Complain about X Factor's negative influence on music all you want Guardian, but don't forget that X Factor is not about music at all.

No, it's a three month advertising campaign designed to sew up the Christmas number one for whoever the winner may be (does it matter who?) and increase the bank balance of Simon Cowell.

As John and Edward have proved, you don't need to be able to sing or dance - just have dodgy hair and people willing to keep you in just to see which song you're going to murder next.

If it's about anything other than marketing, then entertainment show could describe it best. It's certainly not about music or talent (note to singers and musicians, save your vocal chords and don't apply to this one).

Now that's cleared up, let's end with a rallying call from the article;

"I think X Factor might be good for alternative music, giving kids something to push against," says Billy Bragg. "Don't just complain about it – get out there and do something challenging that proves you don't need any input from people like Simon Cowell to be successful."

Now, I'm off to think about a short story about record companies cloning their popstars.