LOS ANGELES (AOL press release) -
Music fans across the country can now "rock when they shop" at Wal-Mart stores nationwide as
America Online delivers a series of televised concerts featuring some of the biggest names in music.
The concert series kicks off this Friday, July 2, with
Avril Lavigne in her recent Broadband Rocks Live concert from New York City.
Customers in more than 2,600 Wal-Mart stores will have the chance to view these exclusive broadcast events on the Wal-Mart Television Network, operated by Premiere Retail Networks (PRN). The regularly scheduled AOL Music broadcasts will be shown on select Friday nights throughout the year, reaching an estimated 105,000 Wal-Mart television screens around the nation.
"We are excited to give our customers front row seats to experience some of today's hottest music stars," said Troy Steiner, Marketing Director for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. "This is one of many ways we utilize the Wal-Mart Television Network to deliver nonstop entertainment to our customers during their shopping trip."
Kicking off the "AOL Rocks Wal-Mart" program on July 2, is top-selling Canadian rocker, Avril Lavigne. Nominated for eight GRAMMY awards for 2002 and 2003, Avril broke one chart record after another with the phenomenal success of her six-times Platinum debut, Let Go.
"Our weekly concert series, Broadband Rocks, has experienced explosive growth online reaching millions of AOL for Broadband members every week," said Evan Harrison, vice president and general manager, AOL Music. "Partnering with Wal-Mart will turn the concerts into true local events for music fans in more than 2,600 retail stores across the country."
Lavigne's Broadband Rocks Live concert was recorded live at New York's Webster Hall on May 24, the night before the release of her highly anticipated second album, Under My Skin.
"AOL has been instrumental in Avril's success, with the initial broadcast on AOL for Broadband serving as one of the catalysts for the No 1 debut of Under My Skin," stated Kevin Twitchell, senior vice president of sales for RCA Music Group. "Making this fantastic concert available to millions of Wal-Mart consumers is a great way to keep the momentum going."
Following the Avril Lavigne event in July, "AOL Rocks Wal-Mart" will debut other concerts periodically. Past live Broadband Rocks events have included performances by today's most popular artists such as Usher, Alicia Keys and Hilary Duff.
For information on upcoming concerts in the series, log onto the AOL City Guide at AOL Keyword: CityGuide and aol.com/CityGuide, or visit www.walmart.com.
