Eagles Disintermediate Major Labels, ITMS
The Eagles -- the multi-platinum selling alt country/rock band circa 1970s -- are trying an interesting sales strategy for their first studio album in 28 years.
For the new disc, it appears that there is:
- no recording label participation;
- downloads at their site only;
- physical 2-CD Set purchased only at Wal-Mart, or ordered at their site ((Eaglesband.com).
The band cranked out over 700,000 discs in the first week -- not too shabby for a double disc.
For you young 'uns, the album Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 is the all time best-selling album in the U.S. (according to the RIAA); Their album Hotel California is #18 on the all time top selling list).
What's really interesting is the downloading -- the double disc is available for in two formats: MP3 256k for $10.88, and in FLAC lossless for $11.88, directly from the band's website.
I am not sure, but it appears that both the labels and Apple's iTunes have been cut out of the picture.
(I'll update this as I learn more)
>
Update: November 7, 2007 5:52am
The Eagles made a direct exclusive deal with Wal-Mart for physical album -- no label involved.
The band sold the album to Wal-Mart on a one-way basis (meaning, no returns).
My anonymous industry source adds:
"If memory serves, I believe they bought 3.6M units at $8 or $9. The Band pays manufacturing costs and publishing (most of which goes to themselves as writers) and keeps the rest. Pretty nice haul. I haven't confirmed with the manager, but I believe the downloads are being done by the band through their site only."
Again, no iTunes, no labels . . .
>
Sources:
Eagles
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagles
Top 100 Albums
RIAA
http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTop100
Revised Chart Policy Lands Eagles At No. 1
Mitchell Peters
Billboard, November 06, 2007, 8:30 PM ET
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003668840
Previously:
JT bypasses the Labels
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2004/12/james_taylor_by.html
Track Listing:
Disc One:
01 No More Walks In The Wood
02 How Long
03 Busy Being Fabulous
04 What Do I Do With My Heart
05 Guilty Of The Crime
06 I Don’t Want To Hear Anymore
07 Waiting In The Weeds
08 No More Cloudy Days
09 Fast Company
10 Do Something
11 You Are Not Alone
Disc Two:
12 Long Road Out Of Eden
13 I Dreamed There Was No War
14 Somebody
15 Frail Grasp On The Big Picture
16 Last Good Time In Town
17 I Love To Watch A Woman Dance
18 Business As Usual
19 Center Of The Universe
20 It’s Your World Now
Tuesday, November 06, 2007 | 10:18 PM | Permalink
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» Eagles kick record industry to the curb, make exclusive deal with Wal-Mart to distribute new studio album from discarded lies - hyperlinkopotamus
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Tracked on Nov 8, 2007 9:42:42 PM
Comments
I want to get this record for my Mother. This will be my first trip to Walmart in over a year.
Posted by: Internet Marketing Blog | Nov 6, 2007 11:34:34 PM
get some sleep
rgds pcm
Posted by: peter from oz | Nov 6, 2007 11:38:15 PM
I want to get this record for my Mother. This will be my first trip to Walmart in over a year.
I was there 28 years ago - I can wait another 28 years thank you.
Posted by: dryfly | Nov 6, 2007 11:42:40 PM
The kings of bland return once more to anesthetize the undemanding. Next, America will stage a powerhouse comeback. And then, Jackson Browne and James Taylor will team up to make elevators even sleepier than they are.
These guys make Jim Croce sound like metal. Can't they just retire and fade mellowly into the California twilight?
Well, at least all the discs will provide amusement for skeet shooters of the near future.
Posted by: dark1p | Nov 7, 2007 12:17:29 AM
The Dude is not pleased by this development.
Posted by: rob | Nov 7, 2007 5:23:27 AM
I’ve had a rough night, and I hate the fucking Eagles, man.
Posted by: Matt Levin | Nov 7, 2007 5:57:37 AM
Wow! were getting a little too serious about something...if everyone had to like the same music we would still be listening to the wolves howl... peace, love and happiness.
Posted by: justin | Nov 7, 2007 6:01:48 AM
Same old crap repackaged. I'm in my 40's and would rather stick a pencil in my eye than listen to hotel California again.
FYI, I think I heard they were using Jackson Brown and Garfunkel music to torture the inmates at Guantanimo. Poor guys!
My kids have nothing to listen too. There is know imagination in Motown any longer. They need to let the musicians drop acid again so maybe we can get some decent music.
As far as the idea. It's a good one. They have the ability to manage their own music so why use a middleman? Margins are much smaller and their just isn't any room for pump jockeys.
Posted by: ken h | Nov 7, 2007 7:46:54 AM
What's the most interesting thing to me is that they are not just having MP3 downloads but FLAC downloads as well. Typically only bands that allow taping (Grateful Dead, Hornsby, Phish) are into that kind of thing.
Posted by: Steve | Nov 7, 2007 7:54:02 AM
Not happy with the Wal*Mart exclusive.
I understand the download exclusive.
Record stores helped build The Eagles brand.
As for some ... Any time you generalize your punking, but I find the kids music very hard to plunk $s down on. Hang in there John Mayer and John Ondrasik (5forFighting). Stay off the hard stuff.
Posted by: Greg0658 | Nov 7, 2007 7:59:22 AM
I'm surprised it took the Eagles to figure out that you can burn your own CDs and find a wide distribution channel to push it through. I would be shocked if Amazon wasn't already trying to figure out a way to get in the game on an even larger scale than one artist/one album. A massive indie distribution channel where the artist can just upload the bits and booklet (in PDF format?) to Amazon and Amazon burns the CD and prints the booklets on demand?
Posted by: Andy | Nov 7, 2007 8:02:09 AM
advice to Sam Goody - have a employee cross the mall lot every few days, buy a couple copies to put in your racks, add two bucks, for folks that won't buy it at Wal*Mart on principle
Posted by: Greg0658 | Nov 7, 2007 8:10:27 AM
justin: Matt's comment was a reference to "The Big Lebowski". See below. Also, $11+ is still too much for an album download, even if it is lossless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcAa-rnulkw
Posted by: Charles | Nov 7, 2007 8:57:46 AM
Neat!
Too bad the album is terrible.
Posted by: salvage | Nov 7, 2007 9:38:46 AM
hey, don't dis the Eagles... their old stuff is great road trip music.
Other than that... strictly a nostalgia act for boomers who want to relive their coke-and-pot-fueled 1970s.
Eagles know their audience has aged, why else the Wal-Mart exclusive? Screw that.
I'm not sure how this distribution model would work for non-stadium acts, but it's a good sign (except for the Wally world thing). Screw the record labels, they have been parasites forever and it's nice to see them get cut out.
Posted by: r€nato | Nov 7, 2007 9:53:33 AM
As Mojo Nixon told us:
"Don Henly Must Die!
Don't let him get back together
with Glenn Frye!"
These guys are so mediocre and boring. And Walmart still sucks. Fuck them.
Posted by: gob | Nov 7, 2007 10:00:17 AM
promotion is the key... if you're not the Eagles, if you're an up-and-coming band, how do you get everyone to notice you if a record label isn't involved, paying off radio stations to play you and music 'journalists' to write about you?
There's guerrilla marketing like putting up a cool music video on YouTube, or getting Apple to put your song in an iPod spot, but other than that, it's still hard to beat the record labels for promotion to the mass audience.
Posted by: r€nato | Nov 7, 2007 10:09:47 AM
Radiohead also did a website release of their new record, and told fans to pay what they wanted. I think they made some ridiculous sum like $8M on the first day.
And, as crazy as this sounds, at the age of 44, I have never been in a WalMart. I don't plan on visiting anytime, ever.
Posted by: Lindsey | Nov 7, 2007 10:42:58 AM
Very few bands would have the kind of deep pockets the Eagles have to process multiple purchases to the tune of several hundred thousand in a few days. That takes servers, customer support for screw-ups, etc. I'm glad the Eagles are sticking it to the middle men they've spent their careers deriding, but the fact is that iTunes is a good deal for most bands because of the technical challenges of serving millions of customers.
Though in 10 years or so the technology will probably be cheap enough that it'll get more interesting.
Posted by: Mr Blifil | Nov 7, 2007 11:09:26 AM
As mojo nixon said: "Don Henley must die"
It is the only just punishment for that crap
Posted by: PSP | Nov 7, 2007 11:20:40 AM
Going from the record companies to the most loathsome retailer in the country- way to go, boys. Can't you do better than that?
Posted by: Carl from L.A. | Nov 7, 2007 11:20:53 AM
Sure, it's harder for smaller bands to promote themselves, but when the "music industry" (plastic disc manufacturing and distribution cartel) finally has a stake driven through its heart, there may actually be publicists that bands could hire for a reasonable amount.
General Motors doesn't have to give its ad agency 98 percent of its profits plus sign over all of its patents.
Posted by: craig | Nov 7, 2007 12:19:04 PM
The Radiohead giveaway resulted in around 45% of people paying $0, and still they made money....instantly.
I don't agree with the ShiteMart move, but absolutely order the CD from the website and cut out ShiteMart altogether.
Posted by: TimesAreAChangin' | Nov 7, 2007 12:26:42 PM
I hate your fucking music. I hate you. I am cooler and more discriminating than any of you. Why? Because I said so. No go download that crappy Radiohead album and then die.
Posted by: sshan25 | Nov 7, 2007 12:56:55 PM
WalMart??? Wow. How did they decide that deal. If it was just pricing they wanted to keep down I think they should have given Borders the exclusive retail package.
Posted by: Poncho & Lefty | Nov 7, 2007 1:20:06 PM
