WAL-MART: THE NEW MUSIC POWER BROKER
What does it say about the state of today's music marketplace that Wal-Mart is becoming such an industry player?
It actually makes sense when you realize that Wal-Mart is currently the biggest seller of physical CDs in the U.S. Wal-Mart shelf space is coveted by bands and labels alike, especially now that the store has announced they will cut back on some of those racks.
Recent exclusive mega-deals between The Eagles and Wal-Mart (for Long Road Out Of Eden, which is at 3 million units sold and counting) and between Journey and Wal-Mart (the store is carrying the band's new three-disc retrospective Revelation, which dropped last week) didn't make too many heads spin. Offering Wal-Mart exclusive rights to sell these units = prime shelf placement = your dad's next impulse purchase.
Now the trend continues with a just-announced contract nailed down between AC/DC and Wal-Mart, with the supermarket receiving the rights to be the sole U.S. purveryor of the Aussie's band first original offering since 2000, due this fall.
Most people by now use the Internet as their record store, and many purists pine wistfully for a simpler age where one could comb the stacks of albums, cassettes, CDs (hell, 8-tracks!), at Sam Goody or Tower Records or a local shop.
So what's left now?
"Attention Wal-Mart shoppers. Low, low prices on garden hoses, office furniture, breakfast cereal, pant suits -- and AC/DC!"
Back in racks...
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C-MOR says
So you must have heard my recent song, 'Wal-Martians Landing...' right?? It's been posted on my site since I joined up with this network... Here's the link, or at least the URL, if you need a hand navigating there...http://musicnation.com/music/cmor/wal-martians-landing