Dixie Chicks controversy recalled two years later (FR reference)

The (Alexandria, La.) Town Talk ^ | April 29, 2005 | Andrew Griffin

[Niteranger68]

These little bird-brains learned an a few important lessons: If you are going to exercise your first amendment rights, do it while in America. And, when music fans exercise their first amendment rights, learn to deal with it.

[Niteranger68]

Natalie used a body double on the cover of that Entertainment Weekly.

Actually, I think that was a body triple.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

The Dixie Chicks only made music fit for the ears of teenage girls. They were a flash in the pan, and now their target audience has moved on to the next "sensation."

Bingo! Their core audience has moved on to Gretchen Wilson and Buddy Jewell.

As for me, I'm going home tonight and crank up some George Jones 78s.

[Jacques Sherock]

What makes these people or any other American "star" whether its film, TV, Radio etc. think that they have the knowledge in politics to make ANY STATEMENT. For example Barbara S! From where did she matriculate in political science? Did she complete her High School education?
After his efforts, concerts, in support of the Democratic candidate when I hear a song from "The Boss" on a radio, I switch stations. This is my response to celebrities that use their access to the public to promote their politics! If they are not happy with the state of the nation, let them run for office. That goes for Sean Penn also!

[j_k_l]

"Natalie used a body double on the cover of that Entertainment Weekly."

It actually is a poor Photoshop job on all of them. If you look closely, the lighting is diffent on all three faces. The tone is also strange.

[JZelle]

"I've got 4 country stations programmed in my car stereo in the Kansas City area. None of them play the Dixie Chicks anymore. In fact, the only place I've seen them in the last year is CMT, which used to be a pretty good station, until Viacom F-ed it up, and tried to forcefeed their musicians to us. My Chicks CDs remain in a box in the cellar for whenever I get around to having a yard sale."

I've got a stack of CDs I need to get rid of. John Cougar, Pearl Jam, REM, and Dave Matthews so far. The songs are good but it just isn't the same.

[Common Tator]

“are in the studio working on new music but I have no time-line at this point on when it will be ready.”

Radio stations do focus group testing on all records. The big stations hire polling firms to test records in their own town. Smaller stations buy focus group results from firms that do national testing for many stations. If the song does not test well with focus groups it never gets played.

None of this is lost on the record companies. They focus group nearly all recordings before they will spend the money to release an album. If the focus groups don't like the recordings they don't release an album. They understand that no radio station will play a record that focus groups don't like.

I would bet the Dixie Chicks have been in the studio a lot in the last two years. They likely have recorded many songs. Their record company has no doubt done focus group studies on the songs. When the results show people don't like the chicks the record company refuses to release the albun. Most recording contracts today say that if the songs don't focus group well the record company does not have to release the album.

Then the Chicks go back into the studio and try again.

Betcha they have been doing this for two years.

Their manager is reduced to saying they are in the studio but he does not know when a new album will be released.

Perhaps if they changed their name to the Northern Sluts... it might help

[Cecily]

Gretchen Wilson is a far better singer and artist than Natalie. I know it's the country sound, but I really don't like the nasal, twangy style of singing that Natalie has.

[Redcloak]

To make matters worse for the Chicks, groups like SHeDAISY are filling their market niche. Being absent from the market is one thing; not being missed is quite another.

[TheDon]

It was all reminiscent of 1966, when John Lennon said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Beatle records were burned in several Southern cities.

A rather pathetic comparison with a purely politcal motive.

I like the false comments about "free speech". For the Left, "free speech" means "consequence free speech". And there is no such thing.

[TheDon]

Actually, it could be quite amusing. It would probably quickly take on a yellow coloring, that would return, regardless of how many times it was cleaned. :^)

[JFC]

natalie is the one that said they did not need country music fans that they wanted to go over to rock....... so be it

[LongElegantLegs]

natalie is the one that said they did not need country music fans that they wanted to go over to rock....... so be it

Hey, whoa, what'd we ever do to you??
we don't want 'em, either.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Kathy Allmand Best, who runs Front Page Publicity, the company which represents not only the Dixie Chicks but George Strait and Martina McBride, among others...

George Strait and Martina McBride are awesome. The Vichy Chix are not.

[FatherBreadloaf]

Just saw on Billboard.com that the Chix are in Los Angeles recording their next album with Rick Rubin. Maybe they are going rock.
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000903386

[Recovering_Democrat]

I think Rick Rubin is the producer of Johnny Cash's "American Recordings" series. Good producer.

I still won't buy the Vichy Chix product, though.

[retrokitten]

I love Gretchen Wilson. Natalie doesn't have half of Gretchen's voice.

I always listen to "I'm Here for the Party" and "Redneck Woman" when I am getting ready to go out.

[MarineBrat]

[hattend]

They must have an album coming out soon. Why else have this "update".

Boycott is still in effect.

[Chode]

hhhmmmmm... i wonder what their new record release schedule looks like in their contract???