Alex Day,JK still has it,and he doesn't care who knows it.

Next year expect JK to have a secret no 1 of his making.What you all missed is that xmas hits need to be great rocky songs,with an xmas theme.Alex didn't have this,and if the truth is known is still a little way off off being able to do this.
JK can't use his own name,but will surprise you all.

Number 4. Excellent. Well done Alex and co

Number 4- well done to all concerned!

Yes what a triumph. Unsigned, no publisher, no major (or minor) label, no Moyles, No Evans, no TV, no Cowell... and the brain dead will say "the power of the Internet".

No - it's giving the kids a sound they want that doesn't sound like all the rest.

Alex was just JK having a bit of fun.Wait until he puts a single out himself,that actually rocks,and includes the Christmas spirit.
And of course you won't even know it's him!

Congratulations to all concerned, I admit I didn't think it would happen.

I am one of the brain dead who says "the power of the Internet" but I don't think that is a bad thing, a bit like the pluggers in the 60's/70's/80's saying "the power of the radio" and more recently the power of TV. Of course the internet has been used before to break a song but this one started from zero and did it at the busiest time of the year so once again, well done!

Well done to Alex Day, I have to admit I didn't think it would do anything, only because I hadn't heard anything about it before today, other than on this site. Lets hope that he can carry on and have more hits.

Music Week article:

www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=...code=1047964&c=1

And the full story behind the hit - to answer the hundreds of requests I've had...

www.kingofhits.co.uk/index.php/Attitudes...y-how-we-did-it.html

wrong link JK, here's the correct one:

www.kingofhits.co.uk/index.php/Attitudes...y-how-we-did-it.html

Thank you David; I've corrected it but left yours up too!

Congratulations to Alex, JK and everyone involved. #4 at Christmas is a #1 other times of the year, amazing work.

This wasn't a Christmas record,but a record released for the xmas market.
Still an amazing feat by Mr King,who will no doubt continue to amaze us all.

Excellent post and a blinding good result. Number 4 makes this the most successful "new model" release. Your detailed post should be seen by all "independents". To be honest I am glad that the industry didn't go for it because they would have soiled the song with the "production". Granted it could be a bit more polished but in a way I am glad it was not as perhaps we can all stop the madness of the Americanisation of pop and the sameness of it all. You think you got it bad in the UK, try listening to the Australian charts. The biggest Australian record over here, was made by a maverick independent who sounds like no one else. Granted he went through a label and did the traditional pop promo circus.

I have always said JK you should write a book about running your label, your methods, your different styles and projects and your results. Many will find it inspiring and will be encouraged to do likewise.
Those of us who have been online since the heyday of Myspace and beyond and ever since the talk of the new model would be encouraged by this release. Personally I would have timed it a week or two later so as to have the title "the first unsigned number one record" haha as that would go down in history a lot stronger but that's the next goal and we would love to see who achieves this.

One thing that was missing in your article is the success of Alex and his friends on the Youtube blogsphere which I think is an important fact. This enabled him to have fans to mobilise. I am sure it could have been done from the scratch but it would probably take a few "cover" releases to build them up.
But this is not to take away anything Alex and Co. did with this record. Can this be repeated? Absolutely. Now to take it global and to run it centrally from a small bedroom label in the UK. I think we are about to enter a new golden age of independent artists.

By the way go on ROTD and see how no matter what evidence you put in front of people, the blind will alway want to stay blind.

KZ you're right; I should have explained more thoroughly how Alex and Charlie built up their fanbase; in fact it was when Alex decided that, as Me Me Me went on You Tube (they had a 10 minute maximum for videos but recently extended it so we put the entire movie up - I wasn't prepared to put it in 10 minute chunks as others did)), he'd watch it and Tweet his thoughts during it on Twitter, getting his fans to do the same "as live".

Well the response was phenomenal. He hadn't told me and didn't do it to please me or impress me - he simply loves the film.

Thousands of views later I realised how big his fan base was and came up with the Xmas No1/Nermie Army idea.

Incidentally, what I loved about his Tweets was that it showed he appreciated all the little things I put into the movie that I thought were fun. Since he's a very intelligent young man, I was delighted he'd spotted them all. It was fabulous watching him and 15,000 fans react at the same time; like a master class in audience participation.

So, unknowingly, by behaving in his own natural way, he gave me an idea which has become his first No4 smash hit.

That's how friendship works.

That's how it is indeed and I think you've found the smoking gun for the new model.
I have done a little piece on Forever Yours on my blog. Have a read of it (link in my signature).
Alex is a very nice guy and that's one reason I am happy for him because the popular belief in
music industry land is nice guys are boring and not edgy blah blah.
Charlie is equally great and I found out about him from my son who likes watching his videos
and of course I love the posh guy who does the line at the end of all his videos.
I hope he can build upon this outside of doing a deal with the majors so as to continue this model.