The Story of Country Sensation Dixie Chicks

By E Walker

There's old country. There's new country. Then there are the Dixie Chicks.

Natalie Maines, Martie Seidel and Emily Robison have taken the Texas-bred sound of a fiddle, banjo, dobro and crystal-clear vocal harmonies into whole new territory. They are the rare act that comes along a few times in a generation that is destined to shake things up, rewrite the rules and become the new musical trendsetters.

The public has certainly noticed. The Dixie Chicks' first Monument album Wide Open Spaces has become the biggest selling album ever by a country duo or group - racking up some 6 million sales by the time their second album, Fly, was completed. The tremendous sales only demonstrates that while the Dixie Chicks have established themselves as a true country music act, they have also won over audiences outside the country genre. In a music field routinely known for selling to the conservative 30 and over crowd, more than 60% of the Dixie Chicks sales have been to consumers under the age of 25. Their concert audience is as likely to be comprised of entire rows of young women in their early teens and twenties as it is to include middle age couples and entire families complete with pre-teen girls dressed like their musical idols and singing every Dixie Chicks' song word for word.

The press has certainly noticed. Publications from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and People to Harper's Bazaar, In Style, Seventeen and TV Guide have documented how the Dixie Chicks are bending the music world to their will and making country music more 'hip' than ever. With the wrap-up of 1998, numerous national publications named them the "Breakout Act of the Year" and recognized Wide Open Spaces as one of the "Best Of" albums of the year. USA Today credited the Chicks with single-handedly returning the banjo to country radio and Rolling Stone summed it up when they called them "the badass queenpins of country." At a time when much of the press on country music has lamented the 'sameness' of the sound and the artists, no less than the Los Angeles Times conceded that "the Dixie Chicks are the perfect antidote."

The music industry has certainly noticed. The Dixie Chicks' fellow musicians and industry peers, in particular, have overwhelmingly acknowledged their contribution. In a year's time, they have been honored with two Grammy Awards (Best Country Album and Best Country Vocal Performance Duo/Group), two Country Music Association Awards (Group of the Year and the Horizon Award), plus three Academy of Country Music Awards (including Album of the Year), one American Music Award and two TNN Music Awards. On Nashville's Music Row, where the unspoken business strategy often seems to be "if we can make it work once, we can beat it to death," the music industry has obviously been taking notes. It's likely not a coincidence that almost every record label in Nashville has signed a female trio since the Dixie Chicks exploded on to the scene. But clearly what makes this act work is not just that they are a female trio. The difference is this: There simply is no other act in any musical format that sounds like the Dixie Chicks - 18424

About the Author:

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10 Best Tips to be a Successful Indie Musician

By Camelia Danicio

1. Post your music on every website you can find. People can't love you until they've heard you, and it usually takes some repeat exposure before they'll get around to listening.

2. Make a video. Borrow talent and resources to help you make it look good. If it's good, post it everywhere you can. If not, figure out why it's not and do it again.

3. Get Live. Get gigs. Take anything, don't be picky. Again, they can't like you if they've never heard you. You know those VH1 interviews where the big names look back fondly on all they had to put up with in the early years? That could be you.

4. Get yourself known to the world. Put together a website. A band without a web presence doesn't seem like a big deal. Update it often. Make sure you post your music and information about your upcoming gigs.

5. Network. Network. Network. Get onto social networking sites. If you're not at least on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouMusic you're missing out on millions of potential new fans. And update constantly, including media. If a picture's worth a thousand words, video's worth a million.

6. Announce Your Music. Put together press releases of your gigs and send them everywhere. Most of them won't get published most of the time but when one does, it will be extremely valuable to your success as an indie artist.

7. Get it down on CD. Put a CD together. Find a friend who does graphic design and get a professional cover and label on it. Sell copies on your website. You may not sell many but just having it as an option helps to add legitimacy.

8. Take this seriously. Don't show up late for gigs, forget lyricsdon't be sloppy. Don't presume that people can't be put off just because your music's goodthere are millions of bands vying for their attention.

9. Be Good to your customers. Be good to your fans. Enough of them and the labels will come knocking.

10. Ask for help. Get the band to ask everyone they know to ask everyone they know to help promote you. Give them CDs and get them excited with you. They'll help you find gigs, websites on which to post your music and video, and people that will run your press releases. - 18424

About the Author:

Camelia Danicio is a Freelance Writer for YouMusic.com, the Musicians' Social Networking site with features such as Music Community, Music Chat Rooms, Music Forums, Music Blogs, Music Groups and much more

Choosing A Guitar

By Brian Hughes

When you are buying a new guitar one of the most relevant things you should ask the seller or at least have in mind is what kind of music do you want to play with this new guitar.

Whether you want to play hard rock, heavy metal, country, jazz and everything in between, the most recommended is that you should start using an acoustic guitar. After you are comfortable with an acoustic, you will find playing the electric guitar much easier.

Absolutely anybody can start playing rock with an electric guitar with a terrific multi effects unit. But you should start using an acoustic guitar or even an electric acoustic guitar. The main difference between an electric acoustic guitar and a regular acoustic guitar is very simple, both guitars are acoustic, but the difference is that the electric one has electronics in it to be able to use it with an amp as well.

On the other hand between a classical and a regular acoustic guitar is a clear difference in the make of the strings. In the classical guitar, the string is manufactured by nylon which produces a more opaque and dull sound. A traditional acoustic guitar produces a more brilliant sound with steel or nickel strings.

Once you have determined the purpose you need a new guitar, the next step is comparing brands, quality and prices. There are several brands in the market but I always recommend that you try to find the best quality of the instrument you can afford.

Sometimes you are playing something and if you are a newbie or beginner performer you are going to think that the problem is your playing. Sometimes the instrument doesn't help you to move forward and this is the reason why you should choose a high quality instrument. - 18424

About the Author:

Find some of the best buy used musical instruments online and get a great deal.

Indie Musicians! How To Get Your Music Heard

By Jane Thomson

You know you are an aspiring music professional. Your single greatest challenge is likely getting your music the exposure it needs to make it to the next level. Many artists with talent and a substantial fan base simply never find the exposure and personal success they seek because they do not know how to get their music heard, and heard by the right people. Luckily, there are a few foolproof ways to get your music out there.

Are you available on the Internet? You should be available on the internet. For most people, this means having a blog and participating in social networking sites. Post videos and audio clips of your work, making sure all files are of the highest quality. Make meaningful connections with other bloggers and ask them to link back to your videos. Having more links will mean having more exposure and more people who have heard of your music.

Musicians who know the power of Networking also belong to groups that allow them to network and share information on the music. Online groups are useful because they give you yet more valuable exposure. Local and regional groups also are useful because they can help you network and make acquaintances that can turn into valuable leads.

You should seek out live performances wherever possible. Whether you are playing at a large community festival or a friend's house party, getting more people to hear your music with create more buzz and open other doors. Don't be afraid to take nonpaying gigs if they don't interfere with paying work. Be sure to bring a few CD's in case someone is in the buying mood.

Now, to know whats going on, you need to keep up with the music industry. Music markets are constantly changing, so it's important to know what is getting the most buzz and what is hopelessly passe. Although you should remain true to your artistry, you should avoid sounding tired or out of touch. When you know what audiences and recording labels are looking for, you will be able to choose the videos and recordings most likely to get your desired response. - 18424

About the Author:

Jane Thomson is a Freelance Writer for YouMusic.com, The Social Networking Site for Musicians. YouMusic.com Music Community has Music Chat Rooms, Real-Time Music Forums, Blogs, Instant Messaging, Music Groups and More.

Learn Guitar On DVD Correctly

By Payo W Perry

Many people consider learning guitar on DVD to be a more convenient solution than attending private lessons with a local guitar tutor. The main advantages seem to be that you can practice and learn when it suits your schedule as well as being a more economical way to learn.

You should however bear in mind that learning this way will depend a lot on your personal motivation, desire and ability to teach yourself. Not everyone has this ability to the same degree. Learning guitar from a DVD is not the same having a real tutor there to help you.

As you progress into guitar youre going to find that you encounter your own unique problems with the instrument. A big difference between a real tutor and a guitar instruction DVD is that a tutor can identify and concentrate on these problems, a DVD cannot.

The real benefit of taking guitar lessons on DVD is when you already have some playing knowledge. This little bit of a head start can make all the difference when it comes to teaching yourself from books or DVDs. What most people tend to do is a combination of real lessons plus home material such as books bought from a music shop.

One last consideration is to make sure the DVD is of a suitable level for you. This can sometimes be hard to judge as there are no sample lessons available to view when buying it so do the best you can. Trying to play things which are beyond your technical level is a big no no for beginners as it leads to frustration which in turn destroys your motivation.

Recently, guitar lessons on DVD have come under increased pressure from learning guitar online. Many people now see online guitar lessons as a cheaper and a more immediate way to learn guitar. Its also often the case that you can try taster lessons online which are not possible with guitar instruction DVDs. - 18424

About the Author:

The writer has been a professional guitar teacher for many years. His popular system for learning guitar is called Guitar in a Nutshell. Check out the site where you can get a free series of video lessons on beginner guitar lessons and some guitar instruction DVDs