For those about to shop, we salute you.
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is hopping on the AC/DC bandwagon again, just months after announcing that the power-chord-crunching rock band will release its new studio album exclusively through the world's largest retailer.
AC/DC will now be teaming up with Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) popular Rock Band rhythmic game franchise, releasing AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack. The add-on will be sold exclusively through Wal-Mart.
AC/DC and Sam Walton's retailing shrine are odd bedmates. Wal-Mart has a history of censoring its shelves, whether it's titillating magazines or crude art. Now it turns around and backs the Australian bad boys of rock? It's not as if AC/DC is going to rename its classic Highway to Hell album, Highway to Heck. There's no sense in kidding the public into thinking that "You Shook Me All Night Long" is an ode to a margarita blender (available in Aisle 5, by the way).
Ultimately, this is a partnership about two extremes meeting in the middle. Wal-Mart wants to appeal to younger audiences, picking up some of that cheap chic mojo from Target (NYSE: TGT), even if AC/DC hasn't put out anything commercially relevant in years.
AC/DC, on the other hand, has seen old-school rockers find eclectic ways to sell music through mainstream retailers. Paul McCartnery fared well by going through Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) for last year's studio album. Wal-Mart will go all out, committing dedicated shelves to display the new CD, the video game, as well as older AC/DC titles and licensed clothing. Since AC/DC is one of the few holdouts that won't sell their catalog through Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iTunes Music Store, the exclusivity with the discount department store leader is a win-win. Wal-Mart will seem a little cooler. AC/DC gets a little wealthier.
Viacom also wins here. It's just following rival Activision's (Nasdaq: ATVI) playbook, since the Guitar Hero competitor put out an Aerosmith version of its game over the summer.
What's next, Wal-Mart? "Big Balls" in the sporting goods department or "Hell's Bells" for the seasonal holiday displays?
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