News Archives
August 2000 - August
2001
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- The Grammy-winning trio are suing the
entertainment giant for more than $4
million--the amount the group claims was
stolen from them thanks to some dubious
accounting practices by the company.
According to the lawsuit filed Monday in Los
Angeles, the Chicks--Emily Robison, Martie Seidel
and Natalie Maines--allege Sony used
"fraudulent accounting gimmicks" to
"swindle" them out of royalties by
underreporting sales figures and fleecing the
trio for producers fees and company services.
Calling the practice "systematic
thievery," the girls seek to break their
seven-album contract that they signed with the
label back in 1997.
"We refuse to sit back and silently
endorse this behavior simply because this is a
'standard' practice at Sony," said the Dixie
Chicks in a statement. "This is about people
keeping their word."
And according to the hit-making Texas-based
trio, Sony failed to keep theirs when it filed
its own suit against the Chicks last month,
asserting they owed more than $100 million for
the five albums they're refusing to make for the
label.
While Sony reps had no comment on the Chicks'
suit, Sony officials practically laughed off the
group's accusations in the company's July
lawsuit, calling the unpaid-royalties claim a
"sham" ploy to get out of a binding
contract. (The Dixie Chicks had said in a July 13
letter that they wouldn't honor their contract
because of Sony's alleged accounting
irregularities.).
In November 1999, the Chicks asked for an
independent audit of Sony's books.The company
allegedly stalled, so the group called in its own
accountants, who came up with the $4 million
figure.
"We got tired of having to beat down the
doors and send letter upon letter every time Sony
breached our contract," the band said.
"It threatened to take us away from doing
what we love, making music."
However, the biggest thing against the Chicks
is their contract, signed by the three before
they won all the Grammys (news - web sites) and
their albums--1997's Wide Open Spaces and 1999's
Fly--sold upwards of 20 million copies and
generated more than $175 million for Sony. A
clause in the deal stipulates that Maines,
Robison and Seidel cannot break their contract
even if discrepancies are found in Sony's
bookkeeping. E! Online 8/28/01
- Congratualtions to Martie Seidel. Her
boyfriend, a college professor Garth McGuire
proposed to Martie while they were in Garth's
natvie Ireland. No date has been announced
yet for the wedding. As for the Dixie Chicks,
they are currently vacationing in Hawaii at a
house that Natalie rented. 8/14/01
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! to Dixie Chick Emily
Robison who will be turning 29 on August 16.
- The Dixie Chicks have signed on to
participate in the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric
AIDS Foundation benefit scheduled for
September 15 in Austin, Texas. This is the
trio's only public performance on the books
this year, as well as the first time that the
Chicks will perform with a full orchestra.
Group
members Emily Robison and Martie Seidel are
laying low and allowing lead singer and new
mom Natalie Maines to decide when the trio
should gear up again. "We're trying to
give Natalie a chance to be a mom and not
have any pressures at all, so we were really
surprised when the other day she said she
wanted to do this gig out of nowhere,"
said Seidel. "It's for children with
AIDS, so we're gonna actually rejoin for a
special charity event in Texas in September,
but other than that, we're letting her kind
of decide when she feels like she wants to
get out and start doing it again."
Fans are anxious to hear the outcome of
the recently filed lawsuit against the Chicks
by their label, Sony. The label has asked the
courts to block the multiplatinum-selling
trio from leaving Sony and recording for
another label. The Chicks claim that
royalties from the sale of their two albums--
Wide Open Spaces and Fly--have been withheld
from them by Sony. Combined sales of the
Dixie Chicks' two albums total more than 19
million copies. -- Margy
Holland, Nashville 8/10/01 launch.com
- NEW YORK (AP) - Sony Music Entertainment has
escalated a royalties dispute with the Dixie
Chicks by suing the popular country act for
breach of contract. A complaint filed Tuesday
in federal court in Manhattan accused the
Dixie Chicks of trying to leave Sony on
``sham'' claims that they've been underpaid.
Sony lawyers asked the court to enforce the
current contract and bar Emily Robison,
Martie Seidel and Natalie Maines from signing
with another label. A call to attorneys for
the Dixie Chicks was not immediately
returned. Since signing with Sony in 1997,
the group has recorded two albums - ``Wide
Open Spaces'' and ``Fly'' - selling 15
million records worldwide, the complaint
said. Sony claims the contract calls for up
to four more albums. Despite being paid
millions of dollars, the Dixie Chicks
demanded the company renegotiate their
contract for millions more, the suit said.
Talks broke off last week when the group
announced it was leaving the label based on
false claims Sony was withholding royalties,
it alleged. ``The purported termination is
based upon entirely trumped up and baseless
claims,'' the suit said. 7/19/01 associated press
- One of the the selling pop groups Destiny's
Child will be recording a Christmas album, Destiny's
Child Christmas, that will include a
collaboration with the Dixie Chicks. No word
yet on when the album will be finished or its
planned release date. 7/2/01 launch.com=
- The Dixie Chicks are enjoying their downtime
from recording and performing, but they can't
seem to sit still for long. In addition to
spending time with their loved ones, the trio
have been writing and are even planning a
reunion of sorts, as Martie Seidel tells
LAUNCH. "We're trying to give [fellow
Chick] Natalie [Maines] a chance to be a mom
and not have any pressures at all, so we were
really surprised when the other day she said
she wanted to do this gig out of nowhere.
It's for children with AIDS, so we're gonna
actually rejoin for a special charity event
in Texas in September, but other than that,
we're letting her kind of decide when she
feels like she wants to get out and start
doing it again," she says. The Academy
Of Country Music's newly crowned entertainers
of the year are planning some studio time
with Natalie Maines's father, renowned steel
guitarist Lloyd Maines. Seidel says,
"We're probably gonna go in the studio
with her dad a little bit and do some demos
and work up some songs we've been writing, so
we have been writing some. I'd say it's gonna
take us a whole other year to get the album
ready." 5/21/01 Margy
Holland, Nashville (launch.com)
- It'll probably be a year before a new Dixie
Chicks album hits stores, and it could be
another year before the country trio goes on
tour, Dixie Chick Martie Seidel said. The
women, who won the Academy of Country Music's
entertainer of the year award last week, are
taking a break. ``The more time you take off
it is kind of scary because you're out of the
limelight, so to speak, but it gives us the
chance to kind of step back and write from
the point of view of where we are now,''
Seidel told reporters. Lead singer Natalie
Maines recently had a baby, but Seidel said
that won't stop the Dixie Chicks from getting
together in September at a charity event in
Texas for children with AIDS ``We're trying
to give Natalie a chance to be a mom and not
have any pressures at all, so we were really
surprised when the other day she said she
wanted to do this gig out of nowhere,''
Seidel said. ``But other than that we're
lettin' her kinda decide when she feels like
she wants to get out and start doing it
again.'' 5/21/01 Associated
Press (AP)
- Last night the Academy of Country Music
Awards took place at the Universal
Amphitheater. The Dixie Chicks took home
three awards for Vocal Group, Video of the
Year for "Goodbye Earl" and
Entertainers of the Year. 5/10/01
- The Dixie Chicks will be presenters at this
years Academy of Country Music Awards which
will take place on Wednesday, May 9th and
will be telecast live on CBS. Martie Seidel
is featured in an interview with Oprah
Winfrey in the May issue of O Magazine.
- Natalie Maines gave birth to a baby boy,
Jackson Slade, in Austin, TX this past
Thursday. He weighed in at 6 pounds and 20
inches long and both Maines and her husband
Adrian Pasdar subsequently said they expected
to have 10 children. 3/17/01 Reuters/Variety
REUTERS
- The Dixie Chicks were nominated for three
awards for this years Academy of Country
Music Awards. Their nominations are for
"Entertainer of the Year",
"Vocal Group of the Year", and
"Video of the Year" for Goodbye
Earl.
- The Dixie Chicks are the only country act to
receive a nomination for Nickelodeon's 14th
annual Kids' Choice Awards. The Texas trio
scored a nod in the favorite band category,
along with Blink-182, Creed, and the Red Hot
Chili Peppers. The award show will air live
from the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica,
California, on April 21, hosted again by
Rosie O'Donnell. Fans may begin voting
February 19 at participating Burger King
restaurants nationwide. 2/18/01
- The Grammy Nominations were announced on
Wednesday, January 3rd. The Dixie Chicks have
2 nominations in the category, Country
Collaboration with Vocals for "Strong
Enough" with Sheryl Crow and "Walk
Softly" with Ricky Skaggs. The awards
show will take place on Feburary 21st. 1/5/00
Reuters/Variety
- The Dixie Chicks are nominated for a TV Guide
Award for "Music Special of the
Year" for their concert special, Dixie
Chicks: On The Fly. The event will take place
on February 24, 2001 and will air on FOX on
March 7, 2001. 1/5/01 prnewswire.com
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The Grammy
Nominations were announced on Wednesday,
January 3rd. The Dixie Chicks have 2
nominations in the category, Country
Collaboration with Vocals for "Strong
Enough" with Sheryl Crow and "Walk
Softly" with Ricky Skaggs. The awards
show will take place on Feburary 21st. 1/5/00
Reuters/Variety
The Dixie Chicks are
nominated for a TV Guide Award for
"Music Special of the Year" for
their concert special, Dixie Chicks: On The
Fly. The event will take place on February
24, 2001 and will air on FOX on March 7,
2001. 1/5/01 prnewswire.com
Music Publisher
Albert E. Brumley & Sons, Inc. has filed
a suit against Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.
regarding the Dixie Chicks' use of the song
"I'll Fly Away" on their track
"Sin Wagon," from their latest
album Fly. The suit, filed in the U.S.
District Court for the Western District of
Missouri at Joplin, claims that Sony had not
received clearance to use the song and seeks
damages of a minimum of $500,000. Brumley
& Sons publish the compositions of gospel
music composer Albert E. Brumley, who is a
member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and
the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The
song "I'll Fly Away" was registered
with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1959 and
was composed by Brumley in 1932. The company
maintains that Brumley has owned the
copyright to the song at all times. Having
been recorded over 500 times, "I'll Fly
Away" is one of the most popular gospel
songs in history. Among those who have
released a version of it are Elvis Presley,
Johnny Cash and Bill Monroe. CHRISTINA
SARACENO 12/23/00 yahoo.com
The Dixie Chicks came
home winners last night at the Billboard
Music Awards. They picked up awards for
Country Artist of the Year, Country Group of
the Year, Album of the Year for
"Fly" and Country Album Artist of
the Year. 12/6/00
The Dixie Chicks'
lead singer Natalie Maines has revealed that
she is expecting a boy. She and her husband,
actor Adrian Pasdar, are expected to become
parents for the first time in March. Despite
her pregnancy, Maines has escaped morning
sickness and maintains the energy to run
around and dance on stage throughout the
Chicks' concerts. She says she told her
doctors about how active she is during each
performance just to be on the safe side. She
tells Launch, "I made them aware because
I feel fine. They claim you can do anything
you were doing before. I wussed out of yoga,
but I can still jump around on stage."
The Dixie Chicks are currently on the road in
support of their multiplatinum Fly album. The
tour is scheduled to wrap up in College
Station, Texas, on December 2. The trio's
single, "Without You," is Number
Seven on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
& Tracks chart. 11/11/00 -- Margy Holland, Nashville
launch.com
The Dixie Chicks plan
to wrap up their critically acclaimed Fly
tour in December. The trio plans to spend
next year off the road and involved in
various independent projects. Although wildly
successful in America, the Dixie Chicks say
they have no plans to take their Fly tour
overseas any time soon. Group member Martie
Seidel explains, "We feel like it would
be spreading ourselves too thin. We haven't
gotten to all of the cities we want to get to
in the U.S.," she says, "and a lot
of the cities we did go to we could have sold
out three or four times over. And so we are
going back to some of those cities to give
some of those people what they are demanding.
When we finally do do it [tour overseas], we
want to do it right and not just do it for a
brief time." Lead singer Natalie Maines
agreed, adding, "We don' t really know
our niche there yet. They are more into the
fame of us and not the music, so it is, like,
we are not quirky enough for it to be about
the music. We are looking for our niche and
then we will go work it." The Dixie
Chicks will debut their new video
"Without You" on CMT Wednesday
(October 25). It will air as part of CMT's
Delivery Room beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET.
10/21/00 launch.com
The Dixie Chicks
picked up four awards at Wednesday Night's
Country Music Awards. They took home Album of
the Year (Fly), Music Video of the Year
(Goodbye Earl), Vocal Group of the Year, and
Entertainer of the Year. 10/6/00
Shania Twain brought
her total number of BMI awards to 22 during
the BMI Awards ceremony in Nashville Tuesday
(October 3) night. Both Shania and fellow
singer/songwriter and Dixie Chicks member
Martie Seidel placed three songs each on the
list of 50 most played country songs. Twain
co-wrote "Come On Over," "Man!
I Feel Like A Woman," and "That
Don't Impress Me Much" off her current
17 million selling album Come
On Over, while Seidel
collected her career-first BMI awards for
"Cowboy Take Me Away," "Ready
To Run," and "You Were Mine."
Shania and Martie received inaugural BMI
songwriter/artist crystals. Other
singer/songwriter award-winners throughout
the evening included Toby Keith, Steve
Wariner, Andy Griggs, Ronnie Dunn , and Kenny
Chesney. -- Margy Holland, Nashville 10/4/00 launch.com
Natalie of The Dixie
Chicks recorded a duet with Charlie Robison,
the husband of Dixie Chick Emily. The song is
called "The Wedding Song" and will
be on Charlie's album expected out in
January. Look for a Dixie Chick interview
with Dan Rather October 3rd on CBS. (WUSN, US99) 10/2/00
The Dixie Chicks are
the first country group to receive the
Diamond Award for selling over 10 million
copies for the debut album Wide Open Spaces.
The rare accomplishment, which has also been
achieved by Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers, and
Shania Twain, also recognizes Wide
Open Spaces as the
best-selling debut album in the history of
country music. LAUNCH spoke with lead singer
Natalie Maines about the feat. "It's so
nice to know that so many people are
listening to it,", she said. "You
feel like you've achieved something. Like an
artist, you want your painting to be
seen." 9/9/00 launch.com
The Dixie Chicks had
a visitor at their Saturday (August 19)
concert at the Palace Of Auburn Hills in
suburban Detroit--Rosie O'Donnell. But the
talk-show host/actress was working, not
socializing, and she joined forces onstage
with the Chicks to record a song for a
holiday charity album she's working on.
Posing as "Trixie Dixie", a
bandana-wearing contest winner from Arkansas
(who purportedly held on to a Dixie Chicks
poster for 14 consecutive days), O'Donnell
led the Chicks and the near-capacity crowd
through an irreverent holiday tune that
featured choruses such as "Send somebody
to the Quick-Pak store/We need some ice and
an extension cord/A can of bean dip and some
Diet-Rite/A box of tampons and some Marlboro
Lights/Hallelujah everybody say cheese/Merry
Christmas from the family." A sheet with
lyrics to the song was handed out to fans
before the show, and the words were also
flashed on an on-stage video screen. The
Chicks and O'Donnell ran through the tune
twice, the second time adding fake snow to
get the crowd in more of a holiday spirit.
The album is set for release this fall, with
proceeds going to the All Kids Foundation, an
organization that distributes funds to
children's charities. Also at Saturday's
show, the opening number "'Ready to
Run"' was filmed by an Imax crew for a
future music feature. 8/24/00-- Gary Graff, Detroit
Happy Birthday to
Emily Robison who turns 28 today. Yesterday
in Nashville, the performers were announced
at this years CMA Awards. The Dixie Chicks
will perform "Sin Wagon". Others
set to perform include Montgomery Gentry, Lee
Ann Womack, and Martina McBride. 8/16/00
Natalie Maines just
announced on Monday that her and husbund
Adrian Pasdar are expecting their first child
in April of 2001. The Dixie Chicks declined
an offer for a million dollar endorsement
with Coca-Cola due to their refulsal to sign
an interim deak with Striking Actors Union
SAG and AFTRA. (wall
of sound) Here's a list
of the CMA nominations the Dixie Chicks were
nominated for: ENTERTAINER OF
THE YEAR, ALBUM OF THE YEAR, VOCAL GROUP OF
THE YEAR, MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (Goodbye
Earl). The
Awards show will be broadcasted on Wednesday,
October 4th, on CBS. 8/16/00
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