The following is a press release detailing the ironic fate of this song.

Portland, Oregon -- May 12, 2006 -- “America be smart. Don’t shop Wal-Mart,” proclaims the First Act in their song “New York, Chicago, LA, Bentonville?” Now shoppers can purchase this chant and the rest of the band’s debut album, Public Transportation, from the retail giant’s online music store.

“The First Act is an outlet for our thoughts on the state of today’s society,” says lead singer Michael McKeon. “And that includes our stance against the business practices implimented by Wal-Mart.”

The First Act was formed in the small college town of Kent,Ohio, in 2004 and earned local recognition for its quirky, socially-progressive lyrics. Their live acts are marked by energetic performances and the passing out of free fruit to the audience.

The band sells its work through CD Baby, an online record store that handles digital distribution for independent musicians. Companies like CD Baby have made it easy for low-budget musicians to sell their music through increasingly popular digital download programs such as Rhapsody, Napster, and Apple’s iTunes.

The emergence of digital downloads as a popular form of music distribution spurred Wal-Mart to enter the market. Shoppers can now purchase individual songs from the company’s web site for $.88, eleven cents less than through iTunes. Wal-Mart’s music store requires the use of Microsoft’s Windows Media Player and is currently only compatible with PC’s.

“We definitely didn’t plan this,” says guitarist Tim Hollister. “We followed all the appropriate labor laws and recorded the album in the United States. We assumed that this alone would prevent Wal-Mart from carrying our music.”

McKeon is happy that their music has made its way into Wal-Mart’s inventory. “This is too ironic not to be funny,” he says. “We’ve infiltrated the big business. Now we want to take it down from the inside.”

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