soundtrack. That's because the song is part of an anti-X Factor campaign that is hoping to steal Simon Cowell's thunder. The rock band, led by Bruce Dickinson, originally had a hit with the song in 1982 and the slightly sniffy campaign is gathering pace after originally being given odds of 50/1. Current odds: 9/2. Band Aid 30 – Do They Know It's Christmas? Will the single top the charts for a fourth time? Previous versions of the song have claimed the festive top spot in 1984, 1989 and 2004, but it looks like Band Aid 30 has peaked too soon, having already been knocked off of the top spot in the charts by Take That.

The song features stars including One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Olly Murs but the odds of it bouncing back to number one have been slashed. Current odds: 3/1 The Peace Collective – All Together Now Will the cover of the 1990 song win the race? This year's dark horse of a record comes in the form of a charity song. Singers including Suggs from Madness, Holly Johnson, The Voice winner Jermain Jackman and Tom Parker from The Wanted have covered The Farm's 1990 hit Altogether Now. The song recalls the famous Christmas truce between fighting British and German soldiers during World War One. It comes from the same team who put together The Justice Collective who got the Christmas Number One in 2012 with their song raising awareness of the Hillsborough Tragedy. Can they do it again? Current odds: 16/1 Also in the frame: John Otway – 20/1 Bruno Mars – 25/1 Gary Chilton – 25/1 Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett – 28/1 Pixie Lott – 28/1 Jessie J – 33/1 The Daily Swarm - A Christmas Miracle?

Rage Against The Machine Takes Number One, Beating Out Cowell's Man... The Daily Swarm Telegraph : The band topped the chart with their 1992 hit Killing In The Name after an internet campaign to keep Cowell’s acts off the festive top spot. McElderry, 18, who took his defeat graciously, said: “Fair play to the guys who have organised the Facebook campaign – it’s been exciting to be part of a much-hyped battle and they definitely deserve congratulations.” Thanking all the fans who bought his single, he went on: “This time last year I never thought for one minute that I’d win The X Factor, never mind about having a debut single out, so I’m just delighted to be in the charts. “It’s been such an incredible couple of months and I got the best Christmas gift I could ever have asked for in winning The X Factor.” Killing In The Name sold more than 500,000 copies in the past week while McElderry’s The Climb chalked up sales of 450,000 – a bonanza for record company Sony and retailers.

Killing in the Name was not available on CD and is the first download-only Christmas number one, as well as achieving the biggest download sales total in a first week ever in the UK charts. The Guardian : In recent years, it had become as predictable as elections in North Korea – singer wins X Factor, singer’s debut single goes to No 1. So when Joe McElderry won the TV talent contest, he was no doubt confident he would celebrate Christmas at the top of the charts. Alas for the 18-year-old from South Shields, it wasn’t to be: a song almost his own age denied him the top spot after a successful online campaign. Killing In The Name, an expletive-heavy rock song first released in 1992 by the Californian rock band Rage Against the Machine, won the battle for Christmas top spot on the basis of downloads only. It sold about 500,000 copies last week, about 50,000 more than The Climb, McElderry’s earnest ballad. Depending on your view, the Rage victory was either a delicious dismantling of the X Factor Christmas No 1 juggernaut or a cynical assault on the festive charts.

There was, though, some indignation when it emerged both records had links to Simon Cowell, the entertainment industry’s favourite pantomime baddy. With the Rage track having been released by Sony, and McElderry’s by Cowell’s Syco, a Sony subsidiary, some claimed the high-waisted X Factor judge would emerge triumphant whichever act won the chart battle. NME : Jon Morter was in total shock when NME.COM informed him of the historical news that the track had beaten Joe McElderry’s cover of the Miley Cyrus track ‘The Climb’ to the top spot by 50,000 sales. “Fuck me it’s crazy I can’t believe it,” he gushed. “It’s mad, the BBC are even picking me up to do a TV interview tonight and the phone’s been going none stop ever since. I can’t take stock of it at the moment.” Morter started the Facebook campaign, urging members to download the song on December 13 with his wife Tracy, to stop The X Factor winner from claiming the Chrismas Number One for the fifth year in a row.

Speaking about the victory following his campaign, which was backed by Rage guitarist Tom Morello and gained support from Paul McCartney, Morter said: “It’s been absolutely mad this whole thing. To be Christmas Number one is insane isn’t it? Rage Against Simon Cowell! Killing In The Name Of Is #1! | PerezHilton.com Rage Against Simon Cowell! Killing In The Name Of Is #1! 12/21/2009 12:01 AM ET | Filed under: Anglophilia • Music Minute • Simon Cowell They actually pulled it off! After much urging via the internet, Rage Against The Machine's 1992 single, Killing in the Name Of now holds the top spot as the UK's Christmas Number One! The political hard rockers wanted to take Simon Cowell and X Factor winner Joe McElderberry down a peg and begged their fans to download the single to prevent Joe from being #1! And they did! RATM's Killing in the Name Of was downloaded more than 500,000 times in the past week while McElderberry's Miley Cyrus cover only sold 450,000 copies.

Wonder what Simon will have to say…. 17 Stars To Watch In 2017! Things To Look Forward To In 2017! 16 Stars To Watch In 2016 REVISITED -- How Did Our Picks Do?? Reasons We Can't WAIT For 2016 To Be Over... Craziest Conspiracy Theories Of 2016! 12 Days Of Perezmas: 6 Sexy Music Videos! View Pics » Rage Against The Machine – UK Christmas Number 1 – Simon Cowell Hurt! Rage Against The Machine – UK Christmas Number 1 – Simon Cowell Hurt! Gamingtips Staff December 21, 2009 Amazon , Shopping 5 Comments It has fInally happened, In all the years of chrIstmas number ones beIng domInated by SImon Cowell and hIs Xfactor wInners, we have had a second occassIon where they have not been number one for chrIstmas. The fIrst tIme thIs happened was a few years back when Bob the BuIlder made It to ChrIstmas number one.

SImon Cowell then was outraged that the natIon could pIck such an awful song to be number one at chrIstmas but what the kIds wanted, the kIds got! ThIs year a song from Rage AgaInst The MachIne made It, although thIs Isn’t usually the place you’d see musIc news, but I feel rage agaInst the machIne Is suIted to us after modern warfare 2 was beaten to best game of 2009. Have you bought the rage agaInst the machIne song? I thInk Its a good song, but number one at chrIstmas? It certaInly Is a lIttle refreshIng that we have nothIng cheesy. What caused rage agaInst the machIne to be number one? A massIve Internet campaIgn! ThIs Internet campaIgn was antI sImon cowell and antI xfactor. No one wanted the chrIstmas number one to be groomed on ITV. We all want It to be chosen by the people of the UK. How was sImon cowell after thIs latest defeat?

Well he was devastated but not quIte as outraged as last tIme he mIssed out on chrIstmas number 1. The rage agaInst the machIne was released In 1992 and the band wIll be playIng a free gIg some tIme next year In the UK to thank everyone who ressurected thIs song. Rage Against the Machine number one at Christmas: Great news for music industry? - CNET CNET Rage Against the Machine number one at Christmas: Great news for music industry? Rage Against the Machine number one at Christmas: Great news for music industry? In a week when the BPI claimed that one in three Brits regularly downloads music illegally, 500,000 people paid for a 17-year-old rock anthem just to annoy Simon Cowell Up Next Governments suck at social media, but you deserve some blame F*** me, UK music fans did what Facebook told them to. More than 500,000 people bought Rage Against the Machine's Killing in the Name , sending it to number one in the singles chart this Christmas ahead of X Factor winner Joe McElderry's The Climb.

Rage's victory is a massive deal for the music industry here, and not just because it puts Simon Cowell's nose out of joint. Killing in the Name wasn't available as a CD single this week: all its sales were downloads. It's the first ever festive chart-topper to reach the top on digital sales alone, and also the largest one-week download figure in UK chart history. So why is it important? While the chart battle raged late last week, music industry body the BPI was revealing findings from a survey claiming that one in three Brits are still downloading music illegally , either from P2P sites, newsgroups, MP3 search engines or dodgy overseas download stores. Against that backdrop, half a million people making legal purchases of a song -- even if they were fuelled by rage against the reality TV machine -- can't be sniffed at. Not least because the Facebook campaign that sent Rage to number one encouraged people to compare prices at different download stores, rather than simply flock to iTunes. That's excellent news for stores such as 7digital , whose CEO Ben Drury gave first indications yesterday afternoon that the US band were on course for top spot, based on heavy sales on Saturday on his company's site.

The influx of buyers is an opportunity for sites like 7digital to persuade a decent chunk of them to come back in the future -- and the same goes for Amazon, Tesco, HMV, We7 and, yes, iTunes itself. Rage's chart success is also more proof -- if it were needed -- of the power social media can have when a campaign catches fire. In that respect, Joe McElderry can be (unfairly) ranked alongside Daily Mail journalist Jan Moir, who ignited a vast Twitter protest with her extremely ill-judged article about Boyzone singer Stephen Gately on the day of his funeral. How repeatable these things are is highly debatable, though. Witness the Facebook group to send the Sex Pistols' Anarchy in the UK to number one next week to keep Joe off the top spot again -- 1,410 users and counting (very slowly). While there are lessons to be learned by record labels from the Rage campaign too, they shouldn't expect to be able to co-opt its methods lock, stock and barrel into their own marketing. Even so, it's an opportunity. We've seen that Brits care enough about embarrassing Simon Cowell to buy legal music.

2010 will show whether there's a knock-on effect for the third of people who are pirating songs too. Did you buy the single? Do you think this is a milestone in music history or a lot of fuss about nothing? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on our smashing forums . Photo credit: deep_schismic under Creative Commons, via Wikipedia . 'Racist' X Factor voters reject black singers, says Chris O'Dowd | The Independent 'Racist' X Factor voters reject black singers, says Chris O'Dowd The actor said viewers remain prejudiced against strong, black singers Tuesday 11 February 2014 00:57 BST Click to follow The Independent Culture Operation Black Vote, a group set up to promote racial justice, said the Irish actor Chris O’Dowd had raised a valid issue PA Viewers of the X Factor are “racist” because they consistently vote to eject the best black singers, the actor Chris O’Dowd has claimed. Despite the ITV talent show producing several black winners, the IT Crowd and Bridesmaids star said that the millions of viewers who watch the talent show and vote for their favourites remain prejudiced against black contestants.

O’Dowd told Radio Times: “I’m a big X Factor fan. Generally my favourites go out in the first few weeks and, of course, because the viewing public is so racist, all the black, strong singers go out in round five every year.” Simon Cowell’s talent search has produced a number of black stars, including Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke, who won the public vote by an overwhelming margin in 2006 and 2008. X Factor winners: Where are they now? X Factor winners: Where are they now? 1/10 2013: Sam Bailey The clear winner from the outset, Sam Bailey went on to beat teen singers Luke Friend and Nicholas McDonald. Bailey's cover of Demi Lovato's 'Skyscraper' went straight to number one on 22 December 2013, becoming the first X Factor winner in three years to gain the Christmas number one spot. Her debut album is due to be released on 24 March. She is also currently pregnant with her third child.

Rex Features 2/10 2012: James Arthur He secured the biggest-selling X Factor winner's song ever with 'Impossible', but last year's victor James Arthur has been at the centre of controversy recently. Arthur got into a Twitter spat with fellow former contestant Lucy Spraggan when he used a homophobic lyric in a rap. The singer apologised on-air for 'abusing [his] position as an X Factor winner' after a performance on the results show a few weeks ago. Arthur's new single 'Recovery' is currently number 19 in the Official UK Singles Chart. 3/10 2011: Little Mix Girl band Little Mix are one of The X Factor's success stories. Formerly known as Rhythmix, the group released an autobiography in August 2012 and their debut album came out that November, reaching number three. Little Mix's Perrie Edwards is engaged to One Direction's Zayn Malik which, you know, helps with the the whole fame thing. The band toured earlier this year and have enjoyed US success too. Their latest album Salute was released on 15 November.

4/10 2010: Matt Cardle Singer-songwriter Matt Cardle performed 'Unfaithful' with Rihanna during the 2010 X Factor finals. He famously criticised Syco for being 'very pop' when he, apparently, wasn't. Shortly afterwards, he left Cowell's label. Cardle returned to the charts when his first album 'The Fire' made number eight and was well-received by critics. He recorded a duet with Spice Girl Melanie C, 'Loving You', in the summer and will be touring new album 'Porcelain' in April 2014. 5/10 2009: Joe McElderry Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name' famously beat Joe McElderry to the Christmas number one in 2009, following an internet campaign to do battle with Cowell's chart machine. McElderry's luck failed to pick up and he soon found himself winning yet another talent show, Pop Star to Opera Star. Recently, he's enjoyed some success in the classical world and appeared in several West End shows. He is signed with Universal Music's Decca label.

6/10 2008: Alexandra Burke Alexandra Burke's cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' sold more than a million copies in the UK, a success she followed with five top ten singles and a hit album. Burke has been a brand ambassador for a women's deodorant and signed a modelling contract in 2010. She joined The X Factor as a guest judge during the final of the eight series. The 'Bad Boys' singer has another album out next year but it will be released on RCA records after her recent split from Simon Cowell's label. 7/10 2007: Leon Jackson 'When You Believe' became the fastest-selling single of 2007 when winner Leon Jackson released it before Christmas, but he was dropped in 2009 following poor sales. His third single 'Creative' only reached number 94 in the charts and half his tour dates were cancelled. At present, Jackson is reportedly writing a second album that he will release independently. 8/10 2006: Leona Lewis She's The X Factor's darling and one of the only acts still with Simon Cowell's label.

Leona Lewis enjoyed huge international success after winning the 2006 show and releasing her first single 'A Moment Like This'. Recently, she has struggled, with sales of her latest album 'Glassheart' down steeply from those of her debut in 2007. 9/10 2005: Shayne Ward After his victory on the second show, Ward achieved the fourth fastest-selling UK single ever with 'That's My Goal'. Several other hits and three albums followed and at one stage, he was reportedly considered to replace Jason Orange in Take That. Ward was dropped six years later to make room for other upcoming stars on Syco's label and has since turned his hand to performing in London musical Rock of Ages with Justin Lee Collins. The Mancunian singer appeared in Dancing on Ice in January 2013 but was eliminated in the fifth round. 10/10 2004: Steve Brookstein The first winner of The X Factor, Steve Brookstein scored a number one single with 'Against All Odds' but was dumped by Sony BMG just eight months afterwards for being a one-hit wonder.

Since his brief success evaporated, Brookstein has performed on cruise ships and was spotted in 2010 performing in a small Cornish pub for £2.50 a ticket. Brookstein no longer appears in publicity for The X Factor and as a result, he has repeatedly hit out at both the show and Simon Cowell. He is, however, still singing, and has a new album 'Soul Journey' out in February. However there have been occasions where the judges have stepped in to rescue talented black performers after a lack of viewer votes left them singing for survival. In 2011, Misha B, described by the Huffington Post as the “blackest contestant the competition has ever had”, was regularly placed in the bottom two. The Post said the public’s rejection of a confident performer, “rooted in black culture” who chose not to bleach her skin lighter like other crossover black singers, was “racist”. Simon Woolley, director of Operation Black Vote, the body set up to promote racial justice in public life, said O’Dowd had raised a valid issue.

Mr Woolley said: “I wouldn’t describe voters as racist but there’s something more subtle going on which makes it harder for contestants with a ‘darker’ physical complexion to win public support. Generally the ‘blacker’ the artist is, the harder it is for the public to warm to them.” This prejudice was not limited to The X Factor but other talent shows and wider society. Mr Woolley said: “Whether it's in the arts or business we need a sensible debate if we are to unpick and deal with some deep seated prejudice especially when it simply ignores talent.” The X Factor producers rejected O’Dowd’s claim. The show was praised last year for giving a platform to talented ethnic minority hopefuls – 40 per cent of the 2013 finalists were black or mixed race.

A programme source said: “The X Factor has a long standing record of celebrating a diverse range of artists including two former winners, Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke, and numerous others who have reached the final stages of the competition including this year’s semi-finalists Rough Copy, along with JLS, Marcus Collins and Jahmene Douglas in previous series.” O’Dowd was sucked into a race row himself when he starred in the film The Sapphires as a talent scout who manages an Aboriginal girl group in the ‘60s. A DVD cover for a film was called “racist and sexist” for relegating its female stars to the background to give the Irish actor centre stage. The original DVD cover for The Sapphires features the dark-skinned singers in prominent positions, with O’Dowd at the back. But on the US version, released last year, O'Dowd takes centre stage while The Sapphires fade into an entirely blue background. US distributor Anchor Bay Entertainment has apologised for the cover which prompted the real-life members of The Sapphires to complain to the US civil rights group the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

Last year, X Factor contestant Hannah Barrett revealed that she has been subjected to “horrible, racist comments” during her stint on the ITV show. She told Reveal magazine: “I’ve received a lot of horrible, racist comments on Twitter. People say I'm too dark to be a singer. People say: 'You're black and ugly' and nasty things like that....The sad thing is that most of them are made by black people who just have lighter skin than me.” Simon Cowell: 'James Arthur needs to calm down' | The Independent Simon Cowell: 'James Arthur needs to calm down' Cowell said Arthur should be more grateful for his X Factor success Thursday 10 April 2014 08:31 BST Click to follow The Independent Culture X Factor 2012 winner James Arthur Getty Images Simon Cowell has said James Arthur needs to "calm down" and remember that The X Factor is responsible for his success. Arthur , who won the ITV talent show in 2012, has recently claimed he was unhappy with the way his career had been managed.

Cowell's comments follow rumours earlier this week that Arthur had been dropped by record label Syco due to lyrics that appeared to promote terrorism on his new mix tape. Speaking at the launch of Britain's Got Talent, Cowell told Radio 1: “I’m going to have to sit down with him. The silly ‘you said this, I said this’, it’s all nonsense, it really is. He’s just got to calm down a bit.” He said Arthur needed to “put things into perspective” and “get into the studio and make a great record” rather than speaking out against his management. “What I would say to him is to put things into perspective, which is that you won a show, you wouldn’t have got a record deal without the show, you’ve sold a ton of records, just go in the studio and make a great record. Relax.” The 26-year-old has previously criticised The X Factor , claiming the show made its male winners look like “puppets”. X Factor winners: Where are they now? X Factor winners: Where are they now? 1/10 2013: Sam Bailey The clear winner from the outset, Sam Bailey went on to beat teen singers Luke Friend and Nicholas McDonald.

Bailey's cover of Demi Lovato's 'Skyscraper' went straight to number one on 22 December 2013, becoming the first X Factor winner in three years to gain the Christmas number one spot. Her debut album is due to be released on 24 March. She is also currently pregnant with her third child. Rex Features 2/10 2012: James Arthur He secured the biggest-selling X Factor winner's song ever with 'Impossible', but last year's victor James Arthur has been at the centre of controversy recently. Arthur got into a Twitter spat with fellow former contestant Lucy Spraggan when he used a homophobic lyric in a rap. The singer apologised on-air for 'abusing [his] position as an X Factor winner' after a performance on the results show a few weeks ago. Arthur's new single 'Recovery' is currently number 19 in the Official UK Singles Chart. 3/10 2011: Little Mix Girl band Little Mix are one of The X Factor's success stories. Formerly known as Rhythmix, the group released an autobiography in August 2012 and their debut album came out that November, reaching number three.

Little Mix's Perrie Edwards is engaged to One Direction's Zayn Malik which, you know, helps with the the whole fame thing. The band toured earlier this year and have enjoyed US success too. Their latest album Salute was released on 15 November. 4/10 2010: Matt Cardle Singer-songwriter Matt Cardle performed 'Unfaithful' with Rihanna during the 2010 X Factor finals. He famously criticised Syco for being 'very pop' when he, apparently, wasn't. Shortly afterwards, he left Cowell's label. Cardle returned to the charts when his first album 'The Fire' made number eight and was well-received by critics. He recorded a duet with Spice Girl Melanie C, 'Loving You', in the summer and will be touring new album 'Porcelain' in April 2014. 5/10 2009: Joe McElderry Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name' famously beat Joe McElderry to the Christmas number one in 2009, following an internet campaign to do battle with Cowell's chart machine.

McElderry's luck failed to pick up and he soon found himself winning yet another talent show, Pop Star to Opera Star. Recently, he's enjoyed some success in the classical world and appeared in several West End shows. He is signed with Universal Music's Decca label. 6/10 2008: Alexandra Burke Alexandra Burke's cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' sold more than a million copies in the UK, a success she followed with five top ten singles and a hit album. Burke has been a brand ambassador for a women's deodorant and signed a modelling contract in 2010. She joined The X Factor as a guest judge during the final of the eight series. The 'Bad Boys' singer has another album out next year but it will be released on RCA records after her recent split from Simon Cowell's label. 7/10 2007: Leon Jackson 'When You Believe' became the fastest-selling single of 2007 when winner Leon Jackson released it before Christmas, but he was dropped in 2009 following poor sales. His third single 'Creative' only reached number 94 in the charts and half his tour dates were cancelled.

At present, Jackson is reportedly writing a second album that he will release independently. 8/10 2006: Leona Lewis She's The X Factor's darling and one of the only acts still with Simon Cowell's label. Leona Lewis enjoyed huge international success after winning the 2006 show and releasing her first single 'A Moment Like This'. Recently, she has struggled, with sales of her latest album 'Glassheart' down steeply from those of her debut in 2007. 9/10 2005: Shayne Ward After his victory on the second show, Ward achieved the fourth fastest-selling UK single ever with 'That's My Goal'. Several other hits and three albums followed and at one stage, he was reportedly considered to replace Jason Orange in Take That. Ward was dropped six years later to make room for other upcoming stars on Syco's label and has since turned his hand to performing in London musical Rock of Ages with Justin Lee Collins. The Mancunian singer appeared in Dancing on Ice in January 2013 but was eliminated in the fifth round.

10/10 2004: Steve Brookstein The first winner of The X Factor, Steve Brookstein scored a number one single with 'Against All Odds' but was dumped by Sony BMG just eight months afterwards for being a one-hit wonder. Since his brief success evaporated, Brookstein has performed on cruise ships and was spotted in 2010 performing in a small Cornish pub for £2.50 a ticket. Brookstein no longer appears in publicity for The X Factor and as a result, he has repeatedly hit out at both the show and Simon Cowell. He is, however, still singing, and has a new album 'Soul Journey' out in February. Arthur denied that he had been dropped by Cowell’s record label, writing on Twitter: “As far as I know I am still with Syco but I am exclusively signed to Sony. People look too deeply into the media circus. It’s about the music.” He added that the line “I’m going to blow up your family like I’m a terrorist” was based on a letter from a “demented fan” in the style of Eminem’s song “Stan”.

Question: Which band claimed the UK Christmas number one after an internet campaign against Simon Cowell's X-Factor?
Answer: Rage Against the Machine