I always consider one person piling on votes for their favourite is just a sign of self indulgence combined with wishing to prove that their choice is best.

All that it ends up being is a hollow victory.

I totally disagree. I obviously can't speak for everyone but for me, I will continue to support all of the people I have voted for once the competition is over. I vote for my favourites quite a few times because I don't want to see them in the Bottom Two. I want Brenda and Andy to be in the Final and will vote as much for them as I'm allowed. I can't see Nicholas winning but I will do the best I can to keep him in longer than Chico and the Nolans. I will never vote for one person more than five times. If someone is voting for one person more than five times is definitely being self-indulgent as you say. I just disagree with the hollow victory thing in terms of my way of voting.

And you're entitled to it.

I tend to agree with your post and is the reason why I hardly ever vote. I voted for the first time last Saturday and I may do so on the final night if my favourite is there but, on the whole I do think it's a bit of a joke and a con.
Having said that, even though I'm quite cynical I do make an occasional vote purely because I want to see someone do better than another person so I guess, I do get caught up in it.

While I agree with you *in principle*, I think it's also possible that someone who votes multiple times for their favourite is perhaps more likely to buy the record than a more casual fan who votes once a week and maybe forgets about the singer as soon asthe competition is over.

hmm, that could wel be true

I can appreciate your view, however my concern lies in the expectancy of sales based on how many votes were placed during the competition.

I have known ultra keen fans to go out and mulitple purchase cds to ensure they help the artist achieve a place in the chart. Overall though, in the long run that doesn't help either. This is often the overriding reason why a winner has a short shelf life, as they are not able to sustain realistic music sales.

A recording contract as the prize sounds fantastic on paper. The reality is, any advance given to an artist(s) has to be paid back if their sales aren't strong enough over a period of time to give a profit to the record company.