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December 17, 2008 5:57 AM

Apologies in advance, this is a question about the X-Factor

For the non-Brits amongst you, the X-Factor is the UK equivalent of American Idol (AFAIK). Last Saturday saw the final episode of the show, which was the first one I'd watched of this series (honest!).

In the final, there were three, um, finallists. The winner gets their song released and a proper recording contract and a life of fame (probably). The final is apparently live, and the public get to vote for the winner. And the winner gets their CD single released in the shops on the Monday after the show's been broadcast.

The CD single is said to be a guaranteed UK Christmas number one, selling at least a million copies.

So, there are 35 hours between the winner being revealed on Saturday evening and one million copies of the CD hitting the shops on Monday morning. Is it possible to manufacture and distribute one million CDs in that time period? Or do they manufacture three million CDs and only distribute the winners?

Apologies for the banality of the question, it's just puzzling me quite a bit. And I've tried searching the net for an answer, to no avail.

posted by hnnrs to media & arts (7 comments total)

I heard all 3 finalists recorded a version and they've released the winner's.

I haven't watched it either.

Honest.

no really, honestly
posted by Helga-woo at 6:10 AM on December 17, 2008

Yes, all three contestants recorded their single in advance. The CD single, however, was not available on Monday morning - it was download-only, and sales predictions so far are based on the record-breaking number of downloads. The physical single didn't make it into the shops until Wednesday, (which is still a pretty nifty job of distribution).
posted by flashboy at 6:23 AM on December 17, 2008

The 1 million CDs (actually less with the downloads, as mentioned) don't all have to arrive at once, they can arrive over Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:26 AM on December 17, 2008

As a slight derail, it will be a good thing for Leonard Cohen.
posted by essexjan at 6:35 AM on December 17, 2008

essexjan even more so now that they have re-released Jeff Buckley's version, to try to pip the X-Factor winner to the Christmas No1.
posted by the_epicurean at 6:40 AM on December 17, 2008

Is it possible to manufacture and distribute one million CDs in that time period?

In previous X factor finals they had someone in the CD duplicating factory (Andi Peters, I think) and showed them hitting a button to start the pressing of the winner's CD after the decision was announced. I think they just are really quick with production and distribution.
posted by tomcooke at 9:14 AM on December 17, 2008

It was always Andi Peters at the CD factory, I'm sure. (He was even on the Peter Kay piss-take)

Here's the CD factory business when Leona Lewis won a couple of years ago... I see watching it now that yeah, the CD didn't actually go on sale until the Wednesday following (even though it took only 20secs to make each one.) I'm highly suspicious of the one the assistant brings out... and I often wonder if there's a landfill someone where filled with Ray/Rhydian/JLS cds...

Of course I only ever watched it ironically. Honest.

Could be a one,two for Cohen...
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:03 AM on December 17, 2008