Only At Walmart

Yesterday, while I was doing a bit of reading about the Genesis DVD I wrote about, I noticed that the DVD was available exclusively at Walmart. Last Friday night, on the Palladio channel I mentioned yesterday, I watched a new concert DVD from Foreigner. The DVD, and new CD, are also only available at Walmart. I started to think about all the new releases I'd heard about over the past few months that could only be gotten at Walmart - the Eagles, Journey, AC/DC.

What's the deal?

According to a June 2008 New York Times article, Walmart is now the biggest music retailer in the country. It's natural that musicians and their management companies want to stay on their good side. But, in the case of Journey and the Eagles, the musicians are releasing their music directly through the retailer, cutting out a record company entirely.

It's no news that the music industry as a whole is in decline. But is teaming up with a retailer as your only means of release a good idea?

Both bands had great first week sales, and the marketing efforts were all encompassing all over the store, not just in the music department, and in their print, radio and television ads. The bands also retain more money per CD sold than they would if they released through a record company.

But what if you don't live near a Walmart? I know the store is prevalent in other areas in the country, but here on Long Island, Walmart is a relatively new comer. I'm sure there are other areas in the country where the store's presence hasn't reached.

AC/DC's announcement of their pairing with Walmart had fans on message boards complaining about the decline of small record stores and the rise of big box stores. And yes, the words "sell" and "out" appeared often as well.

So, is Walmart the future of music? Damned if I know. Anyone have any better ideas?