Bloodless Coup

And This Is Capitalism...How?

Since this involves Wal-Mart and Garth Brooks, I shouldn't give a damn, but this is just wrong:

Wal-Mart will soon be ropin' in Garth Brooks.

The country superstar has signed a deal with the retail chain that will make Wal-Mart and its subsidiaries, Sam's Club and walmart.com, the only place fans will be able to purchase Brooks' entire catalog of music for the indefinite future.

"We understand the Wal-Mart customer and know that bringing them Garth Brooks exclusives in the upcoming years is something that'll excite them as much as it excites us," says Wal-Mart vice president David Porter in a statement. (cite)

I think that last paragraph says everything about a "Wal-Mart shopper" that needs to be said.

Seriously, this is a bad trend for music. Exclusive contracts with stores inevitably reduce competition and choice. That's not good in a capitalist sense, nor good for the state of music as an art form.

Posted by baltar at August 21, 2005 04:16 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Culture