Vex-Factor! Simon Cowell and X-Factor Voted Worst Influences on British Music

Vex-Factor! Simon Cowell and X-Factor Voted Worst Influences on British Music

LONDON, December 14/PRNewswire/ --

- eMusic Survey Reveals People Would Like to Vote off the X Factor and
Simon Cowell From UK Music Scene

Simon Cowell and the X-Factor were today revealed as having the worst
influence on the UK music industry, in a survey carried out by eMusic,
the world's second largest digital music service.

Over half of people questioned by eMusic about the state of UK music
scene cited the X-Factor and Simon Cowell as having the most negative effect
on the music industry in the last 20 years. Cowell, who has managed the likes
of Sonia and 5ive, and the X-Factor, which has made amateurs like Michelle
McManus, Steve Brookstein and Shane Ward famous for five minutes, were blamed
for the malaise in modern popular music. Together they beat Stock, Aitken &
Waterman (16%), Steps (6%) and The Spice Girls (6%) to take the title.

In contrast, the eMusic survey acknowledged John Peel, the legendary
radio DJ famed for championing independent music for 40 years and bringing to
air artists such as Pink Floyd and The White Stripes, as the person who has
had the most positive influence on the industry with 61% of the votes. Peel
came in ahead of Alan McGee, founder of Creation records which launched Oasis
(3%), musical impresario Jools Holland (7%), and founder of Glastonbury,
Micahel Eavis (6%).

Almost half of the music fans questioned by eMusic also
thought that the UK's taste in music is becoming too similar. The rise of
reality TV and manufactured music artists (72%), similarity of radio
playlists (72%), and an industry driven by money not creativity (82%) were
all seen as major reasons for conformity of choice.

David Pakman, CEO of eMusic comments "The X-Factor may be entertaining
television, but it does not produce important or lasting musicians. The
moguls throwing cash behind reality-TV artists only create short-term
phenomena and make it harder for truly talented acts to break through. The
results indicate that we could be seeing a backlash against these over-hyped
and over-manufactured artists. In the long run, authenticity and integrity
will win the race."

About eMusic

http://www.emusic.com

eMusic (http://www.emusic.com) is the world's leading digital retailer of
independent music, second only to iTunes in number of downloads sold. The
eMusic Web site offers a global catalogue of more than 1.9 million tracks
from established and emerging artists in every genre from the world's leading
independent labels. Created by music experts for music fans, it features
award-winning editorial content, a vibrant online community and unrivaled
music discovery tools. A subscription-based service that offers 25 free
downloads at sign-up, eMusic gives consumers an inexpensive, low-risk
way to explore great new music they wouldn't find otherwise, and unlike other
download services, its universally compatible MP3 files play on any device
including the iPod(R). Based in New York with an office in London, eMusic.com
Inc. is wholly owned by Dimensional Associates, Inc., the private equity arm
of JDS Capital Management, Inc.

Notes to Editors:

Research carried out by eMusic in November 2006, questioning 500 UK
adults

Source: eMusic

For more information about eMusic, please contact: Donna Amato or David Milsom (emusicpr@golinharris.com) at GolinHarris +44(0)-870-9905-425

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