Henley Turns A Blind Eye To The Heart Of The Matter Eagles front man Don Henley, who for years has railed against the consolidation of corporate power in the radio industry and amongst large record labels is now in league with Best Buy, one of America's largest corporate retailers. Only Best Buy will be allowed to sell the Eagles' upcoming DVD/single during the all-important first 30 days of its release. In an open letter (printed below) to Don Henley and the Eagles, independent retailers and coalitions joined to publicly chastise Henley for his corporate hypocrisy and the shut out of retailers who have supported him for the last 30 years. June 6, 2003 An open letter to Don Henley and the Eagles, We in the independent music retail community just heard the bad news that you guys are giving your new DVD/single exclusively to Best Buy for the all important first 30 days of its release. While we understand the lure of working exclusively with huge corporations and the marketing clout this mega-venture affords your band, this seems like a serious compromise in principles. How is it that you, Don, can rail against the consolidation of power in the radio industry, and amongst large record labels, and at the same time make a conscious decision to stop anyone except the biggest of the big guys from carrying your single/DVD at the time when all of your fans will want it? We respectfully ask, where has your integrity and sense of fairness gone? Put yourselves in our shoes. We've catered to, and helped to build, your fan base for the last thirty years. What do we tell our customers when they ask us for the new Eagles DVD/single? "Sorry, the band says that you can only buy it from very large corporations and we don't happen to be one of them." And if you are successful with this mega-corporate venture, what does it mean for music as an art form? Will Wal-mart begin to throw their weight around and demand that only THEY be allowed to sell a super-star's new singles, albums, and DVDs in the future? It appears you are creating that future with this action and the rest of us will suffer for it. Please reconsider your actions. We implore you not to create a world where only the biggest corporations are allowed to participate in the creative marketplace. You've seen yourself what has happened with radio. Why kill one of the last few remaining human voices in the music business: the voice of the independent music retailer. Please allow us to buy and sell the new Eagles DVD/single upon its release. It is the right thing to do. Sincerely, Scott Perkins & Bruce Carlock, Cats Music/Pop Tunes, Nashville, TN Richard Ellis, Aron's Records, Los Angeles, CA Ronn Jackson, Benway Records, Venice, CA Mike White, Glenn Forbes, & Ed Taylor, Boo Boo Records, San Luis Obispo & Grover Beach, CA Pat O'Connor, Boogie Records, Toledo, OH Brett Wickard, Bull Moose Music, Portsmouth, ME Quinn Bishop, Cactus Music & Video, Houston, TX David Lang, CD World/Streetside Records, South Plainfield, NJ Dilyn & John Radakovitz, Dimple Records, Sacramento, CA Eric Levin, Criminal Records, Atlanta, GA Bernie Hackett, DCCD, Washington, DC Allan Miller, Disc Exchange, Knoxville, TN John Timmons, ear X-tacy, Louisville, KY Keith Covart, Electric Fetus, Minneapolis, MN Karl Payne, Face the Music, Eugene, OR Rand Foster, Fingerprints, Long Beach, CA Joe Nardone, Jr., Gallery Of Sound, Wilkes-Barre, PA John Huffman, Gem City Records, Dayton, OH Erik Courson, Good Records, Dallas, TX Steve Gray, Graywhale CD Exchange, Salt Lake City, UT Rick Galusha, Homer's Music Stores, Bellevue, NE Steve Wiley, Hoodlums Music, Tempe, AZ Jim & MikeMcGuinn, Hot Poop, Walla Walla, WA Judy Negley, Independent Music, Colorado Springs, CO Jon D. Harvey, Jackpot Records, Portland, OR Steve Wilson, Kief's Audio and Video, Lawrence, KS Karl Groeger Jr, Looney Tunes, West Babylon, NY Lou Russell, Lou's Records, Encinitas, CA Carl Singmaster, Manifest Disc And Tapes, Columbia, SC Eric Howarth, M-Theory Music, San Diego, CA Terry Currier, Music Millennium, Portland, OR Adam Walker, My Generation, Westlake, OH Mike Dreese, Newbury Comics, Boston, MA Govindan Kartha, New World Record, Buffalo, NY Sandy Bitman, Park Avenue CD, Winter Park, FL Jim Bland, Plan 9, Richmond, VA Michael Crandell, Pure Pop Records, Burlington, VT Kevin Stander, Record & Tape Traders, Owings Mills, MD Alayna Hill-Alderman, Record Archive, Rochester, NY Michael Bunnell, Record Exchange, Boise, ID Don Rosenberg, The Record Exchange, Charlotte, NC Phil Strang, Record Service, Champaigne, IL Mike Himes, Record Time, Roseville, MI Chuck Oken Jr, Rhino/Mad Platter, Claremont, CA Bill O'Keefe, Rock-A-Billys, Detroit, MI Nancy & Jim Salzer, Salzer's Records, Ventura, CA Mike Phillips, Schoolkids, Cary, NC Don Watson, Sounds Like..., Riverside, CA Paul & Jill Epstein, Twist and Shout, Denver, CO Lisa Teger-Zhen, Uncle Sam's, Miami Beach, FL Lee Wolfson, Vinyl Fever, Tallahassee/Tampa, FL Steve Pick, Vintage Vinyl, St. Louis, MO Rob Roth, Vintage Vinyl, Fords, NJ John T. Kunz, Waterloo Records & Tapes, Austin, TX
Business..............................is business. Just like Dirty Laundry, and that is The Heart of the Matter.
I wonder how Don Henley and the rest of the Eagles camp feel about that letter. Most of those independent stores sell used cd's. Most artists and record labels hate the idea of someone getting their music secondhand. The Eagles don't get royalties if someone walks into a used cd store and picks up "Hotel California" for seven bucks. I can see the point that all the indie retailers have. It is hypocritical for The Eagles to do this. But it may be much to do about nothing. I've heard the single isn't very good. Most Eagles fans will probably wait for a new album. Music consumers have been programed to not expect singles from anyone!
Problem is, if an album stinks, you should have the right to unload it for a few bucks, and even then, that's only a fraction of the price you originally paid. The artist gets his royalty, the indie retailer probably passes the disc on to somebody else which earns that store money. The second-hand buyer gets an album for a good deal. Somebody's paid the royalty for that album, and unfortunately, it's the original consumer who ends up losing a few bucks over music he or she didn't like.
I totally agree, I'm not opposed to used cd stores. I'm saying that a band like The Eagles may have a different viewpoint. I wish I could find some better used cd stores in Hawaii. When I'm on the mainland I frequent used cd stores. I even used to work in one.
Take a look at The Eagles ticket prices (and recall that they were the first to charge such rates for their shows), and tell me again that Don Henley is really worried about anything but what's going into his wallet. Henley only latches onto a music industry cause when there's something in it for him.
Quick check at Mohegan Sun Arena - Ticket Prices: EAGLES - 7/19/03 $251/$176 STEELY DAN - 8/25/03 $70/$60/$45 RINGO - 7/31/03 $65/$50 Neil Young is sold out, so I could not get his prices
Me too. I am going to try fot NY tickets, maybe on eBay. The "E"'s are a bit out of my current range. I guess I'll wait for the DVD(V).
Business is business, but if you are going to be a public figure for the environment and against corporate America then you shouldn't pull **** like this. Shame on you Don!
Neil plays tonight in Pittsburgh; top ticket is $65, back of the pavillion is $35. A relative bargain, I say, even if he only plays "Glendale" or whatever it's called. Although I love much of the music made by Mr. Henley, I have to go with Mojo Nixon on this one (listen to "Don Henley Must Die" for the whole funny truth.) Chris
I've never seen the Eagles live so take this post with a grain of salt, but from what I've been able to gather, they do wonderfully faithful renditions of their studio recordings. So, instead of shelling out serious money, go pick up a used copy of Eagles Live from yer independent music store, put it on the turntable, crank it up, light up a joint, kick back, and take it easy. Same effect. Jim W.
$176 is better served on a DCC Hotel California and Greatest Hits gold CD. Plus you'll have plenty left for ice cream.
