Huffington Post: Springsteen Sells Out -- To Wal-Mart!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-derrick/springsteen-sells-out--to_b_153441.html



Isn't Bruce Springsteen a pro-labor, small-town, union supporting guy? Then why will The Boss' Greatest Hits be released exclusively by Wal-Mart? Okay, its only his greatest hits, which you can download anyway song by song if you have the patience. But still, wtf?

There's a number of reasons Springsteen's move to sell exclusively through the mega-retailer is, um really confusing, if not down right contradictory to the Springsteen hagiography: The small businesses forced to closed when Wal-Mart comes to town; Wal-Mart's low wages and high employee health care which place a significant percentage of "sales associates" and their children on public assistance; and Wal-Mart's labor history in the US and abroad-including child labor, violations of state labor laws and anti-union practices in the US, and use of sweatshops abroad all seem to be things that fly in the face of Springsteen's caring public image.

And for those of us concerned about LGBT rights: In May, Wal-Mart's board of directors opposed shareholders who wanted to extend the company's anti-discrimination to include the transgendered. They were voted down by the shareholders--but still...

Click here for more on Springsteen's Wal-Mart sell-out: http://lafiga.firedoglake.com/2008/12/24/wtf-springsteen-cd-exclusively-at-walmart/

I would not set foot in a WalMart, even for one of his albums...

people to shop at Wal-mart but you know "they sell our Pajamas and stuff". That was about the least rock and roll thing i think i've ever read.

If it's not about partying, women, fighting, fucking, rock and roll, having a good time, then it's not worth commenting on or rocking out to about... just the way a band should be. :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

They're from Australia. They probably never even heard much of WalMart or it's policies until now.

There were several there who were outraged, and then complained about the long checkout lines at WalMart.
To me that is like complaining about a restaurant by saying the food is terrible, and then adding, "and the portions were too small!"

Was Bruce even in the loop on this? That is the first qustion that must be asked.

Frankly, this reeks of his record label at work.

This is my first question.

Many of the songs that would fit in with a "Greatest Hits" collection may well not be entirely under his control, if he has any control over them at all.

People get some really funny ideas about how much the individual artists actually get out of their deals, particularly at early stages of their career.

Made up of pulls from his back catalog, generally none. And the average person would be quite surprised at the little or nothing the artist makes from one of these things.

a compilation record? I hope he wouldn't sell out to Wal-Mart without giving them a good talking to.