I know the music business is changing and evolving because we now live in a digital, and still material, world. We ran two stories about it in the business section this year, so I really do get that it has to change. But this article from the New York Times still made me a little bit queasy.

I know Wal-Mart is the “Big Bad” in the retail world and the chain is an easy target on so many levels. But what made me particularly nauseated were these two sentences.

No. 1: “Wal-Mart was the largest music retailer in the country last year.”

And …

No. 2: “During her performance, Ms. (Carrie) Underwood volunteered that a Wal-Mart had recently opened in her hometown, Checotah, Okla., and Keith Urban changed his lyrics from “Goodbye, city, I’m country-bound” to “I’m Wal-Mart-bound.”

I know these sentences aren’t very shocking (considering “American Idol” and “sellout” are pretty much mutually exclusive), but they are both really sad.

No. 1 is sad because … well I don’t think I have to elaborate on why this is sad if you read our business story about local record stores.

No. 2 is sad because even though I am not a country music fan and have never really heard any of Keith Urban’s songs, the fact that he changed his lyrics to “I’m Wal-Mart-bound” … God … as a music fan in general that makes me sick to my stomach. What’s next Paul McCartney changing the lyrics of “Yesterday” to “I believe in Wal-Mart”? Or I guess it would be Starbucks in his case.

So, this being a music town, what do you all think about musicians selling exclusively at Wal-Mart (or Starbucks). Or do bands have the right idea about turning their backs on traditional labels and keeping the money from the sale of their records for themselves? And if they do that, should bands follow Radiohead’s example instead and sell their albums on the Internet?