Veteran music acts rise at big box stores
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AP
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Nisan 08, 2009 00:00
NEW YORK - With music stores closing and the industry struggling, older groups like the Eagles and AC/DC are finding success by teaming up with chain stores for exclusive releases. Garth Brooks kicked off the trend in in 2005 with an exclusive Wal-Mart deal.
Over the last few decades, a veteran music act's best shot at platinum magic has usually come from pairing up with younger hit-makers (a la Santana) or covering treasured classics (like Rod Stewart). These days, another kind of vehicle has become a path to sales success Äž teaming up with big-box store chains.
Garth Brooks kicked off the trend in earnest back in 2005 with an exclusive Wal-Mart deal, and the Eagles and AC/DC have both had multi-platinum-plus success over the last two years by exclusively selling new CDs at Wal-Mart. Guns N' Roses sold about a million copies with a special Best Buy deal. And last week, Prince entered the arena with a Target deal, selling a three-disc set for the low price of $11.98, mirroring a similar (and successful) venture Journey did with Wal-Mart in 2007.
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Though these deals represent only a fraction of music releases, their impact has been seismic for a struggling industry still figuring out the best way to sell albums amid ever-dwindling sales and profits.
Interest in a similar deal
"It's going to be the only way to put records out," said Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, who expressed interest in making a similar deal for his band. "Look what AC/DC achieved. It's phenomenal what they did, and if there is a blueprint to keep your eye on, it would be the way that Journey's album and the Eagles’ and AC/DC’s have done."
Such veteran acts have defined box-store exclusives, with younger acts - and artists working in genres outside of rock and country - largely absent from the scene. Younger stars like John Legend and Christina Aguilera have made special CDs for Target, and Beyonce gave Wal-Mart a three-month exclusive on her "B'Day" video DVD, but those projects largely contained previously released material.
Greg Hall, Wal-Mart's vice president for merchandising in entertainment, said the chain isn't opposed to working with newer acts or projects that are geared toward youth Äž in fact, he said, they just had the DVD exclusive for the movie "Twilight."
But such projects have to fit with the most important demographic for Wal-Mart - its consumer base. Hall said the first question asked is, "Where is there a fit with our brand, the Wal-Mart brand and our customer?"
Given Wal-Mart's standards on profanity (it sells cleaned up versions of graphic CDs) and its family-friendly image, it's hard to imagine the chain linking with, say, rapper Lil Wayne for his next CD.
Plus, acts like Lil Wayne and the ever-wholesome Taylor Swift get played regularly on the radio and can sell millions without confining their music to one retail outlet. Veteran acts usually see only their back catalog played on the radio, often on oldies stations.
"The artist that you see having success are those who have a huge fan base, but face challenges with commercial radio," said Michael McDonald, who manages acts including John Mayer and Ray LaMontagne. "Exposure at the mass merchants, if not a substitute, is certainly the next best thing."
A 2007 survey by the Recording Industry Association of America shows people over 45 made up the largest demographic of people buying music, at about 25 percent - just the kind of baby-boomer fans who would be attracted to a release from, say, Prince or the Eagles.
Dolly Parton, who recently released an exclusive edition of her CD "Backwards Barbie" with three additional tracks at the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel, said it's often harder for older artists to get the kind of attention they need, so chain-store deals are more appealing.
"These types of deals are better for veteran artists," she said. "We've made our mark and we have our names, but we're older artists."
McDonald said that with the shuttering of more and more music stores, exclusive content deals at big-box outlets would likely become more widespread, bringing artists of different ages and genres in the mix. "Those who continue with business as usual are going to find themselves in trouble," he said.
Garth Brooks kicked off the trend in earnest back in 2005 with an exclusive Wal-Mart deal, and the Eagles and AC/DC have both had multi-platinum-plus success over the last two years by exclusively selling new CDs at Wal-Mart. Guns N' Roses sold about a million copies with a special Best Buy deal. And last week, Prince entered the arena with a Target deal, selling a three-disc set for the low price of $11.98, mirroring a similar (and successful) venture Journey did with Wal-Mart in 2007.
Â
Though these deals represent only a fraction of music releases, their impact has been seismic for a struggling industry still figuring out the best way to sell albums amid ever-dwindling sales and profits.
Interest in a similar deal
"It's going to be the only way to put records out," said Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, who expressed interest in making a similar deal for his band. "Look what AC/DC achieved. It's phenomenal what they did, and if there is a blueprint to keep your eye on, it would be the way that Journey's album and the Eagles’ and AC/DC’s have done."
Such veteran acts have defined box-store exclusives, with younger acts - and artists working in genres outside of rock and country - largely absent from the scene. Younger stars like John Legend and Christina Aguilera have made special CDs for Target, and Beyonce gave Wal-Mart a three-month exclusive on her "B'Day" video DVD, but those projects largely contained previously released material.
Greg Hall, Wal-Mart's vice president for merchandising in entertainment, said the chain isn't opposed to working with newer acts or projects that are geared toward youth Äž in fact, he said, they just had the DVD exclusive for the movie "Twilight."
But such projects have to fit with the most important demographic for Wal-Mart - its consumer base. Hall said the first question asked is, "Where is there a fit with our brand, the Wal-Mart brand and our customer?"
Given Wal-Mart's standards on profanity (it sells cleaned up versions of graphic CDs) and its family-friendly image, it's hard to imagine the chain linking with, say, rapper Lil Wayne for his next CD.
Plus, acts like Lil Wayne and the ever-wholesome Taylor Swift get played regularly on the radio and can sell millions without confining their music to one retail outlet. Veteran acts usually see only their back catalog played on the radio, often on oldies stations.
"The artist that you see having success are those who have a huge fan base, but face challenges with commercial radio," said Michael McDonald, who manages acts including John Mayer and Ray LaMontagne. "Exposure at the mass merchants, if not a substitute, is certainly the next best thing."
A 2007 survey by the Recording Industry Association of America shows people over 45 made up the largest demographic of people buying music, at about 25 percent - just the kind of baby-boomer fans who would be attracted to a release from, say, Prince or the Eagles.
Dolly Parton, who recently released an exclusive edition of her CD "Backwards Barbie" with three additional tracks at the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel, said it's often harder for older artists to get the kind of attention they need, so chain-store deals are more appealing.
"These types of deals are better for veteran artists," she said. "We've made our mark and we have our names, but we're older artists."
McDonald said that with the shuttering of more and more music stores, exclusive content deals at big-box outlets would likely become more widespread, bringing artists of different ages and genres in the mix. "Those who continue with business as usual are going to find themselves in trouble," he said.