Talking to the Daily Mirror, Mark Davyd, the chief executive of music charity Rhythmix, said he had enlisted a legal firm to write to the team behind the hit show asking them to change the band’s name after his earlier request was ignored.
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He said: “The first reply from X Factor was basically ‘We don’t care’. Maybe I’m naive but I work in an area where I expect people to do the right thing.
“No-one would call a band Nordoff Robbins or Shelter. Now I accept that we are not as big as those organisations but we put on concerts and put out CDs and its just not appropriate.
“We’ve started to have to pay out money to protect the integrity of the charity which I just think is ridiculous.”
The charity, which was set up in 1999 and is based in Brighton, organises musicians to work with hundreds of disabled and vulnerable children every year.
An X Factor spokeswoman said: “The charity in question have trademarked the name ‘Rhythmix’ for educational purposes only, which is not in conflict with the band or the show.”
Organizers of a new facebook campaign that follows in the footsteps of 2009’s Rage Against the Machine campaign that saw social media campaign to topple Joe McElderry’s godawful cover to the festive top spot. And they won! Anyway the new campaign is in aid of Rhythmix charity and the organisers spell out their aims in simple terms: “We’re going to download the Nirvana …classic ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ to stick the proverbial finger up at you…This isn’t a revolution…we did that with Rage in 2009, this is an online RIOT and it should be FUN!”
But why ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ isn’t that a bit of an obvious choice? Well those behind the campaign think it has the best chance of overwhelming whichever manufactured act emerges from the reality show circus this year, and well in this year of the aniverssary of Nevermind maybe it’s an apt choice :”It’s their most well-known song.” point out organisers “Yes tracks like ‘Heart Shaped Box’ and ‘Tourettes’ etc are awesome tunes, but to actually get the No.1 we’ll need a lot of mainstream sales…and these guys know Teen Spirit the best. Besides…imagine going to a Christmas/New Years party and being able to mosh to the Christmas No.1? It felt good in 2009 so it’s about time we did it again!”
With a fan page numbering 7,000 likes already maybe they have a chance of achieving it too!
http://www.facebook.com/nirvanaforno1
So how can we help Rhythmix the charity? Firstly go here and donate to this most worthwhile of charities here:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?uniqueVmgCharityUrl=rhythmix
Secondly:
•Post this message everywhere you can and tell the producers of X Factor to grow some moral balls. Change the name.
•get tweeting – anything that includes – @RhythmixMusic name and #Rhythmix
•Go to their facebook and like – http://www.facebook.com/RhythmixMusicCharity
