Link

OK, I could give two shits on this one since I am about as likely to buy a Garth Brooks album as I am to contribute money knowingly to the DNC, but still (shakes head)...

According to the link, Brooks has signed an exclusive distribution deal with WalMart and Sam's Club. That's right, when Garth puts out more music, it will only be available in the censored music capitol of the world.

Now, distribution deals like this are nothing new. In fact, they're appearing to be all the rage, to my chagrin as I wouldn't mind listening to Allison Krause's new CD, but lack of proximity to a Cracker Barrel and an unwillingness to enter a debit card number on a library computer make that a statistical unlikelihood...but I digress. But I can't help but think that an artist's artistic integrity, if they had any, would suffer greatly with such an exclusive deal. And I would fear that an artist bound by such exclusive terms might be tempted to name drop on a coupla tracks. In Garth's case, it might mean that references to Stetson hats, the standard of the country music set, are verbotten, since such hats aren't available at Wally World.

But, it's his life, I guess (shrug).