Jolie Rouge

When I choose who I listen to, I don’t make their politics a priority, I look for show appeal, musical ability, singing talent, etc. But if an artist deliberately spits on me, I’m not going to turn around and support them OR their music. Putting down ‘W’ was bad enough, but the chicks have consistently put down the US AND the troops. You’ve got to admit it’s stunning that not only did they insult the country, the President, and the troops (all of which might at least theoretically be a sincere political opinion) … but they also specifically and directly attacked their own fans!

Who DOES that? Does the CEO of McDonald’s come out and slam people who like Big Mac’s? Does Bill Gates slam computer users? What the !%!$% were they thinking?



Color me skeptical about the supposed ‘gangbuster’ album sales of the Dixie Chicks latest. I find a really big disconnect between the reported strong album sales and the anemic ticket sales that are forcing cancellations of a number of scheduled concerts. If nothing else, I’d love to see a breakdown of the sales of this new album by factors such as region, age group, and other things to get a better understanding of the demographic profile of who’s buying it. It’s pretty clear from the ticket sales that they have hurt themselves pretty badly with the demographic that formerly comprised the core of their fan base.

The Dixie Chicks don’t seem to realize that freedom of speech applies to everyone. They can bash country music fans (I’m one of them) for being closed minded and simple and *I* can use my freedom of speech by telling them to go take a flying leap. I’ll spend my hard earned dollars on Brad Paisley or Sara Evans or Toby Keith who perform better and I agree with more. If that makes means i’m a limited person, so be it, but this limited person is ensuring they are not getting a damn penny from my pay check.

If there wasn’t the massive Treason Media blitz telling us that “Not Ready To Make Nice” was a Bush-bashing track, it would’ve done alright because it’s a solid country-pop tune that is nearly devoid of overtly political lyrics.

But, the Twits are no longer about the music, they’re about sucking up to their new “friends” in the Treason Media who will tell them they’re “brave” and “daring” and give them all sorts of coverage for their inane anti-American babblings. As album and ticket sales decline, they don’t have to face the facts that they’ve alienated their former fans, because their pals in the TM will tell them that they are martyrs in the 'Holy Cause' of the 'anti-Bush Jihad' and it’s easier to sleep thinking that you’re hated for being right than being wrong.

The problem is that when Dubya exits the stage, where will they be? They’ll have alienated their old fans; the Treason Media will no longer find them Useful Idiots; they’ll have nothing to rebel against and will be reduced to becoming cranky crones who will blame everyone for their has-been status than the people in their mirrors.

It’s amazing that they would be surprised about their drop in popularity, especially since they chose to release a single that basically reignites the whole controversy again. Perhaps if they had just put out an album without a pointed song to their detractors, those people who might have been willing to give them a pass are now forced yet again to take a stand. Like myself.

They can continue to be the “cool” band with the “cool” fans, but that won’t bring in the big bucks as a more mainstream one will, especially if on a major label. They will have to go the indie route, play smaller venues and when their label drops them, self-produce their own stuff.


I have two guesses: 1) They’re just really, really dumb, or 2) their statements were calculated to help them crossover into pop by dissing their country fans.

Personally, I now suspect their remarks are pre-planned and intentionally designed just to get our attention.

Dixie Chicks' Tour Struggles To Fill Seats
Despite strong album sales, presale tickets aren't moving well for the Dixie Chicks' live performances.
By Randy Lewis, Times Staff Writer
June 9, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...ck=1&cset=true

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Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

Dixie Chicks May Lay Egg ith U.S. Tour
By ETHAN SMITH
June 12, 2006; Page B1

The Dixie Chicks have had the top-selling music album in the U.S. for two weeks running. They recently appeared on "60 Minutes" and the cover of Time magazine. But the trio behind the single "Not Ready to Make Nice" is discovering that country-music fans may not be ready to make nice with them, either.

Due to disappointing ticket sales, the country-pop trio is postponing as many as half the 42 dates announced for their coming "Accidents and Accusations" concert tour, which starts July 21. After playing 11 U.S. shows, the Chicks will for the moment steer clear of cities like St. Louis, Los Angeles and Jacksonville, Fla. Instead, they will "go where the fans are," according to their Web site -- meaning they will likely spend much or all of the period from mid-August to mid-October touring Europe and Australia instead of playing the U.S. dates they had planned.

"They're not canceling dates," says band spokeswoman Cindy Berger. "They are moving dates to accommodate a demand in Canada and Australia." The band is expected to announce its new schedule as early as today.

The Dixie Chicks' latest album is No.1, but tour ticket sales are slow.
The delays and reroutings could signal trouble for what recently has been one of the biggest acts in country -- or any genre. In today's music business, most big acts make far more money on the road than they do at record stores, where sales have been dropping since 2000. Tours used to be promotional tools for albums; now, the reverse is often true. The Dixie Chicks' last tour, in 2003, earned close to $62 million, according to data from Pollstar, a concert-business trade magazine.

It isn't clear that any one factor has caused the trio's recent problems, but there are plenty of candidates. The conventional wisdom has held that they were hurt by lead singer Natalie Maines's 2003 comments to a British audience that the band was "ashamed" that President Bush comes from their home state of Texas. But it might be the band's changing image and music that is at fault, and in the process, it offers up a textbook lesson in the dangers of popular musicians trying to cross over to reach broader audiences.

The Chicks' recent media blitz was pervasive enough to entice hundreds of thousands of shoppers to buy the album, which cost under $10 at many outlets. But with some of the band's old country audience now falling away, many members of its audience are now more casual, recently converted fans who may be unwilling to shell out as much as $85 to see them live.

Ms. Maines and her band mates have recently criticized mainstream country-music fans themselves. For instance, in the Time article, band member Martie Maguire said "We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do." Then there is the band's recent, distinctly un-country musical direction, which owes less to Nashville than it does to Southern California rock. A recent abundance of black eyeliner and dark fashions has made their look more goth than Grand Ol' Opry. As a capper, the first two singles from the new album "Taking the Long Way" have received scant airplay from country radio stations.

The problems seem to have caught the band and its representatives off guard, despite all the talk the political controversy has generated. In negotiating the now-postponed dates, the band balked at a guaranteed nightly fee of around $500,000 because the tour's promoter, Anschutz Corp.'s AEG Live, would give them only 90% of the ultimate gross of the show. Instead, they negotiated a deal for 95% of the door with no guarantee -- a move that backfired when it became clear that ticket sales were below expectations. AEG Live Chief Executive Randy Phillips couldn't be reached for comment.

Some in the industry lay the problems at the group's own feet. "The Bush thing may have died down, but then she went and said that stuff about 'Country listeners are a bunch of rednecks, we don't need 'em,' " says Lynn West, program director at WXBM, a country station in Pensacola, Fla. "Every time things seem to die down, she opens her mouth again."

Ms. West never even bothered airing the first single from the album, "Not Ready to Make Nice," since 80% of listeners' calls and emails on the subject urged the station not to. Such responses were widespread, and as a result, the band's record label, Columbia Records, recently sent the second single, "Voice Inside My Head," to stations that play other formats such as "adult contemporary" and "adult album alternative."

Other country superstars have criticized Mr. Bush in stronger language and faced little if any backlash. In a March interview with ABC Radio, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill blasted the administration's efforts to clean up after Hurricane Katrina as "embarrassing" and "humiliating." Mr. McGraw singled out the president for criticism. Nonetheless, the married couple is enjoying tremendous sales on its current "Soul2Soul II" tour, which is in contention to be the top grossing tour of the year.

Ms. West, the program director, says she received just one email complaining about Mr. McGraw's and Ms. Hill's comments.

To be sure, not every U.S. date is a dud. The band is likely to sell out a night each at New York City's Madison Square Garden and Boston's TD Banknorth Garden arena. But Dixie Chicks are no longer planning to make use of additional nights they had held at both venues.

Rather than play the U.S. during the second half of the summer, the band is now planning to return to North America by October 27 -- to play a string of dates in Canada, where sales are so strong that extra dates are being added. The new plan reflects a startling reality: Even as the group has been shunned in the U.S., it has picked up momentum overseas, where their political martyrdom has transformed them from a modestly successful act into stars. "Not Ready to Make Nice" may have bombed in the U.S., but it is a mainstream pop hit in Germany, Scandinavia, the U.K. and Australia.

The plan is to play the postponed U.S. dates -- up to 24 of them -- starting in mid-November. But those shows can't be rescheduled until July, after the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League set their fall schedules. As a result, fans who have bought tickets to those shows during "presales" are left dangling.

In a statement on their Web site, the Dixie Chicks made a nod to their new status as an act with greater overseas appeal: "We will go where the fans are with great anticipation and no regrets." Ms. Berger, the spokeswoman, said the band was out of the country preparing for a pair of shows in England and not available to comment.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article...f_main_tff_top

So they insult their fans and then complain about not getting their support (ei: MONEY ) - interesting form of marketing ....

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Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

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Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

firechic

They are just losers. Nat needs to shut up and sing (I know, redundant) I have never liked them from the get-go, never will. They don't sing perse, they just cackle like a bunch of hens. They actually hurt my ears. Good name choice.

Donnagg123

they did not criticize all country fans, just the fans who do not get them. The actual quote from the time article is:
This is what talented musicians are supposed to do: aspire to get better, braver. But at each step of their evolution, from their feud with Sony (ungrateful!) to the bluegrass album, Home (not country enough!), and then, of course, the Incident, the genre's wrath hovered like a jealous boyfriend. "Their old audience feels a little betrayed, a little left behind maybe," says CMT's Philips. That may explain why, as the Chicks and country began their breakup, country fans ran into the arms of brilliant redneck instigator Toby Keith, who displayed a doctored photo of Maines and Saddam Hussein at his concerts.

It also explains why the Dixie Chicks have made such a point of saying good riddance. "I'd rather have a smaller following of really cool people who get it," says Maguire, "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. We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do."

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tngirl

I guess you are right, they are not insulting ALL of their "fans", just the majority. Do you know what the biggest mistake that was made? The mistake that cost them? It wasn't just the fact that they spoke out against the President, it was the fact that they spoke out against the President while they were in another country.

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hblueeyes

I am not a big country fan but I do like country music, Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, etc. I am more a pop, comtemporary rock fan and would not spend 2 cents on the Dixie Chicks. I do not like it when celebs like Sean Penn or Susan Sarandon to name a few, try to force their political beliefs down our throats. You either agree or you are some dumb idiot. let the other countries have 'em. They will eventually turn on them as well.

Me

Donnagg123

That was what the full article said. That the reason they lost most of their fans is because they said it in a different country. Here is the link to the full article if you want to read it.:

http://www.time.com/time/archive/pre...196419,00.html

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tngirl

I was just kind of repeating I guess, guilty...I didn't read the full article. But be that as it may, they are not the least apologetic about it. I don't particularly like them, but I like their music. Just like I don't agree with what Bono goes around doing and saying, but, I still like U2. I will admit though, it does get kind of old after a while and annoying that they use their art for a political platform. Are they a politician or an entertainer? I don't really think you can be both.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think it is good that some entertainers use their position to do good, but I also think there is a line that should not be crossed.

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It is the Right of the People to Alter or Abolish Government

killbarney

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. We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do

Well, they don't have to worry about being in my five-disc changer. I have a lot of different music I like, and I will NOT limit myself to just one. If they are looking to be the only disc in their fans' players they will be sorely disappointed. They don't seem to realize that a lot of the people that bought that hateful cd ONLY bought it because of the fact that it bashes prez/etc. and have no intention/desire to go see them sing.

I think it was cowardly to do what she did-like dissing someone behind their backs because you don't have the courage to do it to their face. Generally, people grow up out of that elementary school behavior.

There are very few entertainers I will ostracize, the other main one I can think of is Tom Cruise-I had post-partum depression and that man has jello for brains. Hope the new mother of his child doesn't get ppd-she'll find no support from that....something sorry for going off-topic for a sec.

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Jolie Rouge

I thought it was lame that they choose to disrespect the President in London ( but not in LA, Houston, or any of the US venues ) Then they made a big deal of issueing an statement apoligizing when everyone got upset. Then they did an interview in Austrailia and said they had been "forced" to apoliigize by their Management company and Sony. Then they said they were misquoted when THAT created an uproar and issued another apoligy. Then they did an interview in Germany, blasted the Bush, the "country music establishment" and anyone who didn't agree with them. Then there was the rather childish feud with Toby Keith and the *FUTK* t-shirt on stage at the Country Music Awards.

As Maine's herself points out - other celebrities have spoken out against Bush without it wrecking their careers, but it seems their handling of the events that became their downfall.

The Incident ( their words ) may have happened 3 years ago but they seem to be the ones milking it for PR to push this album.

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?