Re: Proof that Azerbaijan cheats in Eurovision voting
Punishing all countries because a few countries are poor in the name of fairness is stupid. This is like putting a handicap on sports competitions. "Those guys are really bad at running, so nobody is allowed to run fast in this upcoming football match!". It is ridiculous to impose arbitrary rules on all countries to make the contest more "fair" to countries with less means.
What's next, no lavish stage shows?
People complain about Formula One racing for the same reasons. It's not about the drivers, more about what team is richer and has spent more on the technology of their vehicles. As others have pointed out though, a ban on such extreme advertising in the contest will never happen as the contest is just a big money making event.
What the heck do you think that really accomplishes? So let's say Azerbaijan has been spending as bajillion dollars/Euros/Yen/armadillos boosting Youtube views to random videos connected to their entry (like, say, a video of a random South African woman wishing their entry good luck).
What will that accomplish?! What, people are going to look at the Youtube view counts of all of the entries and even random videos of people wishing the artists good luck and go "Oh my God! 72,000 people have watched this video of a random woman wishing Farid good luck! I must vote for him now!" Or do you think it'll give him and his entry publicity? And? It just means that more people will be likely to check his videos out. If they don't like them or his live performance, they won't vote for him.
Boosting Youtube view counts is basically just another way to advertise, only much less direct and likely much less effective. What's so friggin' wrong about it? In my eyes, it's pretty meaningless.
The vast majority of the viewers don't see most of the performances 'til the semi-finals/final, anyway. So spending money on inflating Youtube view counts won't net Azerbaijan many extra points.
It's an underhand way to "advertise". It's not allowed to happen on youtube for a reason.. and frankly I find the whole practice of doing it incredibly pathetic. And if indeed views on a video could be called "advertising", it's false advertising as those are not true views. It's deception.
I'm well aware a random South African woman wishing a country good luck in the contest isn't going to suddenly conjure up massive support and advantage to a country just because of it's views. If someone used a view bot on this video though, it's extremely pathetic and desperate and just adds to the picture in my mind already..
It's not about success in this case, it's about underhand tactics. Even if these tactics had no effect on their outcome in Eurovision. It's underhand, it's not right. It's a very sad, sad little practice.
Well, boo-hoo, cry me a river.
Every year I see the same people complaining about how the contest is no longer about showing the world your national spirit, what your national music sounds like, etc., etc., etc. Well guess what, Eurovision viewers no longer like ethnic songs unless they're really good or just really mainstream. Bulgaria decided to do something ethnic this year. Aaaaand they didn't make the final.
Who cares?! If you love ethnic music so much, go out and search for it yourself. Buy it yourself. The average Eurovision viewer don't want to see the Eurovision Ethnic Contest anymore. They want songs they can relate to. Sometimes those are ethnic, most of the time they aren't. Azerbaijan sent a pretty ethnic-sounding song in 2009 ("Always"). The fact that it wasn't sung in their language doesn't mean the composition wasn't ethnic.
Well this is something I really have different views on to you. As fans of the Eurovision contest for many years, I think I and the many other complaining about this, have a right to complain about this.
Maybe this contest just isn't for me anymore? I do go out and search for ethnic music myself. Eurovision got me into ethnic music in the first place. It was a breath of wonderful fresh air to hear this music on tv. Now the contest seems to be heading in a plain, western direction. Countries with money are importing their songs rather than making them themselves. I just think it's a terrible practice and lack of warmth, soul in these entries really shows. Something very cold and plastic about them.
Azerbaijan 2009 was great. After that they started to get incredibly desperate though.
That's what you get for being poor. Most winning entries in the past few years were promoted like crazy. "Euphoria", "Satellite", "Fairytale". Quickly, to the Whine-mobile about Sweden, Germany and Norway engaging in unfair practices.
Malta sure done badly, being so poor and all and not being able to afford food or whatever. 8th place this year. Whoo, what a bad placing! Oh my God!
You know what, I have never once seen Azerbaijan's entries being advertised in Sweden or on any of the pages I visit. Either they just hate Sweden and love the U.K., you just visit mostly sites concerning Eurovision or you're lying through your teeth. Even if what you say is true, who cares?
Woe are the poor smaller nations who can't afford to do extensive advertising. Let's ban advertising all around because of them! While we're at it, let's ban pyrotechnics, paying established professional artists with international careers and set a limit to how much a country can pay the songwriters and composers for an entry so you can't just waltz up to someone like Timbaland and have him write your entry.
Because, you know, San Marino!
Now that bit I bolded there is quite offensive. Why would I lie? I don't lie either, EVER i'll have you know. You can go back through this topic as well and see others also mentioning the constant advertisements or liking the comment I made regarding it.
You know, you are right though about banning of one thing leading on to others. Once you start with one thing, people will then call for something else to be not allowed. It would be nice if the contest was a completely fair playing field but that will never will be. There will always be favouritism, diaspora, richer countries etc.
This contest probably isn't for me anymore. At least I shouldn't take the results seriously (I suppose I never have anyway). Music shouldn't be somethings thats marked and rated.
And actually indeed, woe are the smaller countries who make such an effort and can't reach the finals. Woe are the countries who make the effort and send a wonderful, energetic piece of culture and instead get shafted (as usual) for countries buying songs from Sweden. Woe really is them.. and I feel terribly sorry for them. It's unfair.
The disadvantage is being able to perform only once for the television audiences. Many songs have qualified to the final among the bottom 5 in their semi-final, yet gone on to do very well in the final, sometimes even making the top 10, way ahead of songs they "lost" to in the semi-final in a way that cannot be explained away by simply invoking block- and diaspora voting.
True, i'd be more than happy for my country to be in the semi's and earn it's place in the final.
Me telling you I have a 30 cm cockadoodle isn't going to do jack squat in the grand scheme of things. Is it deception? Yes. Is it damaging to anyone in any way? No.
So, have at it. I am a blond, blue-eyed, 180 cm, muscled god-like man with abs that must've been sculpted, pecs that can dance on command, a 30 cm joy-club that will make you squeal with pleasure and I've personally defeated 1469793 robbers. I am, in fact, Superman in disguise. Oh noes! I've totally just made the United Kingdom lose 183 points that they so rightfully deserve because people are totally going to vote for Sweden and not the United Kingdom next year because of my lie!
True, it's not going to damage anyone in the grand scheme of things. It's going to damage your reputation though and make you look like a bit of a (no pun intended) d**k.
And I can't believe I just spent an age replying to all that. Please go easy on me next time. My fingers hurtxnaughty
2
Azerbaijan always send a semi-modern radio friendly song and combine that with great promotion (none of it a crime you know) it pays off with what actually matters votes not hype. 
I seriously doubt it, the West are as guilty of everything they accuse the East of being. 
