Although I’m not much of a country music fan, I do like the Dixie Chicks’ 2006 release Taking the Long Way. Earlier today I had a chance to watch part of the accompanying documentary Shut Up and Sing, which I also enjoyed.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the movie for me was the preparation for the release of Taking the Long Way. Because of the controversy over singer Natalie Maines’ comments regarding George W. Bush — and because the album was a musical departure from their previous work — the members of the group were concerned about how the album would be received. Many country stations refused to play the album because they considered Maines’ comments (“Just so you know, we’re ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas” she told a London audience in 2003) to be unpatriotic.
However, the album debuted at #1 in Billboard Magazine and went on to sell more than 2 million copies.
The interesting part?
During an interview in the film, a radio executive was quoted that the album was successful “despite a lack of radio airplay.” Double platinum is more than successful — most acts would give just about anything for a double platinum album. A “lack of radio airplay” would have killed just about any album in 1985, and maybe even 1995. However, in 2006, an album without much radio support can sell well and get the attention of the critics (it was named one of the top albums of the year by Time Magazine).
The way we find news, information and entertainment continues to change — dramatically. Is your organization keeping up?
[digg=http://digg.com/music/1_With_No_Rado]
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