A COLUMN BY Dick Rolfe Chairman, THE DOVE FOUNDATION
Wal-Mart
Sells "Sanitized" Music, Film
-Censorship or Customer Service
Wal-Mart is the nation's leading seller of pop
music, accounting for nearly 9% of the total domestic music CD
sales. In a daring move, the mega-merchant has drawn a line
regarding the kind of music it will and will not sell to its
customers. The chain's buyers are refusing to stock music with
lyrics and artwork it deems objectionable.
Titles like Nirvana's "Incesticide" won't be found on
any Wal-Mart shelves, while another Nirvana title, "Rape
Me" has been downgraded to "Waif Me." Dozens of
rap and hard rock artists have cleaned up their lyrics to meet
Wal-Mart's family-oriented standards. John Mellencamp's latest
CD, "Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky" shows the artist with two
children and a dog. In the background on either side are faded
drawings of Jesus and the Devil. The background on the Wal-Mart
case is airbrushed out.
A Wal-Mart spokesman said that producers know up front that we
will not carry anything with a parental advisory on it.
"That's something they are going to have to factor in"
if they want to sell their music to Wal-Mart customers. he said.
Blockbuster and K-Mart have joined Wal-Mart in this practice by
holding the line on certain pornographic or extremely violent
video titles. Recently, director Paul Verhoeven edited
"Showgirls," an NC-17 film, into an R-rating before
Blockbuster Video would put in their order. Oliver Stone's
director's cut of "Natural Born Killers" was refused by
Blockbuster, K-Mart and Wal-Mart.
Is this censorship? It would be, if these retailers restricted
the producers from selling their wares elsewhere. However, all
three chains have stated that their customers overwhelmingly
prefer family-friendly products. They see it as "target
marketing," not "prior restraint."
There are still plenty of places one can go to buy the raw
version of these explicit titles - Musicland, for instance. In a
related story, I just read where Musicland is in serious
financial trouble. In an attempt to save the giant music
retailer, the six largest record companies are betting millions
by offering the chain extremely favorable credit terms and
holding up collections on past-due invoices. Perhaps Musicland
should take a lesson from Wal-Mart, and listen more to their
customers instead of their vendors.
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Dick Rolfe is Chairman of The Dove Foundation a nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage and promote the creation, production and distribution of wholesome family entertainment. For more information about wholesome films and videos, write: 535 E. Fulton, Suite 1A, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, or call (616)454-5024.
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