Wal-Mart exploits third-world children to offer cheap downloadable music

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Once again, Wal-Mart manages to deliver the goods at an impressive price. They've just launched their online music service which offers downloadable tunes for 88 cents a song, which is 11 cents cheaper than Apple's iTunes. (Listen.com's Rhapsody service, though, still beats everyone with 79-cent tracks.) Two thumbs up to Wal-Mart for a couple of reasons:

First, Wal-Mart is helping combat the insane tactics of the RIAA by offering tunes in downloadable form. Secondly, Wal-Mart is delivering an excellent value to customers who want downloadable music. It's one of the best pricing structures around.

It will be entertaining to see how Wal-Mart bashers manage to spin this one. Perhaps Wal-Mart is exploiting third-world children to pedal bicycles to generate the electricity needed to run the music download servers. Granted, some of the criticism on Wal-Mart is justified in terms of their offshore sources and working conditions in those countries, but I also find that it's fashionable to criticize Wal-Mart these days, and practically all my friends can't wait to take another snipe at Wal-Mart. Many of those snipes are simply unjustified. Wal-Mart does an excellent job of providing the goods that people want to buy at prices they can afford, and these 88-cent downloads are yet another example of that.

The vast majority of the criticisms aimed at Wal-Mart have a different source altogether: the consumer. Wal-Mart provides the goods that consumers want, and the truth is that most U.S. consumers don't care where something comes from or how it's made as long as they can get it for ten cents cheaper. The big picture is that whether we're talking about food products, cheap plastic household products, toys or other items sold at Wal-Mart, the consumer really doesn't want to know the story behind the product. They just want the best price, period. So they buy it from Wal-Mart and don't ask questions. And that's the root of many of the problems for which Wal-Mart is frequently blamed.

In a sense, Wal-Mart is a perfect reflection of U.S. values. It delivers exactly what people demand.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored more than 1,500 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a manufacturer of mercury-free, energy-efficient LED lighting products that save electricity and help prevent global warming. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org


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