Sticking it to "the man"--II

Earlier this year, the Eagles bypassed the recording industry to sign an exclusive distribution deal with Wal-Mart for their album "Long Road." The album has sold 3 million copies at the loss-leading price of $11.98. Now Journey, Taylor Swift, and perhaps Fleetwood Mac will follow suit.

“It just goes to show you that fewer artists need to be associated with record companies,” said Larry Mestel, chief executive of Primary Wave Music Publishing and former chief operating officer of Virgin Records. “They don’t need to give up a big chunk of money to the record companies when they’re iconic. They can go direct to Wal-Mart and make four to five dollars per CD.”

I wonder what my colleague, Bill Ivey, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and author of Greed and Neglect have Destroyed our Cultural Rights thinks of Wal-Mart's role in bringing music to the masses?

I like to think that Jack Black is smiling.