The hard truth of the music business is that selling a million records, or even 17 million, doesn't make you a millionaire. View Dixie Chicks at Sony Nashville site. CBS Martie Seidel, left, Natalie Maines and Emily Robison, right, in action. They've also generated a quarter of a billion dollars in business. But, as reported last fall by 60 Minutes II Correspondent Dan Rather , that leaves the Dixie Chicks with much less than you'd expect.
Truth is, their rise to the top shows just how hard it is for musicians to make money, making music.
By any standard, the rise of the Dixie Chicks is one of music's great success stories. I was amazed by the way they pick. And so I think that's what it was. It was something different. Sisters Seidel and Robison won bluegrass competitions as children, and they've been playing professionally since their teens.