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Report: Trans World Entertainment Don't Feel Like Stockin' New Scissor Sisters Album
September 26, 2006 at 4:41 PM (PT)
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Peeved that SCISSOR SISTERS frontman JAKE SHEARS criticized high CD prices at a specific retailer, TRANS WORLD ENTERTAINMENT has elected not to stock the band's new album, "Ta-Dah," at its stores, which include FYE, SAM GOODY, STRAWBERRIES, WHEREHOUSE, SPECS, and COCONUTS, reports MTV.COM.
SHEARS told MTV NEWS, "I complained at the NARM [the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RECORDING MERCHANDISERS] convention that [FYE's] record prices were too high. A few months ago, I went to go buy the new RACONTEURS album, and it was like $18.99. Of course, I rounded it up to $20 when I made the comments, and now they're denying it. They said, 'Our records are not $20, they're $19.99.' And so now they're not carrying our new record. I mean, even WAL-MART is carrying it."
We decided that it would've been nice to get an apology from them
Oddly enough, TRANS WORLD Pres. and CEO JIM LITWAK has admitted that not stocking the album is retribution for the comments, which LITWAK told MTV "were untrue and unfair."
Said LITWAK, "MR. SHEARS said that he tried to buy a RACONTEURS album but didn't because it was too expensive. But he didn't bring it up to register, because if he did, he would've seen that the CD was on sale.
"So MR. SHEARS made an incorrect statement at a convention instead of reaching out to us, to discuss our pricing," LITWAK continued. "We decided that it would've been nice to get an apology from them, so we reached out to their distribution company [UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP DISTRIBUTION] to let them know we were displeased, and we never heard back from them. So we made the decision not to carry the band's new release."
For its part, UMG DISTRIBUTION declined to comment on the matter.
"There are thousands of new releases out there, we've just decided not to carry this one. All they had to do was pick up the phone and talk to us. But they didn't elect to do that," LITWAK said. Perhaps forgetting that "consumers" should factor in the equation, LITWAK added, "We were ignored, and he made those comments. So who's the injured party here?"
"Ta-Dah," which was released in the U.S. today (9/26), is currently the top album in the U.K., having sold more than 288,000 copies its first week of release. The first single from that album, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'," sits atop the U.K. singles chart, as well.