Another Wal-Mart article - PG referenced

[PJ]

http://www.asuwebdevil.com/issues/20...pinions/693753

Wal-Mart shakes up Brooks' future
by Heather Hull published on Friday, September 9, 2005

Get ready to stand directly inside the blue-vested fire. Excitement rocked the music community last month, as the thunder rolled and the lightning most definitely struck.

In an unprecedented move, country superstar, minor league baseball legend and our favorite Dr Pepper spokesperson, Garth Brooks, signed a deal with Wal-Mart - giving the exclusive distribution rights of his music to the international megastore.

After first hearing of this new business development, I was definitely confused. How could something like this happen?

Disrespecting those musical geniuses that have passed on by claiming they signed some sort of contract is just wrong. We should honor deceased balladeers like Brooks by celebrating his entire catalog - especially as it comes streaming out of the broken windows of our slowly declining all-American Ford vehicles.

After a quick Google search, however, I discovered that Brooks, in fact, is not dead.

Rather, he apparently put an end to his musical career in the traditional sense, choosing to stay home with his family until his last child graduates high school - in 2015.

Regardless of this self-inflicted industry death, however, his album sales seem to be thriving at Wal-Mart stores across the country, making the Brooks-Mart marriage only too perfect.

In the Billboard Magazine article, as quoted on PlanetGarth.com, Wal-Mart vice president and divisional merchandise manager, David Porter said, "Garth's music holds a magic that touches his fans of all ages, and making his titles available to our customers just makes sense since so many of his fans are Wal-Mart customers."

A pact like this will undoubtedly change the music industry as we know it. So I decided to get some professional opinions on just what we as listeners can expect for the future.

I immediately stopped at the only place I willingly give more of my money to than QuikTrip: Hoodlums, in the lower level of the Memorial Union.

Despite Brooks' incomparable talent and understandably huge collegiate following, when I asked co-owner Kristian Luce if he thought the store's sales would be impacted, he said, "No."

Graphic design sophomore and Hoodlum's employee Kate Wilhelm added that if someone like Kanye West decided to make the same type of merger, "we'd have a bit of an issue."

Flummoxed, I reached out to the ASU community for their thoughts.

Acting oddly unaffected in response to Brooks' departure from traditional retailers, undeclared sophomore Richard Franco said, "Oh yeah, that's a career move."

Law student Amanda Minsky refused to answer my questions, claiming she wanted no part in promoting "that hack of an alter ego to the extremely gifted and underrated Chris Gaines."

Pita Pit employee Pat Gonzales said the Garth-Wal-Mart union made no difference to him. "Well," he added, "I've got friends in low places, so I just download his music whenever I want. And when I do, you can bring me two pina coladas; one for each hand."

Perhaps the oddest reaction came from music education freshman Michael Burns, who, after threatening to set his entire Garth Brooks collection ablaze, began to pump his fists erratically and repeatedly scream, "I'm talking downtown!"

While this musical fusion has obviously caused some uproar on campus, I am most concerned with Brooks' integrity as a songwriter.

As Wal-Mart refuses to sell many forms of objectionable material, it is hard to believe they would endorse some of Brooks' music.

While I have never heard some of his songs, it's easy for me to imagine - by song title alone - that "If Tomorrow Never Comes" is obviously a tribute to his fallen friend Tupac Shakur. And "Tearin' It Up (And Burnin' It Down)" must be a throwback to his coming of age in Compton.

There has also been talk of a potential Brooks, the Ying Yang Twins and Robert Goulet team-up to record the "Coconut Bangers Ball II." This leaves serious doubts in my mind as to whether these lyrics will remain unedited for Wal-Mart shelves.

We don't know how long Brooks-Mart will last or how successful it will be. But if it doesn't work out, and he's stuck in the contract for years to come, I hope he lets Miller High Life be the beer that chases his blues away.

Heather Hull is a communication senior whose third grade class sang "We Shall Be Free" at a school assembly.

[fuzzwuzz]

And getting her facts right about Garth!

[ProducerJ]

Cute! Heather -- if you're still hanging out at the Planet, keep that creativity flowing! Come on down to the American Honky Tonk Bar Association.

J.