2008 is shaping up to be a year of firsts for AC/DC. With over 5.3 million copies of Black Ice shipped worldwide, combined with over 5.1 million in catalog sold this year, AC/DC have surpassed The Beatles as the #1 selling catalog artist in the US for 2008. For the first time in the band's extensive history, AC/DC graces the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Additionally AC/DC are the first band to release an entire album for video game play with the release this week of The AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band(R) Track Pack(TM). Also sold exclusively at Walmart and Sam's Club in the US, AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band(R) Track Pack(TM), gives music fans a whole new way to experience rock's hardest hitting act with access to 18 live recordings from AC/DC's epic, live performance at Castle Donington. Columbia Records have partnered with Walmart and MTV to create "AC/DC Rock Band Stores" in New York's Times Square and in Los Angeles to give fans in the these cities fast access to all AC/DC music and merchandise.

AC/DC kicked off their Black Ice World Tour on October 28 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. This first leg of the tour, which runs through April 23, 2009 in Birmingham, UK, has been receiving critical raves. The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader raved "If this is what AC/DC sounds like on opening night after a seven-year layoff, later dates on the tour are going to be amazing." The Chicago Tribune proclaimed their live show "a celebration of all that is great about rock 'n' roll," calling the band's music "Rock 'n' roll that outlasts time."

    Black Ice World Tour Dates

    November 5  Detroit, MI         Palace of Auburn Hills
    November 7  Toronto, ONT        Rogers Centre
    November 9  Boston, MA          TD Banknorth Garden
    November 12 New York, NY        Madison Square Garden
    November 13 New York, NY        Madison Square Garden
    November 15 Washington, D.C.    Verizon Center
    November 17 Philadelphia, PA    Wachovia Center
    November 19 East Rutherford, NJ IZOD Center
    November 21 Columbus, OH        Schottenstein Center
    November 23 Minneapolis, MN     Xcel Energy Center
    November 25 Denver, CO          Pepsi Center
    November 28 Vancouver, BC       General Motors Place
    November 29 Seattle, WA         Key Arena
    November 30 Tacoma, WA          Tacoma Dome
    December 2  Oakland, CA         ORACLE Arena
    December 4  Oakland, CA         ORACLE Arena
    December 6  Los Angeles, CA     The Forum
    December 8  Los Angeles, CA     The Forum
    December 10 Phoenix, AZ         US Airways Center
    December 12 San Antonio, TX     AT&T Center
    December 14 Houston, TX         Toyota Center
    December 16 Atlanta, GA         Philips Arena
    December 18 Charlotte, NC       Time Warner Cable Arena
    December 20 Ft. Lauderdale, FL  Bank Atlantic Center
    December 21 Tampa, FL           St. Pete Times Forum
    January 5   Cleveland, OH       Quicken Loans Arena
    January 7   Pittsburgh, PA      Mellon Arena
    January 9   Toronto, ONT        Rogers Centre
    January 11  Cincinnati, OH      U.S. Bank Arena
    January 13  St. Louis, MO       Scottrade Center
    January 15  Omaha, NE           Qwest Center Omaha
    January 17  Fargo, ND           Fargodome
    January 19  Minneapolis, MN     Xcel Energy Center
    January 21  Kansas City, MO     Sprint Center
    January 23  Dallas, TX          American Airlines Center
    January 26  Tulsa, OK           BOK Center
    January 28  Little Rock, AR     ALLTELL Arena
    January 30  Memphis, TN         FedEx Forum
    January 31  Nashville, TN       Sommet Center
    February 18 Oslo, NO            Telenor Arena
    February 20 Stockholm, SE       The Globe
    February 22 Stockholm, SE       The Globe
    February 25 Paris, FR           Bercy
    February 27 Paris, FR           Bercy
    March 1     Antwerp, BE         Sportpaleis
    March 3     Antwerp, BE         Sportpaleis
    March 5     Leipzig, DE         Halle 1
    March 7     Dusseldorf, DE      ISS Dome
    March 9     Oberhausen, DE      Kopi Arena
    March 11    Bremen , DE         AWD Dome
    March 13    Rotterdam, NL       Ahoy
    March 15    Dortmund, DE        Westfallenhalle
    March 17    Prague              02 Arena
    March 19    Milan, IT           Datch Forum
    March 21    Milan, IT           Datch Forum
    March 23    Budapest, HU        Papp Laszlo Budapest
                                     Sportarena
    March 25    Frankfurt, DE       Festhalle
    March 27    Munich, DE          Olympiahalle
    March 29    Zurich, CH          Hallenstadion
    March 31    Barcelona, ES       Sant Jordi
    April 2     Madrid, ES          Palacio de los Deportes
    April 14    London, UK          02 Arena
    April 16    London, UK          02 Arena
    April 18    Dublin, IE          02 Arena
    April 21    Manchester, UK      MEN
    April 23    Birmingham, UK      NEC

SOURCE Columbia Records

http://www.acdc.com

This coming weekend starting Nov. 2, Walmart launches another exclusive AC/DC value -- the AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band(R) Track Pack(TM) video game. Developed by Harmonix and published by MTV Games, the game will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii (Wii arrives Nov. 16) for $39.88 and $29.88 for the PlayStation 2. The game is available at all Walmart and Sam's Club locations and at the AC/DC Rock Band "pop up" stores located at the MTV Store in Times Square in New York and at Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles. The AC/DC Rock Band pop-up stores will be open through Jan. 4, 2009.

Fans can also go to walmart.com/acdc to preview tracks from the new CD, checkout new videos of the band, get information on the pop up stores shop for apparel and more.

"We knew already AC/DC has a strong fan base, and certainly this last week proves their new music is as strong as ever," said Gary Severson, senior vice president, Walmart Entertainment. "We also knew they were the perfect band for us to create a new concept around music and other categories in our stores. Even in a fast changing and sometimes challenging environment for music, there are bands and ideas that can make a difference, if you give customers your best and at the right value."

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)

Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club locations across America or log on to its online store at http://www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $296 million to local communities in the United States. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com.

SOURCE Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

http://www.walmartstores.com

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NKK continues to lead the industry in responding to the needs of the marketplace with innovation, high reliability, customization and a commitment to excellence. The company provides a full suite of customization solutions that include: design, programming, printing and support. NKK maintains a complete network of qualified representatives and distributors throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America, Europe and Asia.

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Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=852895

For more information, contact:
Chris Walker
Connect Public Relations
480-366-6015

Bob Wanless
NKK Switches
480-991-0942

SOURCE: NKK Switches

Since the original announcement for Black Ice, news on the band continues, including the recent announcement of a new U.S. concert tour and the advent of the unique AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band(R) Track Pack(TM) video game, also to be sold exclusively by Walmart and Sam's Club starting early November.

Now, upon the retail launch of Black Ice, Columbia Records and Walmart plan to give fans even more access to this legendary band. In each of its 3,500 Walmart stores, Walmart will create a "Rock Again AC/DC Store" within the store. While the new $11.88 Black Ice CD album holds centerstage, it will be surrounded by new AC/DC apparel, DVDs, past albums, games, and even a social gaming station for fans to try out their rock-n-roll skills on Rock Band.

In addition, Walmart and Columbia Records have partnered with MTV to create an "AC/DC Rock Band Store" in New York's Times Square and in Los Angeles to give fans in the these cities fast access to the band's newest items. These pop up stores will open 12:01 midnight Oct. 20 to begin selling the album, AC/DC apparel, the Rock Band video game, and Rock Band branded apparel and accessories.

Also new, Walmart has dispatched interactive Black Ice trucks on the streets of New York City and Los Angeles this week. Making new stops each day, the trucks fill the air with AC/DC music, invite fans to be the first to hear the new album before release, and allow players to demo the new AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band(R) Track Pack game on the truck's back stage. These trucks will also sell the album starting 12:01 a.m. Oct. 20.

Featuring 15 tracks, Black Ice is AC/DC's first album of all new material in eight years. It will be sold exclusively at Walmart, Walmart.com, Sam's Club, samsclub.com, and acdc.com for $11.88, with free shipping online. Fans can go to walmart.com/acdc to preview tracks from the new CD, checkout new videos of the band, get information on the pop up store and Black Ice truck schedules, shop for apparel and more.

"Fans have waited more than eight years for a new record from AC/DC and finally the wait is over," said Columbia Records co-Chairman Steve Barnett. "The band has consistently delivered the kind of anthemic rock music that defines generations and 'Black Ice' continues in that tradition."

"We've turned up the volume to support what we know is one of this year's most awaited albums from one of the world's most popular bands," said Gary Severson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of Entertainment. "This is the first time in our history where we've taken such a large area within our store to celebrate a legendary band, and we invite fans of all ages to come out with us and get ready to rock. Only at Walmart can you find all of these items together, easily and affordably, to celebrate their U.S. tour and music."

The "Rock Again AC/DC Store" provides music fans with unbeatable values on everything AC/DC, including:

    -- Exclusive Black Ice album
    -- More than nine varieties of AC/DC and Black Ice t-shirts
    -- AC/DC sleepwear and hats
    -- "No Bull: The Director's Cut" AC/DC DVD
    -- A wide selection of past albums, still some of the most popular
       catalogue music sold
    -- Rock Band 2
    -- Exclusive AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band(R) Track Pack (in November)

The AC/DC Rock Band stores will open Sunday, Oct. 19 at 10 p.m. The stores will be open through Jan. 4, 2009 in New York at the MTV Store in Times Square and at Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles.

    Locations
    The MTV Store featuring AC/DC and Rock Band
    1515 Broadway
    New York, NY 10036

    AC/DC Rock Band Store -- LA
    6801 Hollywood Blvd (at Highland)
    Los Angeles, CA 90028

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)

Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club locations across America or log on to its online store at http://www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $296 million to local communities in the United States. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com.

SOURCE Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

http://www.walmartstores.com