Library up to its ears in rotten remaindered CDs
Way back in 2002, the music industry promised to give U.S. libraries and public schools about 5.5 million CDs to help settle an antitrust lawsuit alleging retail price gouging. The major labels agreed to furnish fresh tunes, not stacks of remaindered albums. But when the shipments finally showed up this month, librarians discovered lots of duds and duplicates.
Only 283 of 1,325 CDs dumped on the Spokane Public Library will be added to the multimedia collection, for instance. The rest are multiple copies, remainders or titles deemed “not desirable to our customers,” says spokeswoman Eva Silverstone. In other words, many of the discs are dreck that didn’t sell.
“It made me laugh when I looked at some of it,” Silverstone says. “A large portion of what we received is Christmas music. And Christmas music only circulates around Christmas.” Think 39 copies of “Christmas with Yolanda Adams” – not to mention 48 copies of Mark Wills’ “Loving Every Minute,” 57 copies of “Three Mo’ Tenors” and 47 copies of Los Tucanes de Tijuana’s “Corridos de Primera Plana.” All for a system that might buy nine copies of the most-requested CDs for its six branches.
Thankfully, a few new and notable discs managed to sneak into the Spokane shipment. “We did get some good CDs,” Silverstone allows. “I saw the new Lucinda Williams album and thought, ‘That’s cool.’ ”
But if the record companies won’t live up to their promise, consumers who can’t find what they’re looking for in the library stacks might just be moved to download it from the Web.
Not much Moore
Local fans of free speech, rejoice. Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which takes a critical look at President Bush’s actions in the war on terror and Iraq, opens this week at the AMC River Park Square 20. AMC chose to book the documentary despite a censorship campaign launched by right-wing pressure groups.
Because it’s a controversial movie addressing subject matter of concern to most Americans, “Fahrenheit 9/11” will generate “a bunch of business,” AMC Theatres spokesman Rick King predicted in the Chicago Tribune. Regal Entertainment Group also plans to show the film on some of its 6,000 screens.
So Spokane audiences get to vote with their wallets. Those who dismiss the film as lying propaganda sight unseen can stay home and watch “The O’Reilly Factor,” while folks wishing to judge Moore’s work for themselves can attend a screening.
Don’t take that opportunity for granted. Just 200 miles east of here, the people of Missoula nearly missed out on “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Carmike Cinemas, which owns the city’s three multiplexes, decided not to show the most-talked-about movie in America. Mike Patrick, president of the chain, told the Tribune he’d rather book films with more commercial appeal, such as “Spider-Man 2” and “Around the World in 80 Days.” I won’t question Patrick’s judgment, but the “Spider-Man” sequel doesn’t open until the end of the month. And the Disney retread he cited opened with less than $7 million at the box office last weekend despite playing on more than 3,000 screens. That was good enough to rank it No. 9 on the list of top moneymakers, four spots below “Garfield: The Movie.” Luckily, Missoula’s independent theater, the Wilma, booked Moore’s movie early this week. The smart money says it’ll sell more tickets than Jackie Chan’s latest flop.
Making time for $pokane
The protesters vying with Bush boosters for presidential attention in front of the Spokane Convention Center last Thursday provided a heart-warming display of participatory democracy for the TV cameras. The Secret Service did not discriminate against onlookers based on the political content of their signs, as they have in the past. Instead, they simply whisked President Bush into a back entrance and avoided exposing him to anyone who hadn’t paid $1,000 to hail the commander in chief.