View Full Version : Dixie Chicks Fail to Make Come Back
Asbestos Crayon
05-22-2006, 12:43 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/22/music.dixiechicks.reut/index.html
Actors and singers sometimes just don't get it. Maines is a great example. She thinks it is the industry that is causing them problems.
She needs to wake up. It's not the industry. It is her target consumer group. They don't want to hear what she says so what do you expect from a very conservative political market?
My opinion is Dixie Chicks are done as a band and all three of the performers might as well pick something else to do with their life or at least pick a new market to go after.
Its a perfect example of market selection. You may have something to sell, but don't expect me to buy it if I don't like it.
Sketcher
05-22-2006, 12:54 PM
Heh. I just heard that alot of the country music stations are refusing to play any of their songs.
"For me to be in country music to begin with was not who I was ... I would be cheating myself ... to go back to something that I don't wholeheartedly believe in. So I'm pretty much done. They've shown their true colors.
Who the fuck does she think she is? I'm not a fan at all of country, but that's the music industry in general. It's not so much that she dissed the President, but that the way she said it, she declared shame for being Texan, which strikes a deeper nerve than disliking the President among country fans.
This bitch thinks she has to commit career suicide to get out of country when all she has to do is stop writing goddamn country music. This was self-inflicted career sabotage with such drama to get attention to leave a lasting memory so everyone will remember her after she's not making music anymore.
Too bad I forgot all about her til I saw this thread. I think most everyone else is gonna forget the retard too.
Ironhorse
05-22-2006, 01:16 PM
Maines was quoted in late January on EW.com, before the single went to country radio, saying: "For me to be in country music to begin with was not who I was ... I would be cheating myself ... to go back to something that I don't wholeheartedly believe in. So I'm pretty much done. They've shown their true colors. I like lots of country music, but as far as the industry and everything that happened ... I couldn't want to be farther away from that."
Maines also said, "I don't want people to think that me not wanting to be part of country music is any sort of revenge. It is not. It is totally me being who I am, and not wanting to compromise myself and hate my life."
If she didn't want to be a part of country music, then why did she release another country album. I have heard the first 2 singles and they are country. I can't imagine the songs having a chance at success in any other genre. She is the dumbest bitch EVER. You don't come out and piss off your base and expect everything to just be o.k. afterwards. That would be like W saying that he was ashamed to be a part of all the criminal rich people that have paid to get him where he is today. Its just dumb.
I was actually ready to give the Dixie Chicks another shot because (being a country fan) I liked thier music. Then they come out with a song that says they are "Not Ready to Make Nice"?? Fine, bitch, then me neither.
Cousin Eddie
05-22-2006, 01:47 PM
The deserve what they got.
People DON'T want to hear political opinions from entertainers. In otherwords.... STFU & sing! (or act)
Its as simple as that.
Now if you want to effectively retire from your entertaining field (acting, singing) and then move on to politics (or activism).... fine.
Who the fuck are the Dixie Chicks?
(Im being sarcastic for you morons who are gonna come in and call ME stupid)
bergshadow
05-22-2006, 02:40 PM
As near as I can tell, the Dixie's problems with the "industry" go back to a couple of years before their big hits, controversial statements and positions from them seem to have set them at odds with some of the mouthbreathers in the pop-country genre long before Iraq (they sem to have been a bit too strident in their criticism of the treatment of "roots" country musicians by the pop industry), and they seem to have been very successful musicians in the two or three years since the big controversial concert statement (lots of airplay, millions of albums sold, sellout concerts, etc).
But I don't go to concerts to hear political assertions, and blatant political stuff doesn't make good music or lyrics very often. My guess is the political controversy and involvement itself - not their particular position - clouds their concerts.
And there are a lot of folks who seem to feel betrayed by their political opinions - ?
Anyway, this kind of reaction is odd: People DON'T want to hear political opinions from entertainers. In otherwords.... STFU & sing! Pop country fans seem to live and breathe political opinions - Toby Keith is selling little else, unless I'm mixing him up with Garth Brooks on the truck radio.
troxy18
05-22-2006, 02:54 PM
Anyway, this kind of reaction is odd: Pop country fans seem to live and breathe political opinions - Toby Keith is selling little else, unless I'm mixing him up with Garth Brooks on the truck radio.
Yeah but toby keith is giving the quiet majority what they want to hear, the country fan wants to hear music reaffirming their choices, not criticism of their president
skymater
05-22-2006, 06:47 PM
I hate country music.
They sing country music?
Danimal87
05-22-2006, 09:44 PM
But I don't go to concerts to hear political assertions, and blatant political stuff doesn't make good music or lyrics very often. My guess is the political controversy and involvement itself - not their particular position - clouds their concerts.
Doesn't that contradict the following?
Anyway, this kind of reaction is odd: Pop country fans seem to live and breathe political opinions - Toby Keith is selling little else, unless I'm mixing him up with Garth Brooks on the truck radio.
Are Toby Keith or Garth Brooks facing any heat from political statements?
Its quite obvious that the Dixie Chicks alienated their conservative listeners and are now facing the consequences.
Garihm
05-23-2006, 12:55 AM
Its quite obvious that the Dixie Chicks alienated their conservative listeners and are now facing the consequences.
Bulls eye. Country has to be the number one most conservative type of music being played on the radio today and the fact they showed liberal colors was a very bad decision for their choice of market.
Anyhow, has any good come (in terms of success; profits) from any celebrity who openly talks about their political life style?
Wu-tang
05-23-2006, 01:10 AM
The only song that they made that I remember is Earl....and that song sucks.
B-MetalSucks
05-23-2006, 01:53 AM
Bulls eye. Country has to be the number one most conservative type of music being played on the radio today and the fact they showed liberal colors was a very bad decision for their choice of market.
Anyhow, has any good come (in terms of success; profits) from any celebrity who openly talks about their political life style?
Maybe Clooney, but I don't have the numbers to back it up, just my only guess where it may have been helpful. Doesn't mean I agree or disagree with his views so don't drag me into that please.:bigwink:
bergshadow
05-23-2006, 01:53 AM
Doesn't that contradict the following? Yeah, sorta, but what I meant was that the Dixies weren't selling their political opinions in the first place, unlike the jingos and panderers - so their political opinions aren't the whole story here.
And a lot of people seem to take a great and mysterious satisfaction in thinking they face failure and retirement for losing audience, when the effect seems to be a marginal loss in airplay and CD sales. They are still, according to accounts, selling out concert halls etc, and doing quite a bit better than the average touring country band.
And that their political and industry hassles predate the latest flap. They have a problem with the pop industry dismissal of musicians they admire (some of whom who don't share their political concerns, apparently), and always have. According to band biographies, they lost a founding member on the issue a few years ago. They have a history of political orneriness.
So all the furor seems to have been over a sense of betrayal or something, on the part of sap-headed audience members who never knew where that music they liked was coming from.
Not that I care a whole lot, but if the heirs of Jimmy Rogers, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams Sr are getting their political insights from WWF Smackdown charades, that's sad.
Anyhow, has any good come (in terms of success; profits) from any celebrity who openly talks about their political life style? Toby Keith? Charlton Heston? Ted Nugent?
Kommercial
05-23-2006, 02:04 AM
They aren't struggling, they were just featured on Conan tonight. (I think it was Conan, anyway. But, they were on some late night show.)
How the fuck could they be on Conan? He always rips those girls a new one every time theyre in the news.
Asbestos Crayon
05-23-2006, 02:11 PM
How the fuck could they be on Conan? He always rips those girls a new one every time theyre in the news.
Columbia records, owned by sony, and NBC, owned by GE, are probably just doing a promotional thing. I mean, don't you ever notice that stars are always on the night talk shows when they have a movie coming out???
Cancon
05-31-2006, 03:41 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/22/music.dixiechicks.reut/index.html
Actors and singers sometimes just don't get it. Maines is a great example. She thinks it is the industry that is causing them problems.
She needs to wake up. It's not the industry. It is her target consumer group. They don't want to hear what she says so what do you expect from a very conservative political market?
My opinion is Dixie Chicks are done as a band and all three of the performers might as well pick something else to do with their life or at least pick a new market to go after.
Its a perfect example of market selection. You may have something to sell, but don't expect me to buy it if I don't like it.
Ooops! Guess you missed the boat on that one.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/31/music.dixiechicks.ap/index.html
jn_powell
05-31-2006, 03:46 PM
Ooops! Guess you missed the mark on that one.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/31/music.dixiechicks.ap/index.html
I would not be surprised if a large number of those people are first time buyers of Dixie Chicks albums who only became fans because of what they did. With Bush's approval ratings where they are and the amount of people who despise him it would not surprise me. I seriously doubt that there were that many people who were die hard Toby Keith fans and Dixie Chicks fans anyway. Both may be "country" but they are not even close to the same style of music. On the other hand I could be wrong, who knows.
I would not be surprised if a large number of those people are first time buyers of Dixie Chicks albums who only became fans because of what they did. With Bush's approval ratings where they are and the amount of people who despise him it would not surprise me. I seriously doubt that there were that many people who were die hard Toby Keith fans and Dixie Chicks fans anyway. Both may be "country" but they are not even close to the same style of music. On the other hand I could be wrong, who knows.
Also gotta wonder how many of the first-time buyers bought it and never listened to it.
Cancon
05-31-2006, 05:09 PM
Also gotta wonder how many of the first-time buyers bought it and never listened to it.
With the sad state of the music industry, as of late, I would bet dollars to donuts that that number would be so small as to be irrelevant. People don't buy music out of spite. If anything, jn_Powell's interpretation might be closer to the truth.
You guys miss my point. I was agreeing with jn.
I'm saying people hear the shit they stirred and are like "wow, they know their shit, they're smart. There music is good too, I'm gonna buy that album because they speak the truth" and they buy it, listen to it maybe once or twice in the immediate day or 2 after buying it and then never again. They don't really like the music, but never realize/admit it consciously and still keep saying they're an awesome band because of the shit they stirred without ever being a fan of their music but think they are out of their agreement to their political sentiments they had expressed.
Similar to someone not really liking rap music but buying it just to fit in and talking about how great rap is, but not really liking or listening to it except to be socially accepted.
No I don't. I was disagreeing with jn. And you.
I don't know a person over age 15 who would do such a thing, and teenagers are not the ones buying Dixie Chicks CDs. I doubt there's a classroom in America where buying the Dixie Chicks has ever made you "cool".
Heh, I know of a few. And I know adults who buy into that mentality too.
Though it's not really a matter of if it will make them cool. It's that they think it will. Psuedo-intellectuals are all like that. Why else are O'Reilly and Franken both best-selling authors?
YouEnjoyMyself
05-31-2006, 06:35 PM
I give more credit to pseudo-intellectuals then to listen to the Dixie Chicks.
I consider myself to be a pseudo-intellectual and I have far better musical taste, and other outlets for political music.
(yes, I do know what pseudo means)
I give more credit to pseudo-intellectuals then to listen to the Dixie Chicks.
I consider myself to be a pseudo-intellectual and I have far better musical taste, and other outlets for political music.
(yes, I do know what pseudo means)
Not all psuedo-intellectuals are really smart as you are. They can run the gambit from average to damn stupid all the way to "how do you make it through the day without a helmet?" stupid.
YouEnjoyMyself
05-31-2006, 06:53 PM
Hahaha I'm really glad my post was taken as humor and not as serious by you guys.
(or maybe this post is a pseudo-intellectual attempt at showing my hopes that the post I made previously will be taken seriously by the next poster :confused: )
Chewy
05-31-2006, 06:55 PM
Christ, we'll argue about anything, won't we? ;)
No we won't.. :p
whocares
05-31-2006, 07:12 PM
No we won't.. :p
Yes, you do. :D
Country music is seen as anti-intellectual. Pseudo-intellectuals wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, even if they secretly liked it.
Christ, we'll argue about anything, won't we? ;)
Never under-estimate stupid people. Because of their comments, country views them as the anti-country country band.
Is it me, or is this conflicting information with the topic at hand here
Link (http://www.clickondetroit.com/entertainment/9299316/detail.html)
POSTED: 2:21 pm EDT May 31, 2006
UPDATED: 4:20 pm EDT May 31, 2006
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Despite a cool reception from country radio, the Dixie Chicks returned to No. 1 on the pop and country charts with their first album since publicly criticizing the president three years ago.
The album "Taking the Long Way" took the top spot on country albums chart and the Billboard 200 overall chart -- which are based on sales rather than radio airplay -- with 526,000 units sold in its first full week.
For the year, the Chicks' first-week showing is behind only Rascal Flatts' "Me and My Gang" (722,000 units), according to Wade Jessen, director of Billboard's country charts.
The new album hit stores May 23, and its first-week sales are the trio's best since "Home" sold 780,000 units in its first week of release in September 2000.
First-week sales on "Taking the Long Way" were better than Toby Keith's "White Trash With Money" (330,000) and Tim McGraw's "Greatest Hits Vol. 2: Reflected" (242,000).
Country radio programmers have been slow to embrace the group since lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience in 2003 on the eve of the war in Iraq that the group was ashamed President George W. Bush was from their home state of Texas.
Back in the U.S., their music was boycotted and the Chicks said they received death threats, leading them to install metal detectors at their shows.
I am a fan of all music, including Country. However I do screen my artists. No hillbillies. Ahmm Toby Keith.
I will listen to romantic/good country songs and artists.
IE. Mark Wills, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban etc.
I don't care for that "My girl left me for her brother, so I sit here on my deck with my 12 gauge shottie ready for revenge, while my truck is up on blocks with a hemi"
jn_powell
06-01-2006, 07:05 AM
And why would they do that? Nobody is going to buy a CD of music they don't like because they agree with their politics.
I just think that country radio greatly misread their audience as a bunch of mindless rednecks who can't think for themselves. The original controversy happened at the beginning of the war when everyone was all gung-ho and in a patriotic fervor, myself included. They didn't take into account that three years, a few dozen exposed lies, and a few thousand dead Americans later, criticizing the president might not seem like a bad thing to country fans.
Being from a small town in Texas, I know more than a few country music fans, and I can guarantee you that they lost more than a few fans because of their stance, regardless of how long ago their statement was. Those fans are fans that are not coming back either. I find it hard to believe that they can have a first week that is their best in 6 years without having picked up a few new fans along the way because of their anti-Bush sentiment.
jn_powell
06-01-2006, 08:04 AM
I'm as anti-Bush as they come, and I wouldn't buy country music if it cost a quarter, no matter how much I agree with the artist's politics. Do you buy music, or any product you don't really want for that matter, because you agree or disagree with politics? Are you that much of a sheep? So why do you believe anyone else would?
I think it's simply the same fans they've always had, and the press overhyping the "controversy" like they do with everything else they report on.
You are right that it is being overhyped, but that overhyping has probably opened created opportunity for them to have a new audience become aware of their music. I am telling you that they have lost fans because I know several myself, redneck as they may be, who refuse to listen to them anymore. Right or wrong it is the truth. How do you lose fans and increase album sales? I doubt people are buying albums simply because of what they said, and if I came across as making that statement I apologize (just poor wording on my part), but is it so hard to fathom that perhaps new possible listeners became aware of their music because of the controversy? Being anti-Bush and vocalizing could have been one of the best moves they ever made as they got more press than they ever would have gotten otherwise.
jn_powell
06-01-2006, 12:05 PM
Increase?
It's the number 1 album, but still 254,000 less than before the controversy, down a full 1/3 in sales. That could certainly account for the lost fans you speak of without assuming people are buying their albums simply because of politics, couldn't it?
If I am not mistaken they have released 2 or 3 albums since "Home" was released. So it seems the number went down and then back up. In fairness though I think one of them was a live album or a box set or something along those lines, which could explain the drop in sales.
It's almost as if some people are actually angry that their career wasn't completely destroyed by exercising their right to free speech. So much so that they're trying to invent excuses: "Yeah, well the album would have tanked if not for bush haters buying the album because of politics".
Odd.
Wow, when did I ever say I wanted their career to tank? I simply offered a possible explanation for the unexpectedly high numbers of albums sold.
How would they have become "aware" of it? They would have seen the story on the news, of course, but not heard the music. There was a de facto radio boycott of the Chicks, and therefore to hear the music, they would have had to go out and buy the CD without having heard it. That would mean that people indeed WERE buying the album simply because of what the Chicks said, something which you admit isn't plausible.
Name recognition. If you hear their name all over the news, you may be tempted to go check them out. Lots of people do not listen to country radio and may not even know who the hell the Dixie Chicks are until they hear their names all over the news. Next thing you know they download a few tunes and like it and go buy the album. Personally I could see that happening, they happen to make good music. I am not a big country fan, but they actually have some talent.
zamphir66
06-01-2006, 01:12 PM
Personally I could see that happening, they happen to make good music. I am not a big country fan, but they actually have some talent.
Same here. They have great harmonies.
Casey
06-01-2006, 01:57 PM
Yeah their new album is moving away from country, just like Shania Twain's last one did. So they are looking to a different audience and honestly I commend them for speaking their mind back when that whole incident happened. They put their very successful careers on the line by saying how they felt about Bush. I'm not a fan but they had an opinion and they voiced it and that makes them cool in my book.
Droog, I think you're forgetting that not everyone's as smart or mature as you about things of this nature.
Just because you don't shop in such a petty manner or know anyone who does, doesn't mean millions of others don't.
Strados
06-01-2006, 03:27 PM
Most people who listen to country are southern, Republican, and think Bush is heaven-sent. Hence, their popularity problem. Hows that for a generalization?
Asbestos Crayon
06-02-2006, 12:57 AM
Most people who listen to country are southern, Republican, and think Bush is heaven-sent. Hence, their popularity problem. Hows that for a generalization?
Uhh... rephrase that. Most people who listen to country are white and are respectful of the office of the President reguardless of who is President. Plenty of rednecks voted for Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
RedJohnson
06-02-2006, 01:31 AM
Well, I really don't know what to say to this thread. Even though country fans are rednecks, some of us have a little more respect for ourselves than to just say yee haw and say how much of redneck we are all the time.
Across the board country sucks, from all these assholes trying to cash in one the blue collar thing, to all the women artists becoming super libs, acting like sluts on Howard Stern and making pop music.
Waylon Jennings and Patsy Cline, classy people, that made quality music. Fuck the Dixie Chicks and their crap music they suck, and I hated them long before the decided to become Bruce Springsteen.
Sparky_07
06-02-2006, 03:50 AM
They have talent and their own fan base. People can say whatever they want about them, but they obviously entertain someone if you look at how many people bought their album -- even after being stomped for saying a bad word about the president. Hell, everyone talks shit about the president, who cares.
I think people are way too easily compelled to box people into a "side" -- just because someone says something I don't like doesn't make whatever their profession is worthless.
I think the only reason people buy their music is because they like it. Look at what a fucknut Tom Cruise is, but people still go see his movies -- because he is a good actor. He is, even though I can't stand his crazy antics.
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