CD sales rocking hard at Wal-Mart Canada

    Metallica goes gold, AC/DC goes platinum, Guns N' Roses arrives Sunday at
    Wal-Mart Canada

    MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 21 /CNW/ - With a recent gold Metallica album and
platinum AC/DC album already under its belt, Wal-Mart Canada's music
department expects sales of Guns N' Roses new album, Chinese Democracy,
releasing this Sunday, will bring a strong close to a year in which hard-rock
compact discs saw brisk sales. Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy will hit
shelves Sunday - at midnight Saturday in Wal-Mart stores open 24 hours.
    Metallica's gold status with Wal-Mart Canada represents sales of greater
than 40,000 copies of Death Magnetic at Wal-Mart stores nationwide since its
mid-September release. Sales at Wal-Mart Canada have continued to climb above
gold status, and the album is now triple-platinum among Canadian retailers.
AC/DC's platinum status with Wal-Mart Canada represents sales of greater than
80,000 units of Black Ice at Wal-Mart stores nationwide since its October
release. Wal-Mart Canada's sales of Black Ice now greatly exceed the platinum
threshold.
    "Our booming sales of hard-rock bands like Metallica and AC/DC, and our
big expectations for Guns N' Roses prove that CD sales are alive and well at
Wal-Mart Canada this year," said Mike Gludish, Wal-Mart Canada's music buyer.
"In any year and any context, Wal-Mart Canada's sale of more than 100,000
copies of the AC/DC CD is a great sign for the Canadian music business. Add to
that the growing sales of Metallica and the release of Guns N' Roses this
weekend and hard rock will have quite a year on our shelves."
    AC/DC, Metallica and Guns N' Roses are among the most iconic bands active
today. Wal-Mart Canada has seen great customer enthusiasm for these bands and
the CD format of their new albums.
    "Our customers have been big supporters of new material from big-name
bands, and that's driving sales" said Gludish. "In the last year, we've seen
the resurgence of The Eagles, Journey, Metallica, and AC/DC at levels we just
couldn't anticipate - and we hope Guns N' Roses will follow that lead."

    Wal-Mart Canada operates a growing network of 310 outlets nationwide,
serving more than one million Canadians daily.

For further information: Felicia Fefer, Corporate Affairs, Wal-Mart
Canada, (905) 821-2111 x. 8012