Being a city kid, Wal-Mart has never been on my radar.  I've seen them here or there while on road trips, even stopped in a couple times when it was convenient, but I've mostly kept Wal-Mart at a distance.  People hate Wal-Mart, people love Wal-Mart; for some, it's an absolute necessity.  The one thing that boggles my mind is the sheer enormity of the company, its overwhelming presence in the world of retail and, especially, its increasing power in the music industry.  The Eagles made a big splash recently with their Wal-Mart exclusive album.  Some called them sell-outs, but it's just pragmatic.  With the music industry and Wal-Mart working side-by-side, the Arkansas based company gets a few perks, one of them being the insanely star-studded “Shareholder's Meeting.”  The meeting, open to the public, is held annually in the University of Arkansas's 16,000 person capacity arena, and features a cavalcade of popular musical acts.  This year's event took place last Friday over four hours and featured American Idol winner David Cook, Tim McGraw and Queen Latifah, among others. 

David Archuleta fans may find this news a little bit troubling.  Last week, it was reported that American Idol nixed a proposed “Thank You” concert in Archuleta's home state of Utah, with all the proceeds going to charity, as a result of contractual issues.  Then, just a few days later, David Cook performs a show for the biggest corporation in the country?  In Arkansas?  Doesn't seem all that consistent.

Also on hand during the festivities was former American Idol contestant and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, as well as British singer Joss Stone.  Earlier in the week, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Journey also performed in pre-meeting events.  Journey is the most recent band to sign an exclusive album deal with Wal-Mart.  Good for Journey.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Source and Image Courtesy of NYTimes.com)