Recordstore Statement On RATM @ No 1

LONDON, UK (Top40 Charts/ Recordstore) - Some excting news this afternoon about Rage Against The Machine! In case you're writing something up, I have a comment fromleading independent music e-tailer Recordstore.co.uk: Said Recordstore.co.uk General Manager Steve Wheeler "Rage Against The Machine becoming the UK's 1st ever download-only Xmas number 1 shows that when the increasingly digital-savvy, progressive-minded public bandy together they can change things without needing the huge media campaign that X factor has benefitted from.

"The battle has also been a great success for encouraging people to get to grips with (legal) downloads."Killing In The Name Of"has registered as number 1 with the majority of download retailers - including iTunes, Amazon, Play, Recordstore, HMV and Nokia and registered in 3rd, 4th and 5th position on 7 Digital (where single, album and live versions all available). This chart battle may even make a difference to people's future buying habits as they realise they no longer have go into shops to purchase music.

"It's also been a welcome breath of fresh air - the last time there was a proper competition for Xmas number 1 was in 2003, when Gary Jules beat the vs. The Darkness' 'Xmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)' with ''Mad World'"

Recordstore.co.uk, a part of Digital Stores, firmly backed Rage Against The Machine, and are donating all their profits from the sale of the RATM single to the homeless charity Shelter.They also posted a battle-enjoining diatribe on their blog athttps://www.recordstore.co.uk/interactive.jsp (Excerpt - "This isn't about money. It's about the statement it makes: that millions of pounds in TV exposure may make a powerful tool but when dissenting voices join together they can make an equal impact. Some may scoff that this is hardly an important cause for people power to suddenly take effect but if the members of the public who have joined the Facebook group that began this quest take a minute to check out Rage Against The Machine and the views they hold then maybe we'll see some real changes in the world.")