X Factor battles for Christmas number one
Updated on 15 December 2009
X Factor winner Joe McElderry trails behind Rage Against the Machine in the battle for the Christmas number one spot as an anti-X Factor internet campaign gathers pace.
The teenager, who won ITV's talent contest at the weekend, is running behind Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name in download sales.
More than 500,000 people have joined a Facebook campaign aimed at getting the 1992 hit to top of the charts in order to end Simon Cowell's domination.
X Factor winners have secured the Christmas number one spot since 2005 - forcing some bookmakers to consider abandoning festive chart-topping bets.
Cowell has criticised the campaign calling it "stupid."
"I think the campaign is directly aimed at me," he said prior to the final.
Today the Official Charts Company said that it was "the fiercest battle for years" with the gap between records at only 10 per cent.
However, when a CD version of McElderry's track The Climb is released on Wednesday it is thought he will overturn the lead.
At the beginning of the week some cut-price retailers were reporting that McElderry had initially been ahead, but by today Amazon said its sales showed Killing In The Name was nudging ahead.
Music firm HMV said RATM were outselling McElderry by 10 to one yesterday, although it tends to be skewed towards specialist music fans.
McElderry's track was released only after his Sunday night win, so RATM's has effectively had almost twice as long on sale.
Rage Against The Machine are signed to Epic Records, which is part of Sony BMG - the same label as McElderry.
