Hmmm. I’m leaning towards Walmart on this one, and not just because I like the new Eagles album better. In fact, I’m a giant Beatles fan and a passionate McCartney fan (that’s why I’ve played bass for 20 years)–but Starbucks just doesn’t have the reach of a Walmart at this point–especially during the holiday season.

You gotta love the fact that both of these seasoned acts have turned to more lucrative, non-traditional distribution arrangements for their recent releases. You could also say that both Sir Paul and the Eagles made the proper distribution choice according to the specific demographic they serve. It’s not a stretch to think of Paul’s crowd as the more latte type. On the other hand, the Eagles, with their roots in country, are more appealing to the everyman and therefore a good fit with Walmart’s rural dominance.

Paul had a good start with Starbucks, with Memory Almost Full jumping to #3 on Billboard the first week of release and selling 161,000 copies. Subsequent sales have pushed it past 1 million.

The Eagles, on the other hand, have done tremendously well with their first release in 13 years, selling over 700,000 copies during the first week of “Long Road Out of Eden” hitting Walmart’s shelves. Of course, the Eagles are no stranger to success, with “Eagles, Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” being the best-selling album ever in the US.

Neither of these artists have pushed the distribution envelope as far as Radiohead, but hey–you’ve got to give them credit for at least thinking outside the box–credit mainly deserving of their agents, I’m guessing. At least they’re considering the basic questions of Marketing 101: Who is your audience, and how do you reach them.

This serves as just another example of the major challenges and opportunities facing musicians, authors, and film-makers in this new age of technology and the internet. We must all adapt, or the train–carrying our more savvy competitors–will pass us by.