John Legend releases live album as Target exclusive

R&B crooner John Legend has released his latest album Live From Philadelphia exclusively through Target stores.

The 19-track album features live performances of some of Legend’s greatest hits, as well as covers of favorites by the Beatles and Sly and the Family Stone, and a duet performance with British soul singer and tour mate Corinne Bailey Rae.

Live From Philadelphia is available for purchase in Target stores with a bonus DVD, or as a digital download from JohnLegend.com. The deal with Legend and his label Sony BMG is a first for the Minneapolis, Minn.-based corporation. Despite strong music sales at Target stores nationwide, the retailer has been an almost non-existent presence on the digital scene.

A Target representative said the company hopes to change that with the digital release of Legend’s album and many more artist-focused digital promotions to come, reports Digital Music News. The representative said that offering exclusive downloads was the first step toward putting Target back on the same playing field with established digital music retailers iTunes, Amazon and Wal-Mart.

Of course, no one was heard to comment on helping out all the fantastic and quickly dying indie-retail stores around the world, but then again, no one ever does. Ahem...

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.