Wal-Mart Hates Eminem (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Keene]

Eric --

You said Nazi; I said Big Brother. Both are indeed extreme. But neither of these examples were built in a day. Granted Wal-mart's decision in this matter is tiny compared to both the real and fictional "extremes". But both were built with baby-steps. Both were claimed to be "for the good of the customer". Although my first reaction was anger, it should have been fear. Baby-fear, I suppose, but still.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Let's reserve the use of "Nazi" for those who truly deserve the appellation for heinous acts. Wal-Mart is simply acting in their best interest business-wise, nothing akin to systematic genocide.

 

[Philip_G]

target is even worse than walmart in my town. The local super targer refuses to stock DVD's they determine as questionable, like jay and silent bob strike back.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Mike,

You summed it up nicely and that's why I choose not to shop there.

How does Walmart have so much power outside of their own business?

Because they cater to the ignorant masses who simply shop at the store closest to them (Usually Wal-Mart) or the cheapest (Usually Wal-Mart). This gives them a great deal of power and feeds the ignorance which is already abundant. It's similar to Microsoft in that most computer users don't have a choice. I'm not sure where you live, but I've been in a fair number of towns where the only shopping choice is Wal-Mart unless you want to drive 20+ miles. Do most people really eat at McDonalds because it's the best? No, it's because they're convenient and cheap.

Another point that I want to make is that by Wal-Mart not selling a particular item, many people will blindly deem it bad and rally against it, simply because the their store said it was bad.

Wal-Mart has a considerable amount of influence over the public. If you were to design a new toaster, you would have to get the design approved by a major retailer (most likely Wal-Mart or K-Mart), if you wanted to sell it. I've seen this in action in my field of work.

I could ramble about this all day, but I'm not sure that it would get us anywhere. I just want to end this by stating It's more than simply a business decsion, there are many more factors at stake. This is primarily a moral decision that they are inflicting on the public, most of whom are ignorant to these decisions. Yet this is supposedly in their best interest.

I'll end by quoting a song by Suicidal Tendencies "My Best Interest?? How do you know what my best interest is??"

 

[Eric Peterson]

Patrick,

I was using the term Nazi more in the sense that this was how the Nazi party was in the developmental stage. Many people thought that the Nazis were great until they opened up the death camps at the end of the war. I will agree that the term should not be used loosely and that "Big Brother" is probably a much better term.

 

[BrianB]

I've seen this in action in my field of work.

Same with me. Not being sold by Walmart can & does affect sales for 'marginal' items. Yes, this won't affect Slim Shady - fans have easy access to his work elsewhere. It does affect other musicians etc.

 

[Kurt N]

If everyone's so upset about Wal-Mart not stocking the new Eminem cd, why isn't anyone upset that they don't stock the Gangbang Auditions series of DVDs?

They are a private company. They have the right to sell (or not sell) anything they choose.

I used to own a record store and did not stock Eddie Murphy's (then very popular) albums. Even though I'm straight, I was offended by his gay-bashing and chose not to help him spread his message of hate. No merchant must carry an item he finds offensive. Nor should he be.

This, if anything, gives me respect for the Wal-Mart corporation as they're passing up a bunch of $$$.

 

[Jack Briggs]

If everyone's so upset about Wal-Mart not stocking the new Eminem cd, why isn't anyone upset that they don't stock the Gangbang Auditions series of DVDs?

Let's try an experiment here: Center the topic on protesting Wal-Mart's refusal to stock the original, unadulterated product and how one might go about registering protest. In the process, leave out the personal agendas we each might be bringing to the table here. Completely.

It can be argued, for example, that Blockbuster Video's incestuous relationship with Warner is the reason we in the United States are not being allowed to see Stanley Kubrick's cut of Eyes Wide Shut on DVD. Likewise, this decision by a mega-retailer not to stock Eminem's record in its original form could have ramifications on the marketing of music in general--to the point, eventually, of who does and does not get signed to a label.

Focus the dialogue on that aspect of the story. Filter out the personal polemics before you post.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Ok, Jack, but I have two questions that I feel need to be answered before we do that.

1. Is Blockbuster the only major rental chain that refused to carry the original Eyes Wide Shut?

2. Is Walmart as big a seller of music as Blockbuster is to video rentals? If not, then the analogy doesn't hold. I don't know the answer to this, but I would guess not, since Blockbuster is purely a video rental outfit while Walmart is a general store with competition from record stores.

 

[Jack Briggs]

No chain openly stated it was refusing to stock the original cut of the film, as none got the opportunity. It is believed the unspoken alliance between Warner and Blockbuster is what resulted in the digitally censored product.

The point is, however, that retailers, while exercising their free right to stock whatever they wish, can nevertheless make or break a specific recording and/or artist--and it can therefore be questioned as to whether the public's needs and wants are being served.

The relative sizes of the two retail giants is irrelevant. What's the connection? Fact is, both chains possess a major influence on what one gets to see and hear.

 

[Mike Witko]

I would just like to say that I personaly will never buy an album from Wal-Mart but that is my choice. Most people out there don't care enough about music to know the difference between an edited or unedited version of an album. It is their choice to be uninformed and in my opinion it is their loss. I am always for Freedom of speech but I also believe that a retailer has the right to sell what they want. It is their choice to not make the $$$ of the Eminem album. I honestly belive that they don't stock certain albums because Walmart is seen as a family store. Most families will visit the store and allow their children to buy music while they shop for other items in the store. In all reality do we want a young child listening to Eminem? Walmart not selling the album does not mean that the child will not be able to buy it. It just makes it a litte more difficult to find for the child and Walmart does not have to listen to the enraged parent coming back into the store and screming at them for selling this junk to thierr child. Enraged parents are lot more dangerous to Walmart (lawsuits ect.) then a bunch of Music lovers that will most likely not shop at Walmart anyways. Most Music lovers will probably buy thier music somewhere else with more selection.

 

[Frank Zimkas]

To quote John Milner "Rock-n-Roll has gone down hill since Buddy Holly Died!"

 

[Jack Briggs]

Well, except for that small matter of a quartet from Liverpool. ...

 

[Frank Zimkas]

You mean Fred, Barney, Bam-Bam, & Pebbles?!?!

No... wait a minute...sorry.. you lost me!

 

[Mike Broadman]

I'm trying real hard to get this, but I just don't see how Walmart not stocking Eminem can hurt the music business or stop us from listening to anything we want.

And besides, that whole Blockbuster/WB thing is dubious at best. Why, of all films, would they pick on that one? What would WB have to gain by not making the film available in some way, even if not through Blockbuster.

 

[Jeff Keene]

To me, it's just an indication that Wal-Mart has the potential to hurt the business. Let's say Target, Kmart and Best Buy follow suit in the future. Stand-alone record stores are going out of business everywhere. That leaves online sales, which while an everyday occurance for me is probably not that major a player (my perception).

So yeah, Walmart does have a say in the future of the music industry from my point of view. Maybe it's a small say, but it's probably growing. They dictate specifications to a lot of their suppliers now.

I agree on the Blockbuster/WB thing, though. That makes no sense. Did WB censor the theatrical showings because of future BB rentals? C'mon.

 

[Mike Witko]

Well maybe artists need to focus on releasing good music rather then focusing on using shock value to sell albums.

If someone wants to buy something outside of the main stream they can make the effort to go online. Walmart/Target/Kmart can't stock every album that is made they are just going to stock what they can sell. Plus remember these are family/convience stores not music stores. They are going to appeal to the majority of the public because that is where they get thier money.

 

[BrianB]

So yeah, Walmart does have a say in the future of the music industry from my point of view. Maybe it's a small say, but it's probably growing. They dictate specifications to a lot of their suppliers now.

They're also used as a stock guide by other smaller companies - if Walmart decides to buy in a large amount of stock of a particular item, it's viewed as being popular, and vice versa.

 

[Chris Lock]

> This is the exact same thing that the Nazis did

I didn't know they ran stores, but there was no Eminem product for them to sell back then anyway.

When will Wal-Mart invade Poland?

 

[Mike Witko]

It will be War Now. KMart has been almost eliminated. It is down to Walmart vs. Target for Control of the World!!!