Did you know that Wal-Mart is the number one distributor of music CDs in the country? Well, Green Day currently has the top-selling CD in the world, but you will not find it at Wal-Mart.
The reason? Wal-Mart has a policy that states that they will not carry any music that has a Parental Advisory label on it. Green Day’s CD has the label because of some of the language and subject matter found in it’s songs.
Often artists will release a “clean” version of their material, but Green Day has refused to do so. Instead, they believe Wal-Mart should stop behaving like we are living “in 1953 or something.”
Of course Green Day is mostly concerned about other bands:
If you think about bands that are struggling or smaller than Green Day … to think that to get your record out in places like that, but they won’t carry it because of the content and you have to censor yourself,” he said. “I mean, what does that say to a young kid who’s trying to speak his mind making a record for the first time? It’s like a game that you have to play. You have to refuse to play it.
Quote taken from this article at Yahoo! Music.
Thanks for looking out for the little guy, Green Day. I am sure this has nothing to do with money and wanting to sell a few more of your own CDs. It is all about artistic integrity.
What do you think? Should Wal-Mart carry the CD? Should Green Day make a clean version of 21st Century Breakdown?
Theologically Speaking 
There’s a lot of negative things that one can say about Wal-Mart but this is not one of them. Wal-mart has made an amazingly moral decision I commend them. As far the motives of Green Day goes well, God knows, I can’t make a judgment there. But in general, when it comes to artistic freedom, it hasn’t been stifled at all, unless you think that the only way you can speak freely is if you, in your freedom, need to force someone to buy and sell your work.
peace
Many “artists” have equated moral ineptitude with art. It’s true that there are good things to say with foul language and sometimes something about sex should be said. But let’s get real. Songs being profane for the sake of being profane (I can think of a few Green Day songs like that — such as “all by myself”) is not art. That’s like calling pornography art. And it’s not. It’s selling a substance to substance abusers.
Here. Have some crack. It’s art.
avery:
I agree that their artistic freedom has not been infringed upon. They have no reason to complain. They have a right to create, but that does not mean others have to buy or sell their creation.
Ben:
I agree that not everything labelled “art” is really art. Some of it is just garbage.