It's no wonder I don't buy music at Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart, which promotes itself as selling clean versions of albums, is being sued by a Maryland couple who purchased an LP containing an obscenity - Evanescence's new live CD/DVD, Anywhere But Home - in one of the retail giant's stores, according to The Associated Press. The suit accuses Wal-Mart of deceiving its customers by selling the LP.
The CD did not feature a "parental advisory" warning sticker; Wal-Mart does not sell albums carrying them, per the chain's policy.
I ran into this issue, though in the reverse, years back in my hometown where Wal-Mart is the only place to buy CD's. I bought The Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream without noticing "clean version" on the irritating white sticky label. I did once I got home, and promptly went right back to return it. I want my cuss words, dammit. I also bought The Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness there and got all my obscenities on the CD and in the booklet since one song is titled "Fuck You", but I believe it was listed as "An Ode to No One" on the outside since that was part of the song title though in parentheses.
I don't like that they don't sell albums with warning labels. In many small towns across America, Wal-Mart is the only place in town since they've run everyone else off. Regardless of your age, this is where you will buy CD's because you have no choice unless you leave town or buy off the internet. Most small towns can't support an independent CD shop where you can get what you want, uncensored. If they want to sell clean CD's, then sell them, but also offer the Parental Advisory version. Not everyone purchasing CD's from Wal-Mart are children.
The thing I find funny about Wal-Mart is that they only sell clean versions of CD's, but take a look at their DVD section...no censorship there. You can buy The Sopranos, The Godfather Series, Sex and the City, and Scarface and buy a copy of Monsters, Inc. and The Lion King too.
This was a CD/DVD combo the Maryland couple bought, so I guess it doesn't count on their clean version policy.
1 comment:
Pssst! Brandi! Shut up about the DVDs at Wal-Mart or you're going to ruin it for everybody. They probably don't know what they're selling (if they've been living under a rock or in a cave with Osama all these years).
Seriously though, nice observation. I've secretly wondered whether my copy of Austin Powers in Goldmember, which I bought at a Lexington Wal-Mart, hasn't been sanitized for my protection.
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