Bruce Springsteen Sells Out?

From out in left field when the shadows crowd a late afternoon....

Comes the news the Bruce Springsteen has "sold out" to Wal-Mart by issuing an exclusive greatest hits package (Huffington Post)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-derrick/springsteen-sells-out--to_b_153441.html)

As someone who professed disappointment when perceived populist/radical artists made such deals in the past, this just elicits a yawn.

Bruce Inc. is taking the bucks, but what is he selling or (not) selling out?

A bunch of songs that are available everywhere to anyone anyway?

Small business and/or indie record stores are going to suffer because of this? How much independent business is left? How many independent record stores? Of those that are left, how much Springsteen do they sell? How many give you that deprecating sniff when you ask for something as retro as Bruce?

And how many of us that nostalgically remember the kindly gent at the hardware store that would climb the ladder to get us a 1 7/8" bolt, when we pull up to the Home Depot because it has a big parking lot and there are six of them on the way home from work?

Springsteen's audience is not the neo-hipster in the indie record store. They are at Wal-Mart because they economically have to subsist on cheap goods from China. The kids and the wife don't have the patience to spend an afternoon perusing the bins in some musty shop that reminds us of when we had hair and our knees didn't hurt.

The real sad part of this is that Wal-Mart Nation isn't scared of rock and roll (or us) anymore. Target sells those American flag shirts that incited people to riot when Abbie Hoffman put one on. The University of Cincinnati Marching Band performs a tribute to Led Zeppelin at half time of a bowl game. Relief pitchers walk into baseball games while the PA cranks "Welcome To The Jungle" or "Hell's Bells". "Crazy Train is played before University of Oklahoma football games. All in a 'family oriented' venue. I'm sure you've caught the Docker-clad soccer mom rocking out to Guitar Hero while Junior plays the drums in the finished basement. Of course, Bruce will be at the Super Bowl following a long line of old dogs who have lost their teeth. Wonder if he'll play "Born To Run"?

Collectively, we aren't scaring anyone anymore. We are like the Godfather Marlon Brando gumming an orange slice, chasing his grandson in the garden. We can no longer clench a fist because arthritis has set in.

And it is all a perfect business plan. The big boys can cut a wide path and make our lives so unbearable all we can do is sing about it, buy their sweatshop clothes and bargain goods. Whatever 'art' we turn to they can take from us and sell (after they screw us out of our fair share). When we are tossed out of our homes and jobs and our big American cars are repossessed we can console ourselves with a Springsteen song. God bless Bruce for at least getting paid. I never have been able to figure out the gravy train.

The Huffington Post that published the Springsteen blog won't pay you unless you are Bill Clinton. Editor Hillary Rosen in her previous incarnation at the RIAA sued teenagers who were interested enough in music to download it. She gets paid but most of the 'bloggers' don't. Somebody will make a nickel off of these paragraphs but I won't.

I'll probably be in line down at the Wal-Mart with a friend that has 25% of his lung capacity left and can't afford to buy the medications he needs to stay alive anywhere else. If they have Bruce up by the checkout, I might say "hmmm" and remember when. It might come down to a CD or a Snickers though. I have all this stuff on vinyl anyway and at least the Snickers is fresh.