Reuters - Dixie Chicks Bush-Whacked At Record Stores - ROFL

[VolcanoJen]

Only in America... the Dixie Chicks album debuts at #1 on the Billboard Album Chart (the whole chart, not the country chart, mind you), and Our Liberal Media claims they've been "Bush-Whacked."

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

Isn't this article a bit of a stretch??

Dixie Chicks Bush-whacked at record stores

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country trio the Dixie Chicks, the darlings of Nashville until their singer criticized President Bush three years ago, opened at No. 1 on the U.S. charts on Wednesday with their first studio album since then, but sales were sharply lower.

"Taking The Long Way," their third chart-topper, sold 525,000 copies in the week ended May 28, according to tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan. The figure ranks as one of the biggest openings of the year, and exceeds industry expectations by more than 100,000 copies.

But it paled against the 780,000 copies that their last studio release, "Home," sold during its first week in August 2002. It spent three weeks at No. 1, and has sold 5.8 million copies to date. In April another country trio, Rascal Flatts, opened at No. 1 with 722,000 copies of its new album.

[ThomCat]

1. That's the 'liberal' media for you.

:eyes:

[JackBeck]

2. Ridiculous. More people download than buy albums anymore.

But we still went out and bought a copy.

[VolcanoJen]

4. The Chicks have both the #1 Album and #1 Internet Album on Billboard.

Yet, they've been Bush-Whacked by Bush-loving Americans everywhere who simply and obviously refuse to buy or download their album!!!

:rofl: :rofl:

Jesus, Our Liberal Media is f'n delusional, aren't they??

[JackBeck]

8. Yes, they are. And another way we can help them out,

since they so desperately need it, is to go to VH1 and vote up their video in the Top 20 countdown.

on edit: here's the link

http://www.vh1.com/shows/series/top_20_countdown/

[pointblank]

3. Hmmmm 525,000 is nothing to sneeze at....

I wonder what Reba Mcintire's first week sales for her last album were....?

[VolcanoJen]

11. Well, Reba's last single made it all the way to #60 on Billboard.

The single before that crushed the charts, climbing all the way to #59.

}(

As far as albums go? "Reba's #1's," her last album, only climbed to #12 on the Billboard Album Chart. And that was an album full of hits!!

Her last album of new material, "Room to Breathe," made it to #25 on the Billboard Album Chart. }(

BUT YOU KNOW AMERICA LOVES REBA MORE THAN SADDAM'S ANGELS!!! C'mon!! Why do you hate America???

Reba - Billboard Chart History

[The Deacon]

18. Almost 526,000, not 525,000

It is intellectually dishonest to falsely round down (if you round 525,829 it should be rounded UP to 526,000 not down to 525,000.) This is one of the things I pointed out in my LTTE to Reuters.

[pointblank]

43. Ok

How about we just round it up to 530,000 and call it a day? sheesh...:P

[AnneD]

39. Wicked...

snarf......

[trogdor]

5. Actually, they made #1 in both.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002610727

For the third time in their career, the Dixie Chicks roost on the top of The Billboard 200. The Columbia album "Taking the Long Way" tallied 526,000 copies in its first week of U.S. sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the trio's best-selling week since 2002's "Home" debuted with 780,000.

And while country radio has remained cool to the group in the wake of a 2003 boycott following comments group member Natalie Maines made about President Bush, "Taking the Long Way" also nabs the No. 1 spot on the Country Albums chart, bumping Rascal Flatts' "Me and My Gang" (Lyric Street/Hollywood) down to No. 2 after seven weeks at the top.

[VolcanoJen]

12. Excellent... I doubt that the "Download" charts were as influential in '02

The Reuters article assumes that everyone buys their albums at record stores, something I haven't done in at least three years, and I am a prolific purchaser of recorded music.

Who wants to bet that if you added the In-Store Sales to the Internet/Download Sales of "Taking The Long Way," you'd reach a number greater than 780,000?

Our Liberal Media at work... twistin' the facts.

[redqueen]

6. hahahahahahaha

they're spinning anything and everything, just praying that some of it sticks, somewhere, anywhere!


:rofl:

[Clark2008]

10. I know where I'd like the media to stick something.

:evilgrin:

[Mr Rabble]

50. Full spectrum dominance includes media as well. nt

[catabryna]

7. They really had to stretch...

to find a way to make the debut of this album look bad. But, why should we be surprised? I taped Larry King last night and intend to watch the DC/King gabfest later. I love these "chicks"!

[rodeodance]

9. IF anything, the title shows how ineffective the Bushwaching is-since

they have hit number one. that is the way I look at at. the bushwaching by RWer's is probably having some effect but not the effect they hoped it would have.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. Okay once again - a lesson in music marketing

The musicians make little to nothing from the sale of their CDs. 95%+ of that profit goes right back to the record company.

So refusing to buy their CDs only hurts the record company. ANY radio station promoting this ridiculous boycott surely employs people who know this.

Wanna support a musician? Buy their CD directly from them (like at concerts) or buy a ticket to see them perform. They get a much larger percentage of the sale of concert tickets than from their CD sales in retail outlets.

Wanna hurt a radio station (especially these stations promoting theis boycott)? DON'T LISTEN!

[VolcanoJen]

15. Chicks Tix go on sale this Saturday!!

Open up your pockets, DUers. :-)

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. They will be here while I am in Crawford

in August :cry:

[Freedom_Aflaim]

71. Do Musicians make anything from radio play?

txs!

[Beaverhausen]

88. They get royalties if they are the songwriters

lots of money can be made from radio play. And since they co-wrote all the songs on this CD they should do OK.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

89. Thanks

I know very little about the music business.

[proud2BlibKansan]

96. Radio play creates fans

who buy CDs and concert tickets. And radio stations pay for the rights to play the music. But I think only the songwriters get that money.

[gatorboy]

14. Even with Bush's approval ratings hovering at 30-29%

The media still wants to paint the Dixie Chicks as "radical thinkers", as if the majority doesn't agree with their opinions on Bush. :eyes:

[w4rma]

16. Bush has "bottomed out" don't you know? (sarcasm) (nt)

:sarcasm:

[The Deacon]

24. As well as promoting the Dixie Chicks

By buying albums, concert tickets & nominating their video on vh1 (all great ideas I fully support) I think all of us should send individual emails to Reuters (under "contact Us") as I did. When these kiss-asses realize that "The Public" is reading their Republican Spin with a critical eye (point out, for instance, that 525,829 should not be rounded down to 525,000 but rounded up to 526,000 - or better yet, simply reported as the number that it is, or that the album they tout as having out-sold the Dixie Chicks has now been knocked out of #1 by "Taking the Long Way") they will be more likely to edit out the spin. After all, newspapers & other MSM isn't in the business of reporting news - they are in the business of selling beer (and sundry other consumer products.) When it finally gets through to them that a significant portion of consumers like to make up their own minds about the news without the spin we will start seeing news again.
Sorry about the length of post, guys - something I feel a little passionate about. We used to depend on Reuters to give us news (in Europe) without the U.S. slant on everything. Were they bought by Ass. Press or something? (Also miss having a second U.S. news wire - UPI)

[mwb970]

76. Isn't it time for a new poll? (n/t)

[johnnie]

19. And just to say it again

I posted yesterday that Toby Keith sold 329,831 copies of his new album in the first week of sales this past April. I find that entertaining in itself.

[VolcanoJen]

20. Oh, now, that is RICH.

Sorry I missed that post. Apparently, the Reuters reporter missed that post, too; it would have been nice to include as a point of reference in that "fair and balanced" article, huh?

Go up a few posts to see that Reba's not exactly Miss America Popularity according to Billboard, either. :-)

[johnnie]

25. Directly from his asskickin' website..lol

"With first week sales of 329,831 for the Show Dog Nashville debut album White Trash With Money, that bold but risky stroke is proving its own point.

Not only is the mark a watershed moment for Keith, but it is an historic opening number for an artist-owned label in the SoundScan era. It is also an indication of the continued growth of Keith's career, besting first week sales of his last album on Universal, Honkytonk University, by approximately 50,000 units."





So his album before this sold 50,000 copies LESS than this newest one.

[Warren DeMontague]

21. Well, "Number One" is just a *technical* term.

And Bush's approval ratings are at -what- 29%?

29 is more than 1, smart guy!

[Beelzebud]

22. I wish I was in a failure of a band like TDC or Tool, and only sell 500k

records on my first week. :D

What losers! :D

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

23. Wow, so they start at number 1, and the story can only compare it

unfavorably with a previous, spectacularly successful, album! Sheesh.

[Mike Daniels]

51. Given the build up it's not that amazing that the album hit #1

There shouldn't have been much doubt that the album was going to open at #1 because TDC have never had a completely 100% country-based audience.

As far as coming up #1 in the Country charts, I would think that charts like Country/R&B/etc. track albums that are categorized as such while the Top Album chart tracks everything regardless of format.

In that case, if TDC are still tracked as Country by Billboard I would think that all those sales would be applied to both the Coutry and Top Album charts even if everyone who bought the album listened primarily to rap and only bought the album to offer support.

I don't have a dog in the pro/anti forum either way re: Dixie Chicks. I just think both sides are somewhat dishonest regarding the sales at this time.

The FReeps are nuts if they think a band that's sold as many albums as TDC have isn't going to break platinum status.

The other side is a little delusional if they think hitting number #1 for one week necessarily means that the Chicks still won't see a significant decline in total sales over time.

The last studio album sold 3 million less than the one before and this is already underperforming compared to prior sales. Admittedly, it's only week one but I don't see the album selling more copies this week than it did last week.

If the reporter was trying to show that despite hitting #1 that the band may be looking at lower sales figures as a result of their comments then the sales comparison is valid.

[VolcanoJen]

58. Except... Internet/Digital sales have changed everything.

I think it's reasonable to assume that Internet sales have increased by quite a bit since 2002, the last time the Chicks released an album.

It might be reasonable to say that if you added the Chicks' first week actual store-bought album sales to the first week digital download sales, you might reach a number equal to or greater than the debut week of their last album, "Home."

That's something the Reuters article leaves out of the equation entirely.

I'm a prolific purchaser of recorded music, but I haven't set foot in a record store for at least two years. I purchased "Take The Long Way" from Real's Music Store, the same way I've purchased every album in the last two years. I don't think digital sales should be taken lightly; is it possible to find out how many downloads they've sold, so far?

In other Chicks news, this week, they became the first Female Group in history to score three back-to-back #1's on the Billboard Album Chart.

[Mike Daniels]

59. Very true.... I had not considered that part of the equation

I will probably end up checking the album out and I do hope they prove the nay-sayers incorrect.

[Gormy Cuss]

26. We need a new smiley

A spinning top.

They're # 1, but not a giant #1. They're #1, but not as #1 as they were last time. They're #1, but....

[VolcanoJen]

27. Great idea!

And, there's already this "spinning top" from DU's Top Ten Conservative Idiots:

[Gormy Cuss]

40. Thanks, VolcanoJen

Perhaps we can petition Skinner to add one to the lookup table -- it would get a considerable amount of use!

[cantstandbush]

28. I'm going to buy my copy today just to make a statement. n/t

[Jeffersons Ghost]

29. YOUNG COUNTRY CHICKS ARE COURTING OLD HIPPIES:

"I'd rather have a smaller following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith," Dixie Chick Martie Maguire told Time. We don't want those kinds of fans."

[VolcanoJen]

30. Ahhh... so is *that* the quote that pissed off Reba so much...

... that she dissed the Chicks during the American Country Music Awards last week?

[Cha]

47. I read on DU last

night that one of the Chicks got a small dig in at reba on larry king's but I can't get an answer to what it was. Looks like a FEUD!

I can't stand reba ever since she gushed she was a booosh supporter back on lk in 2000.

[VolcanoJen]

49. It looks like Martie made that comment in the "Time Magazine"....

... cover story on the Chicks.

I don't remember a dig at Reba last night... I do know that they were asked about Toby and Reba, but I can't remember their response.

Can anyone help?

[Warren DeMontague]

33. Damn straight.

That's how you build a long-lasting, relevant career as opposed to a flash in the pan.

[theboss]

36. That really might be the most incredible quote ever made by a musician

I guess I find it strangely noble. But if I was a long-time fan of theirs, I think I would be highly insulted.

I could see some sort of iconoclast like Elvis Costello getting away with something like this. But their fan base was teenage girls and young women.

[AnneD]

41. Dissing the C&W establishment...

has hurt the careers of Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens (and notice that they saluted him last week-lol), Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr, etc :sarcasm:

[Cha]

44. Ohhhh! Was that

the "dig" she got in at reba when they were on larry king? A DUer said one of the Chicks got a small dig in at reba(who dissed them at the cma).

[blm]

31. Typical media bizarro land - where Bush is the hero and Kerry's the phony

and Dixie Chicks are bottoming out and Lee Greenwood is HOT - HOT - HOT!!!!

[Warren DeMontague]

32. Well, c'mon. Look at the roster of "musicians" who criticize Bush.

I mean, what a bunch of talentless hacks and losers:

R.E.M.
The Dixie Chicks
Pearl Jam
Bruce Springsteen
Neil Young

..etc.

Whereas the right wing has such quality acts on the pro-Bush side, people with the cache of:

Ted Nugent
Pat Boone

...uh, did I mention Ted Nugent?

[theboss]

34. It does look like they lost about 1/3 of their fan base

I think the Dixie Chicks are going to be fine when all is said and done, but they are trying something that pretty much only Bob Dylan has ever done - piss off your core audience and try to pick up another audience in the middle of a career. And Dylan - for all his genius - never had album sales like the Dixie Chicks did at their peak.

I would think that they are going to sell about 1.5 million copies this time around.

What I am really curious to see are concert ticket sales. That will be the real measure of their fan base.

[VolcanoJen]

37. That "measure" was already taken, during their 2003 tour.

The Dixie Chicks made the "comment" in March of 2003.

That summer, as war raged in Iraq, and when the MSM was telling us the Chicks had committed career suicide by criticizing the President, they embarked on their "Top Of The World" Tour.

By August, they'd grossed $60 MILLION in concert ticket sales to become the nation's top country music touring act.

There's always been an enormous disconnect between what the MSM was telling us about the Chicks and what the fans were telling the Chicks about them.

It really is time to set the record straight.

Read more about the top-grossing 2003 Chicks tour here:


Dixie Chicks on Top of the World - E! Online - August 2003>

[theboss]

60. Tickets were mostly sold prior to the backlash

Natalie even addressed this on Howard Stern last week. In what was an amazing interview, we learned that one of the sisters had a three-way with two men, that Natalie listens to Stern every day, and that one of the backing musicians has a "super hot" wife.

Anyway, they were talking about what this had done to their career and Natalie basically said that ticket sales this time would be the big test. She said that most of the ticket sales took place last time before the comments so it's hard to know what their audience will be like now.

The one funny thing is that apparently the feud with Clear Channel does not apply to concert venues since Clear Channel owns most ampitheatres these days.


From marksfriggin.com:
The Dixie Chicks Perform Live. 05/25/06. 8:40am
Howard came back from break playing some Dixie Chicks song. Howard said that they were still setting up in the studio and they'll be performing a Stevie Nicks song for them. Howard welcomed the Chicks to the show and said that they were all looking very good. They're all whipped into shape.
Howard said that they have the biggest entourage that they've ever had on the show. He said they counted 37 people. He also said that the Chicks have sold 30 million records and that's pretty impressive for any group to do. There was a lot of noise in the room so Howard complained about that a little bit but moved on because he had no idea where it was coming from.

Howard asked the girls how they got started. The band started in 1989 but Natalie didn't join until 1995. The girls all agreed to split the money equally even though they don't all write and compose the songs together. Howard said that Adam Duritz from Counting Crows splits the money with the whole band even though he's the one writing the songs.

Howard asked the girls about getting laid but they're all married so they're not all out getting screwed. They said that they all have nannies who take care of their kids and they're the one's out getting laid. Howard asked them why they would hire hot nannies because their husbands might be home banging them. One of the girls said that if they're going to cheat, they're going to cheat no matter who it is.

Howard said he'd love to be married to one of the Dixie Chicks. They'd all be out on the road making the money while he stays home. The girls talked about their husbands and how they had their husbands sign pre-nups. One of the girls, Marty, said that her husband is from Ireland and he claimed that he didn't know what one was.

Wendy the Retard called in because she's a big fan of theirs. She said she went to one of their concerts and liked that. Howard told her to sing one of their songs for them so Wendy played one of their songs and screeched out the lyrics. Howard hung up on her and asked the girls if they knew what song that was. They had no idea.

Howard asked the backup singers if they tried to bang the Chicks at all. One of the guys said that his wife is the hot blonde in the dressing room. Artie had mentioned her earlier and said that she was really hot.

Howard asked the girls where they came up with their name. One of the girls said that they used to be called the Dixie Chickens and they got it from a Little Feet song but they eventually shortened it. Natalie is a fan of Howard's show and she knows it pretty well. She said she's been listening even more now that it's on satellite. She said that Howard used to say some nasty things about them. Howard took back what he's said about them because they're in great shape now. Howard apologized for what he said about them back when they said some things about President Bush a few years back.

The girls said that things got really bad when the Red Cross refused to take a million dollars from them. They couldn't believe that they had so much negative feedback after expressing their opinions on what they thought about the war in Iraq. Howard said that Iraq is a mess right now and it will be a mess for a long time. It may never be right. The Chicks lost a lot of fans because of their comments but they said that they just move on from there and put that behind them.

The girls said that they're not getting a lot of air play because of what went on a few years ago. Howard asked if Clear Channel is still one of the companies giving them a problem. He explained how they got rid of him after he came out against the war a few years back. He thinks that they fired him because of that and blamed the FCC for the firing. The Chicks said that Clear Channel hasn't given them that much of a problem but Cumulus (Corrected to Cox later) banned them all together. They said that Clear Channel gave their stations the choice to ban them if they wanted to. They were very sneaky about it while Cumulus (Cox) wasn't.

The Chicks said that Clear Channel didn't have a problem booking them for gigs at their venues. They have no problem making money off of them. Howard found out that Marty had a threesome at one point so he tried to get more information about that. She said that it was more of an unwanted friend coming into the room while she and her boyfriend were having sex. Natalie was the one who put the story out there so Marty wasn't too thrilled about that.

Howard and the guys asked Marty about what she was doing to get the guys. She said that she was doing more than drinking but didn't want to get into it too far. She asked where her publicist was and ended up hitting herself in the head with a microphone accidentally.

The subjects got changed and Natalie said that she lives near Sandra Bernhard. Howard asked her if Sandra ever tried to drag her to Kaballa. She said that has never happened. Howard wanted the girls to perform a song. He gave them a plug for their new album ''Taking The Long Way'' and web site DixieChicks.com. He then had them perform their cover of ''Landslide.''

After the song Howard told the girls that they could perform that all day long for him. He said it was really good. He asked them if they've heard from Stevie Nicks about the song. They said that they've actually performed it with her. Howard said that Stevie might be into a three way with the girls.

Howard thanked the girls for speaking out against the war. He gave them some plugs for their stuff and then took some phone calls. One guy told them how great they were and how happy he is that they play them on the Country stations there at SIRIUS. Wendy the Retard called back in and asked for an autograph. The girls said that they would do that no problem. Howard took another call from a woman who thanked Howard for having the Chicks on. She said that she thinks they got a bum rap for the comments they made and this country is supposed to be all about free speech.

Howard told the girls that he was thinking about a three way with the girls right then... and he'd probably leave himself out of that three way. Brent Hatley from Bubba the Love Sponge's show called in and apologized for his stance on the girl's comments, he now says that he's glad that they haven't backed down from their stance. He was also telling them that he worked for Clear Channel for 11 years and he knows that every decision comes down from corporate so if they were banned, it came from corporate.

Howard let Brent go and took another call from a guy who said he hates Country music but he's digging their new single. Ralph called in and said that he respects that they never backed down on their stance on the war. He also asked ''the dirty one'' to get on the Sybian. That wasn't going to happen though.

Howard said that there's nothing better than a hot chick who is into doing a threesome. He started to wrap up after that and said that he was going to play their new single ''Not Ready To Make Nice'' which is basically all about what went on with them being banned after coming out against the war. They're not looking to cater to radio stations so they didn't hold back with that song.

Howard played the song and asked if they had any songs about the threesome. Natalie was kind of jealous that she didn't have a threesome because Howard was so interested in that story. Howard took another phone call after that and one guy asked what kind of panties the girls were wearing. Natalie said she doesn't wear them at all. She said she won't wear them until the war is over. Howard asked her if she packs a vibrator when she goes on the road. She said she won't pack one when flying but she does own one. Howard figured that she might accidentally show something down there but she said she's a pro and that doesn't happen.

Emily said that she was wearing underwear so Howard asked her about the vibrator thing. She said that she went to a sex toy party one time but she thought it was kind of strange. She said that she has used one and she doesn't mind it if her husband uses one on her.

Marty said she has to wear underwear. Natalie said they have to tell that story. She said that Marty attempted to go pantyless but they went to Nobu down in Miami once and when they were leaving Nobu she had to ask if there was a stain on her dress. She asked Natalie to check her dress and she had a stain because she got kind of moist from the interviewer who was there. She said she has no problem getting lubricated when she's with a man. Howard asked her if she brings a vibrator with her. She said her husband is with her most of the time so she doesn't need one.

Natalie thought that Howard masturbated every day but he told her that he's slowed down a bit since getting together with Beth. Gary told Howard that Benjy wanted to ask a question so Howard let him speak. Benjy asked if Howard would have a problem with radio stations banning the girls if they had said something about killing all of the fags or something like that. Howard said he thinks it's wrong that they're banning their music for what they said but Benjy thinks that it's up to the company to decide because they're trying to run a business. The Chicks were saying that the worst thing is that it's the big companies like Clear Channel that ban them from all of their stations instead of letting the individual stations decide for themselves.

Benjy kept arguing with Natalie even though Howard told him to stop. Marty said she kind of agrees with Benjy because they are trying to run a company. That led to Benjy asking about burning the flag to protest the war. Marty was against it, Howard said he's all for it.

Jeff the Drunk called in and asked which of the girls give the best head. Howard said that was disgusting but wanted to know the answer. Natalie said that they don't know who gives the best but Marty is pretty experienced because her stories used to start off ''So, I was giving this guy a blow job...'' Howard asked about swallowing. Natalie said that she's tasted it but she won't swallow it. Marty said that she will hold it in her mouth until she can find the proper place to put it. Howard asked what the proper place is.

Emily was being very quiet so he asked her what was going on. Emily said she wants to know why guys are so into having girls swallow it. Howard said that guys like to finish where they're at. When a girl spits it out, it's like they're saying ''Eww, you're gross.'' Natalie said that Emily can't answer a question with a question so she wanted to know if she swallows. Emily said it all depends on how drunk she is.

Richard came in and asked if the girls get their periods at the same time. They weren't sure about that. He also asked if they shave in similar ways. They haven't seen everyone so they weren't sure. Natalie said she shaves fully.

Howard wrapped up with the girls after that and gave them another plug for their album and web site. He thanked them for coming in and went to commercial break.

[VolcanoJen]

61. Tickets *were* sold days before the comment. They still packed houses.

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12290,00.html

The band also benefited from good timing: Tickets for its U.S. shows went on sale March 1, nine days before the Bush imbroglio. In the first day alone, the band sold out 51 of its 59 dates.

If the original ticket holders didn't want to see the post-joke Chicks, they presumably found buyers who did. The band played to full houses, Pollstar's Bongiovanni said.

The Dixie Chicks "backlash" has ALWAYS been exaggerated by the MSM. It's just an historical fact.

I saw the Chicks that summer in Cincinnati. Walked by TWO (count 'em, two) protesters. The place was sold out. Not an empty seat to be found. It was a rowdy, rollicking good time, and the reviews the next day were excellent.

I also listened to that Stern interview (I'm a Sirius subscriber) and posted about it already. Aside from the usual Stern sex stuff, the interview was fantastic, and included an apology from Howard for mistreating the Chicks before he learned all about political backlash for himself.

[theboss]

62. I agree that the backlash is largely over-hyped

But I do find this a fascinating story, because I don't recall anything like this every happening before. Not a musician facing a backlash or boycott. That's been going on since Jerry Lee Lewis at least (Sinatra may have been first in some ways).

But in 2003, the Chicks weren't so openly hostile towards country radio and - more importantly - country fans. I can't imagine that the Time article and 60 Minutes interview played well in, say, Dallas.

I do think that their overall album sales will be affected this time. And I think they will really see the impact on their next album when the "Let's make a political statement by purchasing a record" sentiment will be less strong.

At the same time, it's probably not that different a pattern than they would have experienced regardless of the comments. Bruce Springsteen stopped selling 9 million records in 1987. He still has a very viable career.

The one problem that the Chicks are going to have, I think, is that they are going to eventually be trying to sell to an audience that probably doesn't like their style of music very much. I'm not sure "Goodbye, Earl" is really a song that, say, a Berkeley crowd would get into.

Like I said, Dylan is the only musician I can really think of who turned his back on one audience in order to seek another. But most of his albums barely sold 500,000 copies in a run, let alone a week. (For the record, Desire is his highest selling studio album with 2 million copies).

[VolcanoJen]

63. If The Chicks were just country artists, maybe that would be correct.

Thing is... The Chicks are crossover artists. They always have been. Their music appealed to so many more fans than just those of country music. It's why their record sales skyrocketed above and beyond that of their country peers. It's why they've collected 9 Grammies.

Same could be said for Garth Brooks. Tim McGraw. Faith Hill. There's just a big difference between those kinds of artists, and, say, Reba or Toby Keith.

I'm not a country kind of girl, but I bought "Fly" just like everybody else did... catchy tunes, great harmonies and superior instrumentation. They're absolutely amazing live, too.

If this album's sales are ultimately affected, I feel it could be attributed to a helluva lot more than "backlash," which is the conclusion Reuters is so quick to reach.

At any rate, the Dixie Chicks are career artists, and they have a lot more great music in them. We'll be hearing from them for a decade to come... they're not going anywhere, and their demise was extremely exaggerated.

[theboss]

64. I think "country" is the dominant market these days

Shania, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, heck even Jimmy Buffet all did huge overall sales in the last few years. No rock artists had similar sales. American Idiot is the only really big hit of the last few years with 5 million sales. Wide Open Spaces did 6 million.

Not that I like anecdotal evidence, but I used to work at the main concert venue outside Pittsburgh. I think 8 of the ten main concerts there this year are country acts.

[VolcanoJen]

65. Ummm.... U2 had 9.4 million in sales for their last album

Also, rock artists tend to dominate the tour circuit in terms of real dollars earned.

Think U2, Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band (a group that has never been really commercially viable in album sales) in the last five years...

Rock isn't dead. Yet. :-)

I've enjoyed this discussion... I could talk about music 24 hours a day.

EDIT: I should correct my U2 stat... that's 9.4 million in worldwide sales. US sales were closer to 3 million, still pretty damned impressive for an "old" rock band (that I happen to adore).

[theboss]

66. I thought that was high for U2

Those are still great numbers though. I love U2 as well.

I find the business side of music fascinating.

And I find the change in the music audience over the last 10 years fascinating. I'm originally from the Pittsburgh area, which has always been a "classic rock" type of town. Heck, Steve Miller still sells 20K there.

But the biggest local band there is something called "The Poverty Neck Hillbillies." Don't ask. And I was home for the weekend and got stuck in a tremendous traffic jam for a Rascal Flats show. Also two of the rock stations I listened to as a kid are now "Froggy" stations.

What appears to have happened is this: Young women now buy records and concert tickets in numbers that may surpass young men. And those young women - by and large - buy country music. You simply can't look at the success of the Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Shania, etc and realive that they found a vein of ore in the musical landscape that had long been ignored.

If you like Chuck Klosterman, he has an essay in - I belive - Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs about how the Dixie Chicks are Van Halen and teenage boys are now teenage girls. Basically, 20,000 15-year-old boys used to go to arenas to see Eddie Van Halen play a guitar solo. Now, 20,000 15-year-old girls go to arenas to see fiddle solos.

Teenage boys seem to have drifted almost completely into the Hip Hop market. 50 Cent sells twice as many records as Green Day, regardless of how many awards they win. (I just heard American Idiot swept another awards show last week, and that thing is 2 years old. Why can't Blonde on Blonde win Grammys?)

Hip hop, however, is still not much of a concert draw. I worked an Ice Cube show in the 90s and even though he was huge in my all-white high school, there were very very very few white faces in the crowd. That may have changed a little bit in recent years, but I've seen no numbers suggesting it.

Anyway, the saving grace of the Dixie Chicks may be that there fans are largely teen girls and young women who probably don't watch the news. I'm still not sure why they are attacking their fans in print though.

(For the record, I love their first single...though I think in two years, I might not remember why it is so angry. "Cowboy, Take Me Away" will never have that problem).

[VolcanoJen]

67. Very interesting re: Green Day, 50 Cent

That's so very, very true. The young men I work with (late teens, early twenties) absolutely cannot stand rock music.

It's 50 Cent all the way. He's their damned hero. It's weird to me.

My father was a DJ, and I've always been fascinated in the business aspect of music as well. I remember when he told me that every time he played "Imagine" by John Lennon, the phone in the studio would ring off the hook with people saying "Get that commie pinko faggot off the air now!"

Wow, ya know?

"Not Ready To Make Nice" does take a little slap at *some* of their fans, and it *is* an angry song. But I think it's a touchstone, in the sense that it's one of those songs I'll listen to 10 years from now and I'll know exactly what the mood of the country was at that time... the way we were at each other's throats. In that sense, the song is necessary, and it serves as somewhat of an historical document.

We should continue this discussion in PM... I could just go on and on about music and the music industry today!

[theboss]

69. I think Dylan is the only one who can really get away with songs like that

"Like a Rolling Stone" and "Positively 4th Street" still work 40 years later, because they are so angry, yet non-specific.

A song like, say, "Great Wall of China" by Billy Joel makes no damn sense now, because I remember that he was mad at his manager but I can't remember why.

"Angry Songs" are probably my favorite sub-sub-sub genre of music. Whenever a woman would piss me off, I generally would play every woman-are-evil song by Dylan and Elvis Costello back to back to back. And that is a pretty impressive list of songs, I might add.

I am way past caring about the Dixie Chicks in a "Who is right/who is wrong" sense. Everytime one of these incidents happen, I get angry that the Interent was ever invented. This kind of organized thing could not have happened in 1984 or 1985, for instance. I mean, could you imagine the backlash if Springsteen had told Reagan to stop playing Born in the USA today? It's just not THAT important a story.

But their re-positing of themselves in the market place is the story. And I'm not so sure they are going to have real long-term success trying to reach the NPR crowd. They are certainly never going to match the "Wide Open Spaces" days.

If look at Dylan's sales, he traded in 500,000 rabid folk fans for 500,000 rabid rock fans in the 60s. They seem to be trying to replaced 4,000,000 million rabid country fans with a fanbase that may not actually exist. Alt country or Country Rock or whatever it is they are doing now is not a huge seller or Whiskeytown would be the biggest band in America.

[Warren DeMontague]

75. Springsteen DID tell Reagan to stop playing Born in the USA.

Edit: also, I think "Alt country" is bigger than you know. Jay Farrar, Wilco, and Steve Earle all seem to do O.K.

[theboss]

78. I know that

I am saying, Can you imagine the backlash on the web today. No one knew that was going on in 1984, because there was not a Free Republic or Michell Malkin or Instapundit to fan the flames.

And you seem to be intentionally mis-reading my argument. I love Steve Earle. I love Wilco. And they are doing fine.

They are not moving 8 million units though and they are not selling out 25,000 seat arenas, which is what the Dixie Chicks did.

The Dixie Chicks are essentially telling one group of fans to stop buying their music and asking another group of fans to begin buying their music. The size of the fan base they are leaving is probably about 10 Million people strong. The fan base they are courting may be 2 Million people strong.

It's a pretty remarkable thing to be doing.

(My argument has nothing to do with musical integrity; it has to do with business. Of course, Natalie Maines is richer than Davy Crockett so she may no longer care about money. And if so, God bless her. Springsteem is still interesting even though his album sales are 1/7 of what they were in the 80s)/

[Warren DeMontague]

80. Mmmm, I remember hearing about it.

And I wasn't exactly "tuned in" to current events.

Unlike the GOP, however, I was smart enough to know that the words to the song weren't exactly a patriotic, rah-rah anthem.

[theboss]

83. We're off the subject here.

Here are my two questions:

1. Will teenage girls and women in their 20s still buy their concert tickets in massive numbers?
2. If not, will enough "new fans" take their place?

If they still bring out tons of young women on the road, then everything is the same as it was in 2000 for them.

[Warren DeMontague]

86. Not being a teenage girl, I can't rightly say.

However, I still give 'em props for taking a stand.

And it sounds like they've made at lease one new fan in Leonard Pitts:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060531/OPINION03/605310325/1071

[Kukesa]

70. Jen, weren't YOU a disc jockey for a short time? nt

[Warren DeMontague]

68. If you understand concert venues

you should understand that the acts with the best long term staying power and large draw for fans (and ticket sales) are often the people who buck conventional industry wisdom and advice.

[theboss]

72. The Dead and Phish are their own sub-category

The Dead made millions by selling tickets to the same 50,000 people over and over again. Phish did largely the same thing.

Dave Matthews and Jimmy Buffet are the two current touring artists who have sort of created their own niche.

[Warren DeMontague]

74. That is extremely not true.

Hey- I saw the Dead over 100 times. But to assert that "the same 50,000 people" were the only ones going to see the Dead is just plain ludicrous. There are alot more Deadheads than you think.

As for "jam bands" in general (of which I think Dave Matthews is on the more watered down end of the spectrum) I think industry and critical voices tend to pooh-pooh what is, after all, probably the most lucrative and vibrant subcategory of American live music nowadays. And while I don't like all of those bands, and I don't think many of them have a whole lot to do with the Dead, you can thank the Dead for almost singlehandedly engendering that scene.

And even if your assertion above WAS true, it should tell you something about committed fans being willing to pay back artistic integrity in spades over the years. The numbers don't lie.

[theboss]

77. I'm not downplaying their accomplishment

Let's say it was the same 250,000 fans over and over again. That's great for the Dead.

It's not great for the overall music scene however.

[Warren DeMontague]

79. I still disagree, but the essential point is

that the "rules" don't apply if you're good enough- and stubborn enough- to make your own.

[theboss]

82. True

But the Dead were never a multi-platinum band who became a niche band. The Chicks are apparently trying to do that.

That's what is unprecedented in my view. If U2 woke up tomorrow and said, from now on, "We are only going to make bagpipe music," it would be pretty remarkable if their album sales kept up. They barely survived their "techno" period.

[Warren DeMontague]

85. Hell, I know of niche bands that became multi-platinum and now

have returned to niche status, all the while doing exactly what it is they feel like doing, artistically--- critics be damned.



They seem to be doin' alright.

[ComerPerro]

35. I have to say, yet again: It is more controversial to support Bush now

than it is to oppose him.

So why does the liberal media act like people like Kanye West and The Dixie Chicks are radical extremists for opposing Bush, when only 29% approves of him?

[Cha]

45. Because they're

the fucking fascist media who doesn't want bush to be at 29% but he is in spite of all their knee positions.

[VolcanoJen]

48. Did anyone catch Larry King misrepresenting the facts last night?

A caller asked if the Chicks felt proud that, now, three years after the Iraq War began, 70% of Americans essentially agree with them. She was obviously referring to the recent polls which had Bush at 29%, 31%, etc. approval.

The Chicks laughed, and Larry King jumped in to "correct" the caller. "Actually, it's more like 60%!!" he said.

Anyone have a link to a poll that has Bush jumping up to 40% approval?

Yeh, me either.

:wtf:

[Cha]

52. ONe of the Chicks got in "72"!

"tinfoilinfor2005 (1000+ posts) Wed May-31-06 09:52 PM
Response to Original message
16. Caller said 70/30 of the country agrees with you.
Larry quickly piped up, "I think that's 60/40". One of the Chicks (missed which one)said, "I think it's more like 72."

I see poor old repukelican Larry's face getting tighter and tighter as the show goes on. Love it!!"

larry didn't even know their names! What a doddering POS.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1323901#1324237

[redqueen]

54. King should be ashamed of himself.

More reason to write him and correct his sloppy work. :)

[redqueen]

53. Something to do with their being owned by huge corporations, I think.

The same huge corporations that own the GOP, and a sizeable chunk of the Dem party as well.

[Mr_Spock]

55. Well, if it's any consolation, it may help sell more albums

They are promoting something that stands against a very unpopular person. No matter the spin, it's still a promotion of sorts :D

[zbdent]

38. Hmm, how many of Ted Nugent's last album sell for in the same

time period? . . . Or Charlie Daniels?

Discounting bulk purchases . . .

[noonwitch]

42. I'll bet ol Charlie sells more records than Ted

I like Charlie's fiddling, even if I don't like his politics. His fans tend to also be of the same political persuasion. Most people I know who liked the Nuge when he was popular are liberals and despise his politics.

I remember a time before the merger of the gun nuts with the god nuts, when fundamentalists used to picket Tedly's concerts (at least in West Michigan) over alleged obscenities in "Wango Tango", among other things.

On one occasion, they were picketing outside of the old Welsh Auditorium in Grand Rapids, which happened to be next to the Grand River. The talk the next day was that Ted grabbed some of their protest signs and threw them in the river. I wasn't there, however, to see it.

[zbdent]

87. You know what, I didn't care much for him

when I was a testosterone-dripping teenager, either (I'm straight . . . and comfortable about MY sexual orientation!)

Of course, I liked Kiss then. Of course, you also see a bunch of people who say that Kiss had an effect on their musical careers, also. Didn't some country dude (or dudes) do a cover or two of KIss songs for the tribute album?

[theboss]

100. Garth Brooks loves Kiss

He's covered them a lot of times.

He also loves Billy Joel.

And he is the biggest selling country artist in history.

In 20 years, we are going to look at Garth Brooks' career and say, "What the hell was that all about?"

[Booster]

46. Bet every band in America would love to be Bush-whacked in

the same way. Chicks will be laughing all the way to the bank, as well they should; they are really making a mockery of all their critics.

[Cha]

56. bush has "bushwhacked"

America but she's coming back with all the unleashed Fury of a Giant Tigress to make him wish he had never messed with us.

[Omaha Steve]

57. They are coming to Omaha, I'll be there

My wife and I have NEVER been to Country concert before. But we will be at this one. We love those chicks!

[T Roosevelt]

73. Album is currently #1 on iTunes

Not Ready to Make Nice is #15...

And FYI - Colbert's WHCD is #7...very cool.

[SoCalDem]

81. Quality usually triumphs over quantity

Let the rest of the "twangers" go buck-wild over the lost pickups, cheating wives and drunken fights.. others can record them...

The Chicks may have finaly found their "niche".. They appear to be a bit too savvy and world-wise to stay with the "protest element" of the right wingers...

At this stage of their careers, they are probably happy to be at home more now anyway, instead of touring all over the place..

[Rex]

84. Our 'liberal media' will be held liable for all damages accrued in support

of the Giggling Murder. At least in my fantasy world they will!

MSM = vermin.

[spanone]

90. "The figure ranks as one of the biggest openings of the year"

So that means ALL the #'s are down from 2002 not just the Chicks. It's a bullshit 'news' story.

[bklyncowgirl]

91. Most wrong headline since "Dewey Beats Truman" nt

[RoyGBiv]

92. Meanwhile ... in Oklahoma City

Folks, The Dixie Chicks' latest album is #1 in Oklahoma City Metro, according to *sales* figures (not wholesale purchases, but sales receipts) from the major sources of music sales in the city. Hear that Toby? Your friends and neighbors are buying the Dixie Chicks album so fast some stores are running out of stock. Have any of *your* albums sold that well in the city you call home?

Forget the story. They can spin it all they want, but it makes no difference. A week ago, no one was playing them on the radio. Today, in OKC, I heard their first single 4 separate times out of a total of about 2 hours of listening.

Chicks Rule!

[tlsmith1963]

93. Album Sales Have Been Flat For Awhile

But that doesn't take anything away from the DC's achievement. I guess the "backlash" against them is over. Sorry Freepers, no one likes you anymore...heh.

Tammy

[txwhitedove]

94. Chicks Rule!

All the songs on the new CD are great, it's not just country
music and will appeal to more than teenage girls.  It was in
the Time magazine article that Marti made reference to a loyal
fan base and not wanting their music just in the CD changer
with Reba and Toby.  They are proud, speak the truth, conduct
interviews with intelligence, facts and dignity.  I'll be at
their next concert in Texas.      

[Raine]

95. How does this compare with other

music sales, I think they are all down cause of the music on the internet.

[jsamuel]

97. with pay for download songs, record sales have fallen across the board

everyone's records are selling less than in 2002

hence the reason why 525,000 is the highest this year

[donheld]

98. I think the Chicks whacked back!

and hard.

[bjhecht]

99. And they thank the fans...

Like a good country band, the Chicks, in last night's Larry King interview, thanked the fans for their support in getting them to #1.

I've posted a bunch of clips from the Larry King interview at Liberal Country Fan.

I highly recommend watching the clips. I was so impressed with them after the interview...Much more than before.

[donheld]

102. Welcome to DU bjhecht

:hi:

[MountainLaurel]

101. Thanks for reminding me that I need to buy this n/t