Industry insiders have claimed that X Factor’s Joe McElderry may have won today’s chart battle against Rage Against The Machine, if it hadn’t been snowing.

Rage Against The Machine scooped the coveted Christmas number one after they sold 502,000 copies of their single ‘Killing In The Name Of’ whilst X Factor winner Joe McElderry only sold 450,000 copies of his single ‘The Climb.

However Gennaro Castaldo of HMV said: “Our snowy and adverse weather conditions definitely played a part in Joe’s loss.

“He was expected to get a lot of sales from people physically buying his single – but many stayed home because it was so chilly.

“Meanwhile, the majority of Rage Against The Machine’s sales were by download.”

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