Saturday, August 29, 2009

Wal-Mart's Hypocritical Music Policy



What do recording artists Green Day, Sheryl Crow, Nirvana, Radiohead, Pat Benatar, John Cougar Mellencamp and Tom Petty have in common? They've all had albums or songs banned or censored by superstore Wal-Mart. The same Wal-Mart which on August 31 will exclusively release the new album, "The Time of Our Lives" from 16-year-old writhing, gyrating, pole-dancing, near-naked-posing pop tart Miley Cyrus.

From the Walmart.com website:

..."Recordings identified with the Parental Advisory Label may contain strong language or depictions of violence, sex or substance abuse. Wal-Mart Stores, Sam's Club and Walmart.com (collectively "Wal-Mart") do not carry recordings designated with the Parental Advisory Label."

But apparently to Wal-Mart, a barely-post-pubescent Lolita act without a Parental Advisory Label is just fine. The dual-named singing sensation (still not sure what the the difference is between Miley and alter-ego Hannah Montana, but I'm not 10 either) has come under fire in the last year for her bizarrely sexually suggestive Vanity Fair photos with her dad Billy Ray Cyrus and for dancing provocatively with a stripper-like pole at the recent Teen Choice Awards. She also has a boyfriend who's old enough to drink, drive, vote and serve in the military, but too old to be romancing little girls....no matter how old they look and/or pretend to be. 16 is 16.

To be sure, Sheryl Crow is no worse for society, or at least Wal-Mart's allegedly God-fearing customers, than Cyrus. But then again, mega-star Miley/Hannah sells a shitload more albums than Sheryl. And being the exclusive distributor? Well, you can figure out for yourself how ginormously profitable this album will be for the superstore.

When it comes to Wal-Mart's morality, apparently it's all about the Benjamin's, baby.


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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

And you are surprised about this why??? Americans have been conditioned to the "WALMART" morality. Sexually exploiting an American child is OK but showing an image of a child murdered by American weapons in (Insert 3rd world country of your choice here) isn't. Gratuitously celebrating our children going off to murder other innocent children for the profit of oil companies with video games and toys is OK but supporting the Dixie Chicks or carrying "Dear Mr. President" by Pink isn't. 15% of our population having no access to health care and the other 85% having no guarantee off access is freedom.
While a guarantee of access is socialism and is evil. Welcome to Amerika's new corporate reality where white is black, left is right and up is down. Orwell was right, he was just ahead of his time.

Anonymous said...

Screw MalWart!

DOWNLOAD Miley Cyrus for FREE! FREE! FREE! (and any other music sold exclusively in their Chinese slave labor big box store)

http://www.thepiratebay.com

But first go to download.com and get the free utorrent software.

Kevin Schmidt

bLaKouT said...

This is partly the reason I avoid WalMart of late. The controlling by a corporate entity of what people see and do, thereby controlling what and how they think. If you're going to do the morality thing, great... but do it all the way, not just be moral about the lower profit margin material and ignore the immorality of the higher profit margin material.

Lew Scannon said...

I'm sure WalMart sells movies with questionable language, as well as some form of nudity, and yet they want to censor music? Seems a bit hypocritical of them but what corporate policy isn't?

A. Magnus Publius said...

WalMart has no problem enriching the coffers of the People's Republic of China so the commies can make better weapons with which to vaporize us with. It stands to reason that they would similarly betray American children the way they betray the American people every day.

Paul said...

It may be free Kev, but its still Miley Cyrus. Would you drink brake fluid just because its free?

Massawyrm said...

That argument doesn't follow. Wal-Mart isn't selling tarted up 16 yr old girls with Stripper pole accessories. They're selling record albums that are altogether wholesome. Sure, it's cheap sugary cracker-pop, but there's nary a swear or suggestive lyric to be found.

This by no means is to infer that Wal-Mart isn't a hypocritical company, especially when it comes to its video game/movie policy (the same nudity it allows in films sold in Wal-Mart will get a video game banned from Wal-mart stores). But this argument is a weak and heavily flawed one. Especially when you start bringing up the lifestyle choices of several of the other artists you named. I mean, are you really gonna lump a clothed stripper pole routine and an Annie Liebowitz photo shoot with heroin abuse and shotgun suicide? Come on.

Anonymous said...

Wal-Mart sells guns too----or at least they USED to. Thats why Sheryl Crow was banned. In one of her songs she said:

"Watch out sister, watch out brother, watch our children while they kill each other with a gun they bought at Wal-Mart discount stores"

Her album wasnt even obscene, it just put down Wal-Mart selling guns. In other words, it didnt violate Wal- Mart's policy, they were jut personally offended by the lyric, so they banned the album. That song "Love Is A Good Thing" was from Crow's self-titled 2nd album.

Anonymous said...

wallmart has destroyed the mainstreet of many a small town...and that is why i wont shop there.

but lets be fair about miley's performance...which sucked btw.

it wasnt meant to be a stripper pole...it was the pole on top of an ice cream rig...sans umbrella...and she really didnt gyrate...basically, cuz she cant dance...and she may have been wearing shorts, but i really didnt find the act sexual...i pretty much find her a turn off every time she opens her mouth

however, lets turn to the jonas bros, who, at every concert turn a hose onto their very, very young female audience that spews what appears to be semen

thats right...at every concert, the jonas bros bukake their prepubescent audience with faux jizz

arrest those boys

and no...i really dont like how young children have been sexualized in this society

Unknown said...

I'm disappointed that this Blog got my attention as I thought it would attack artists for Wal-Mart only releases. Maybe some insight into the crooked business that seems the norm these days. Instead it is idiotic Miley Cyrus bashing. A child with bad handlers.

Wal-Mart is such an easy target. AC/DC did a Wal-Mart only release last year. Bruce Springsteen did as well. The business is going downhill and this exclusive release isn't helping.

Your obsession with the Miley Cyrus trash tabloid circus takes up the majority of your post.

Damn, you had my attention too with the first 2 sentences.

The Ostroy Report said...

Sorry to disapoint ya, Dave. But I think you missed the whole point of my blog. I am not bashing MileyCyrus or anyone else for that matter. I am a 100%, freedom-of-speech-loving, patron of the arts...and don't care whether Miley Cyrus gyrates like a stripper or Robert Mapplethorpe sticks a banana you know where. Art is art, and I say let 'em all do what they want, and we have a right to buy it or not. My issue with Wal-Mart is over their highly inconsistent policies over what is in poor taste, objectionable and/or obscene....but that's always the case when decision are rooted in one's religious beliefs. One man's heresy is another man's Lolita fantasy.

Anonymous said...

"Wal-Mart is such an easy target. AC/DC did a Wal-Mart only release last year. Bruce Springsteen did as well. The business is going downhill and this exclusive release isn't helping."

Going downhill?

recent Wal-Mart ONLY releases:

"Long Road Out of Eden" (The Eagles) #1 album

"Revelation" (Journey) #5 album

"Black Ice" (AC/DC) #1 album

"Working On A Dream" (Bruce Springsteen) #1 album