“The fact is, if you represent talent, you have a significantly better chance of breaking your artist through entering The X Factor than through a normal label signing process.”

Syco MD Sonny Takhar’s recent claim on the cover of Music Week was arrestingly brazen; essentially, that acts from all walks of life - not just emote-on-demand melisma alpinists - would be better off enduring the made-for-TV scrutiny of Simon Cowell than putting pen to paper with Island or RCA or Atlantic or Domino or XL.

Syco ...