] Wal-Mart is renowned for forcing it's suppliers to
] radically revamp their operations to meet Wal-Mart's
] needs. Wal-Mart dictates to it's suppliers, demanding
] just-in-time inventory control and annual - if not
] quarterly - wholesale price drops. 20% of CD and DVD
] retail dollars now flow through Wal-Mart. With that kind
] of buying pull, recorded music became yet another
] consumer item that Wal-Mart could live without, but that
] couldn't live without Wal-Mart. If we go with the theory
] that Sam Walton's boys popped the RIAA's cherry during
] the buyer's renegotiations, that probably provided
] leverage for other retailers from Kmart to Tower Records
] to cut the same deal, especially during a down economy.
]
]
] I wouldn't be surprised to find that the gusto with which
] the music industry tries to squeeze more blood out of
] consumers by lobbying Washington and other capitals was
] in direct relation to how much of they're getting
] squeezed in Bentonville, AR.

And this comment sums up the other key point of the previous linked article.

Slashdot | RIAA Loss Report Contradicts Nielsen Sales Record