New Dixie Chicks Album, Taking The Long Way, Is a Global Smash

Four weeks after its release on May 23, Taking The Long Way, the highly-acclaimed new album from the Dixie Chicks, has achieved a platinum (for sales of 1,000,000) certification by the RIAA, bringing the group's career total up to 41 gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications, including two RIAA Diamond Awards.

The U.S. platinum success of Taking The Long Way has been echoed in similar chart-topping sales figures around the world. Taking The Long Way debuted at #1 (and remained in the top slot for four weeks) in Canada, where it is already 2x platinum, and at #2 in Australia, where it's certified platinum. The album debuted at #8 in New Zealand, where it's been certified gold.

Released in Europe on June 12, Taking The Long Way has already crossed the two million mark in sales worldwide with the album hitting the Top 10 in Sweden (peaked at #1), Australia (#2), Germany (#5), Europe (#6) Switzerland (#6), Ireland (#7, gold), Norway (#7), Austria (#8), and the UK Top 75 (#10, gold). The album is a new entry on the charts in Finland (#17), Denmark (#37), Holland (#42), and Belgium (#61). In every market in which it's charted, with the exception of New Zealand and Ireland, Taking The Long Way has the highest-charting debut numbers of any album in the Dixie Chicks' career.

When Taking The Long Way debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 best-selling albums chart the week of its release, the Dixie Chicks became the first female group in chart history to have three albums debut at #1, breaking the record the Chicks established in 2002 when the group's last studio album, Home, debuted at #1 and made them the first female group ever to have two albums debut at #1.

With the #1 debut of Taking The Long Way, the Dixie Chicks have also become the first female group in chart history to have three studio albums occupy the #1 slot on the Top 200.

In addition to occupying the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 for two weeks in a row, Taking The Long Way has been America's #1 Top Country Album for five weeks running and was the nation's #1 Top Digital Album.

Taking The Long Way is produced by Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Run-DMC) and features fourteen new songs co-written by the Dixie Chicks.

Having sold more than $100 million worth of concert tickets during their career, the Dixie Chicks are one of the most popular live acts in history. The Dixie Chicks will embark on the "Accidents & Accusations Tour" in support of Taking The Long Way in July. For additional tour information and links to purchase tickets for the "Accidents & Accusations" tour, please log on to: http://www.dixiechicks.com/

http://www.dixiechicks.com/

http://www.columbiarecords.com/

SOURCE: Open Wide/Columbia Records

CONTACT: Cindi Berger, PMK, +1-212-582-1111, cindi.berger@pmkhbh.com;
Jen Holiner, PMK, +1-212-582-1111, jennifer.holiner@pmkhbh.com; Kathy Best,
FrontPage Publicity, +1-615-383-0412, kathy@frontpagepublicity.com; Claire
Mercuri, Columbia Records, +1-212-833-5121, claire.mercuri@sonybmg.com

Web site: http://www.dixiechicks.com/
http://www.columbiarecords.com/