If the story in the Daily Star is to be believed - there’s a first time for everything - then Simon Cowell has shaded yet another masterplan to destroy British pop by (a) infecting the music charts with even more X Factor and (b) making himself even wealthier in the process.
It has been reported that Cowell will release every performance from the X Factor live shows this autumn and winter as single-style downloads the Monday after the shows have aired on TV.
The inevitable result will be dozens of cover versions clogging up the upper - and no doubt middle and lower reaches - of the UK Top 40 every week, giving Cowell an accelerated pay day and viewers an early chance to elevate the contestants from wannabes into "genuine" pop stars.
While the move makes superb business sense - a similar idea by the makers of the American television show Glee was hugely successful in the States - it could serve as the moment when Cowell’s greed reaches its limit.
