Posted on 05/31/2006 7:02:26 AM PDT by RabidBartender
According to this site, there were just over 515,000 sales for the Dixie Chicks album last week. This would put them at #1 on the Billboard charts. Of course this was expected, as they pushed the album’s release date back so it wouldn't have to compete with the debuts of new releases by Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The question now is this: How many of these sales were 'sympathy' buys by Air America fans and faux journalists such as Leonard Pitts? I can't really see libs going out again this week and buying another copy, and without airplay - the Chicks won't get too much more exposure. We should start a pool to show where they'll be in the charts next week. Then again, I don’t know of any other big releases coming out in the next few weeks (Billy Joel has one coming out soon, I have heard).
Incidentally, "Home", the Chicks' last studio release, sold 780,000 in its first week, going on to sell 5.9 million copies. Anyone think this new album will sell that many? Very doubtful. What is astounding was that it had over 5 million sales after only 3 singles were released (Long Time Gone, Landslide, and Travelin’ Soldier) – it easily would have broke the 10 million mark, had Natalie Maines kept her mouth shut.
According to Ask Billboard (Ask Billboard), here are some pretty telling statistics about the sales of the Dixie Chicks since March 2003:
In total, the Dixie Chicks have sold 23.4 million units of their four Monument/Columbia Records releases – that's three studio albums and one live set.
The trio's 1998 major label debut, "Wide Open Spaces," has shifted 8.5 million in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, while its follow up, 1999's "Fly," has moved 8.2 million. And 2002's "Home" has sold 5.9 million.
The incident you are referring to is when in March 2003, the group's Natalie Maines said onstage during a U.K. concert "We're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."
Here is a look at the trio's sales since March 2003: "Wide Open Spaces" (420,000), "Fly" (320,351), "Home" (811,000) and "Top Of The World: Live" (922,000 – it was released in November 2003).
That's right, their last album (albeit a live album), did NOT go platinum.
It will be interesting to see how much sales drop next week. Also, tickets for their upcoming concert tour have begun to go on sale. Here in Kansas City, the country radio stations usually put all concert dates on their websites – no mention of the August 20 Dixie Chicks show. I wonder if liberals will plop down 50-75 more bucks to make America think the Chicks are forgiven.
Ping!
Note - this is not a ping list - just a one-time shot to let you know about the Dixie Chicks first-week sales. If you care.
Keep on freepin'.
A Dixie Chick tune came on the local D.C. station yesterday. I hit the button before the third note rang out.
That accounts for 50 sales. What about the rest?
Just because WE don't like them doesn't mean most of their fans care about their politics. When you've sold as many albums for so long as the Dixie Chicks have, you don't need country radio--all those people who loved their previous albums are going to know the album's coming out and get it.
There's just no need for Dummie-like conspiracy theories (I'm not accusing you of being a DUmmie). It's not like they are a new band no one's heard about, and those magazine and newspaper stories will get the message out even more effectively than radio stations. And since they're playing on Adult-Contemporary radio they will more than make up for their lost country fans with new listeners of syrupy glop like Celine Dion.
There's no mystery here, and no conspiracy. They're one of the best-selling groups around, and that's all there is to it.
Looks like their 3rd album has sold 28% less than their 2nd album and their live album has sold 84% less than their 3rd album.
One number that is missing and which would be an interesting comparison is how many copies of the live album were sold in the first week of its release.
I don't care who ya are, that's funny! (Larry the Cable Guy)
I live in a market where country music has almost zero visibility and there is almost never a local news article, review or interview with a country artist - maybe a reference to the late Johnny Cash or to Shania Twain every once in a while.
But I have seen and read plenty of local media treatments of the Dixie Chicks in the past couple of years.
And I would venture to guess that 2/3 of those no longer exist, be it by fire or paper shredder.
It's probably just a coincidence. ;)
What I love is how the Chicks have had ten thousand interviews talking about their Bush bashing, and in each one they seem to tell everyone ELSE to "get over it". The irony is as thick as the lead singer's cankles.
I don't disagree with your comments, but given the deluge of media coverage, and with Natalie playing the victim card at every corner, I think a lot of folks bought their albums to show their support (at least according to a lot of leftist message boards). And you are right, there are indeed some regular fans who don't pay attention to politics who will buy their stuff.
However, there is little doubt in my mind that if the Chicks had just put out a regular album without that in-your-face single and toned down their press coverage, a lot of moderate country fans would have moved on and the Chicks would have been on country radio again. Instead, they make a little snarky remark about Reba, and semi-mock songs by Trace Adkins and Joe Nichols.
And comparing Celine Dion to syrupy glop is an insult to glop everywhere. (Sorry - just saw VH1's Worst Metal Moments and they had Celine singing ACDC - ugh)
That is my favorite argument to use with liberal co-workers: "So the Chicks are allowed to disagree with the President, but I'm not allowed to disagree with the Chicks? The Chicks can try to make the President lose his job (2004 election), but I'm the bad guy for wanting the Chicks to lose theirs?"
I'm not a country fan but I have read more than one comment from them slamming country singers, and it's actually embarassing. These three seem to see themselves as the new celebrated lefty icons of the moment--lefties love it when those perceived as conservative turn--and you can almost imagine them thinking about the applause and laughs they'll get at some Hollywood party for this.
But they come off as rich B's who piss on the people they USED to hang with. It's childish and as I said, embarassing. I don't know their backgrounds but they come off like spoiled rich girls.
Everybody that wanted to buy the CD bought it this week, sales will drop by at least 80% next week. It won't break a million in sales.
The thing is, leftists believe they should be allowed to have the stage and say their part and only hear applause. If someone in turn has a criticism abotu THEM, it's an attempt to silence them. Like anyone could silence a leftist.
515,000 useful idiots.
Is that a lot?
Michael Moore tried to make people believe the Chicks didn't pay a price for mouthing off. The hard statistics made a (bigger) liar out of him. Click here for a March 2003 thread I authored.
What would be interesting is if they would compare the boost that Kanye West got after being on the cover of Time versus the Chicks.
They're also being pushed by MSN...meaning NBC. I had taped the episode of Medium and watched it last night. I have to admit the end was a beautiful song and right before the credits rolled, there was something that said the song was by the Dixie Chicks from their new album and you could go to MSN and order it there...WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD OF MEDIA CONGLOMERATES!
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