OK, I'm Fine with WalMart

michelej1 · #1 11-07-2007, 04:39 PM

http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/...d_album_charts

The Eagles soar over the Billboard album charts

Writer: Jeremy Goldmeier, News, Published online on 07 Nov 2007

The Eagles are not for everyone. But baby boomers with lots of disposable income do tend to have a special spot in their hearts for the group.

So it doesn't come as much surprise that, even with its new double-disced album Long Road out of Eden available only at Wal-Mart, the group topped the latest Billboard charts. Yeah, okay, maybe you're yawning just reading that, but there are a few things to note here. Billboard, in all of its wisdom, abolished an old rule prohibiting "exclusive" albums from the charts. Now even discs sold at just one retailer can make the prestigious Billboard 200. Given that retailer exclusives are on the rise lately (we're looking at you, Billy Corgan), this move seems to further legitimize the practice. Secondly, the group shifted 700,000 units, which is pretty damned impressive in today's music industry environment.

Clearly, big record label execs are going to study this release over the next few months to see if they can emulate it. Is Fleetwood Mac up for a Best Buy-exclusive album? Only time will tell...

michelej1 · #2 11-07-2007, 04:46 PM

I'm feeling extremely jealous right now. A new Fleetwood Mac studio album won't be a waste of time, Stevemeister!

Reuters:
http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/newrep...ote=1&p=730293

Eagles soar past Britney to top of charts
Wed Nov 7, 2007 2:14am EST
By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In an unusual development on the pop album charts, veteran rock band the Eagles were awarded the No. 1 spot on Tuesday after a last-minute rule change relegated Britney Spears to second place.

The Eagles' first studio release in 28 years, "Long Road Out of Eden," sold about 711,000 copies last week, according to preliminary data released by tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan. Spears sold a modest 290,000 copies of her album, "Blackout."

In a normal world, the Eagles would be No. 1 and Spears No. 2, but the Eagles album was available only through Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which traditionally does not report data to SoundScan. Additionally, trade publication Billboard does not allow such exclusive releases to appear on its flagship Billboard 200 chart, which is compiled from SoundScan data.

That meant Spears would have been No. 1 upon the release of final SoundScan figures on Wednesday morning. However, Billboard said late Tuesday that it had changed its rule and the Eagles would indeed be No. 1. The rule was imposed at the request of retailers and labels shortly after Billboard started using SoundScan data in 1991.

"We know that some retailers will be uncomfortable with this policy, but it was inevitable that Billboard's charts would ultimately widen the parameters to reflect changes that are unfolding in music distribution," said Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director of charts.

He said Billboard had become aware only within the last 24 hours that Wal-Mart would be willing to share the sales data for the Eagles album with Nielsen SoundScan. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman was not available for comment.

The retailer had said earlier in the day that the Eagles album generated the largest first-week sales of any music product at the company in two years.

Back in November 2005, Wal-Mart teamed up with retired country star Garth Brooks to sell an exclusive boxed set. The retailer said at the time that "Garth Brooks: The Limited Series" sold more than 500,000 copies on its first day during the busy Thanksgiving holiday period. But the feat was not recognized by Billboard.

Exclusive releases have become common in recent years, with retailers such as Target Corp. and Starbucks Corp. aggressively striking deals with musical acts in order to drive customer traffic.

ANOTHER BAD YEAR

The Eagles now stand as one of the biggest-selling acts during another dismal year for the music industry. Overall sales so far in 2007 are off about 15 percent from the year-ago period. The biggest first-week seller so far this year is rapper Kanye West, whose "Graduation" sold 957,000 copies during its first six days in September.

For Spears, whose musical career has been overshadowed in recent years by an unending litany of personal and professional missteps, the prognosis for "Blackout" seems less favorable. Her previous release, "In the Zone," debuted at No. 1 in November 2003 with 609,000 copies. It went on to sell relatively poorly compared to her previous releases.

Her Jive Records label had forecast that "Blackout" would open to between 330,000 and 350,000 copies, although retailers were less bullish.

The sales were respectable, said music industry consultant Clark Benson, CEO and founder of market research firm Almighty Institute of Music Retail.

He noted that the teenagers who turned Spears into a pop culture icon almost a decade ago have moved on to other things, and that Spears herself did little to promote the album, apart from a widely ridiculed performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Spears has released just one single from the album, "Gimme More," which peaked surprisingly strongly at No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. Jive has not announced plans for a follow-up single.

"Since the first single is starting to fade, the unanswered question is whether the relatively positive response to "Gimme More" was just morbid curiosity," Benson said.

Jive is a unit of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a joint venture between Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG. The Eagles own their own label.

estranged4life · #3 11-09-2007, 06:04 PM

It's weird, but there has been quite a few Wal-Mart only exclusive releases as of late, Hell just picked up one today matter of fact (Trans Siberia Orchestra 6 song EP - which includes a rather interesting cover of TSO's alter-ego band Savatage's song "Heal My Soul").

Would tbe surprised if someday (In the next millennium or so) that Fleetwood Mac does something similar, but luck for me would have that happening with Starbuck (And I hate coffee!!!)

Livia · #4 11-09-2007, 10:30 PM

I love the last-minute rule! Take that, Britney!

michelej1 · #5 11-26-2007, 12:38 PM

The Eagles were on 60 Minutes last night talking about their new studio album. I was so jealous. I know FM went on Dateline way back when, when I was a young lass and they actually had a new studio album. It's all a fuzzy memory.

But in retrospect, it doesn't seem as good as the Eagles last night. Anderson Cooper is a 60 Minutes correspondent now, part time. I love him. I love FM. If ever the twain should meet, I think I'd need medical intervention.

Michele

Livia · #6 11-26-2007, 05:45 PM

I'd rather see more bands doing this than give Wal Mart or Best Buy any more money.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...d=oid%3A563684

IndieKazoo, a locally developed, online music outlet, is officially open for business. For a $20 monthly subscription fee, the site allows artists to create their own personalized stores, which can be integrated into websites and whose sales are directly deposited into a PayPal account. Singer-songwriter Ana Egge and Jon Dee Graham are among the local artists already on board, while Kazoo is currently allotting a 30-day free trial for bands. "The site is designed to enable indie musicians to sell their own records without third parties," says co-founder Ken Feldman. "The whole process takes less than an hour, making it that much easier for bands to do it themselves."

buckymcnix · #7 11-26-2007, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Livia

I'd rather see more bands doing this than give Wal Mart or Best Buy any more money.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...d=oid%3A563684

IndieKazoo, a locally developed, online music outlet, is officially open for business. For a $20 monthly subscription fee, the site allows artists to create their own personalized stores, which can be integrated into websites and whose sales are directly deposited into a PayPal account. Singer-songwriter Ana Egge and Jon Dee Graham are among the local artists already on board, while Kazoo is currently allotting a 30-day free trial for bands. "The site is designed to enable indie musicians to sell their own records without third parties," says co-founder Ken Feldman. "The whole process takes less than an hour, making it that much easier for bands to do it themselves."

amen to that livia. I would love to see more of this.

i HATE that the eagles are holding hands with wal-mart.
I would be HUGELY disappointed with FMac if they did this.
the one they did with best-buy(is that the right company name?) was bad enough.
might as well stamp "corporate rock" across their foreheads.
i don't support wal-mart and will shop about anywhere else to avoid it. Their history of employee treatment is appalling to say the least.

just my two cents.