The following report has been issued via Hollywood Insider's Entertainment Weekly:

With AC/DC's Black Ice locking in the second highest sales debut of the year, there's no doubt the shift toward exclusive deals with a single major retailer is paying off for a beleagured music business. The Eagles scored platinum-plus success with their latest album, Long Road Out of Eden, through a partnership with Wal-Mart, and now the Aussie rockers are poised to do the same.

But one rock veteran isn't mourning the way things used to be. "At the end of the day, it's about marketing," Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan told EW.com at the launch party for Guitar Hero: World Tour, which, appropriately enough, kicked off at a Hollywood Best Buy. "I've heard literally 25 to 30 commercials for AC/DC; that's the most amount of energy I've heard about an AC/DC record in 20 years! Because the labels weren't gonna do that. They treat a band like AC/DC with a sort of reverant distance. Throw it out there and if it clicks, great. If not, they'd bury it. So great for AC/DC and great for Wal-Mart."

As for his own band, who kick off their 20th anniversary tour on Halloween, they remain free agents after deals with Virgin and Warner Bros. expired. But Corgan says they're starting to write a new record. "And just trying to figure out how to live in this new world."

As previously reported, The Canadian Press recently issued the following report:

AC/DC made their new album, Black Ice, available only at Wal-Mart and through their website, but that hasn't limited its success: The CD not only has topped the charts in more than two dozen countries, it debuts atop the latest U.S. album chart with sales of more than 780,000 copies.

"It's overwhelming, and quite hard to take in," the legendary group's lead singer, Brian Johnson, said Wednesday after learning his group had 2008's second-biggest album debut.

"Even an old dog like me has a few more surprises in life, I guess," he said, chuckling.

According to figures released Wednesday by Nielsen SoundScan, Black Ice sold some 784,000 copies in its first week of release.

In making Wal-Mart the only retailer for their album, AC/DC joined the likes of THE EAGLES and JOURNEY, who have all had strong success.

"It was a win-win situation, and they decided to make it into a big thing with AC/DC merchandise and good deals with the other albums with the catalogue," Johnson said. "This has been a wonderful thing."

The CD has topped the charts in 29 countries since its release in the recent days.