Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
Gotta admit, I hate Wal-Mart, but in this case I kinda support their right to choose what they want to sell. Only because I like other businesses to have the right to chose what they want to sell for whatever moral reasons they might have. I don't really buy that Wal-Mart is all that moral or noble, but whatever.

I'l give them credit here, they give artists a choice to offer alternative versions of their music that are less offensive to some people, and the artist has the right to refuse. Freedom for both sides here...sounds good to me.

I don't see what the big deal is really. Too many people get too anal about a few bad words...and on the flip side if you need to drop f-bombs or sell controversy as art to make it big in the first place, Wal-Mart's probably not your most effective distribution channel anyway.

I can't ever remember asking Grammy to pick up the new NWA tape for me the next time she was buying stockings.

As for Green Day, they love painting themselves as these noble, anti-establishment rock-crusaders so this is free publicity that deep down inside they dream of getting for every release. I suspect they'll milk it for all its worth too.

Seems every few months its someone else doing this dance.

From what I've seen of Wal-Mart's DVD catalog though, the same policies don't seem to apply to movies...
Sure Wal-mart has a right to decide what to sell. But I have mixed feelings about them saying to any artist "we'll only sell your product if you modify it to our standards". On the one hand they do give the Artist the choice as to whether they want their CD sold at Wal-mart or not. But on the other hand, who the hell are Wal-mart to decide what is offensive? Isn't it up to the consumer to make that decision for themselves?

I don't think that Green Day is painting themselves as anti-establishment here. If I were an artist in this position, I'd be telling Wal-mart to stuff it too. My music is what it is; sell it, don't sell it, I don't care.