Where Do You Buy Your Music?
Does anybody buy music anymore? I know I do. In Toronto I’ll often hit a Sunrise or HMV. For my more eclectic stuff I’ll stop by Soundscape near College and Bathurst. I also buy my music online, often from Amazon or a great website called CD Universe.
A lot of artists have been going the exclusive route these days with regards to where they’re selling their music. The Rolling Stones sold their last 2 DVD sets only at Best Buy. The most consistent exclusive retailer of choice - Wal-Mart. Over the past year The Eagles, Journey, and Genesis have released product exclusively through the store, and in the case of the Eagles and Journey seen some amazing sales stats.
Now the big news is that when ACDC release their new album, tentatively titled “Black Ice” on October 28th, it will be a Wal-Mart exclusive. A lot of fans are surprised by this, but in a climate when everyone is struggling to sell albums, this move virtually guarantees huge sales for a band that probably doesn’t need any help.
I’ll make the trip to Wal-Mart when the album comes out. How about you? Any thoughts on the idea of stores selling material exclusively? Let us know and then use WAL as today’s bonus code.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Nice writing style. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Chris Moran
July 15th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Selling music exclusively is an obvious marketing scheme. It TOTALLY takes away from the fact that it’s music and should be available to those that want to listen to it.
Music, like everything else unfortunately, has become more and more of a business venture and less and less of an expressive art.
It should be made available to whoever would like to sell it, and thus whoever would like to buy it.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
it’s okay to be exclusive but NOT through Walmart, it’s just a bad company …….. so I may actually not buy it because of that!
July 16th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Love AC/DC will also make a trip to walmart even though its a store i dont normally shop at. Heard a rumor they might be doing a tour in the new year any truth to this?
July 16th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Losing the glory days of the record store is a drag but what can you do? Technology has changed the way we live. Walmart’s just another store, I have no problem with exclusivity if that’s what AC/DC needs to do to make a few bucks.
July 16th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
AC/DC don’t need to go the “exclusive” route to sell records. If anything, it’s a guarantee of a certain-dollar paycheck more than anything else. Why they need or feel they need a guarantee at this stage of their career is beyond me.
I’d look at their handlers for a reason: “If it’s good for the Stones, it’s good for us. By the way, what’s our cut?”
Take another look at exactly who has gone exclusive. They’re all a little long in the tooth, aren’t they?
That said, don’t put a hate on for Walmart. There’s nothing to say that they’re just a “bad company” as “the Dude” states in this reply column. It’s business - make inroads on other big-chain music retailers by offeirng deals to artists guaranteed to move “x” number of units.
Truth is, if you’re not going to Walmart to pick up this album, it’s probably because you’re not a fan of the band or you can’t find parking.
July 27th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I like reading posts related to it like Andrews Rock Blog » Blog Archive » Where Do You Buy Your Music? and what people think. I will keep an eye on the information you will add and see what you come up with. thank you