Haven't they always? From Woody Guthrie to Arlo, from The Beatles to Toby Keith, musicians have expressed their views with their voices. I'm just glad I can separate their music from their madness!
If you don't mind giving your money to people who think you're stupid then, more power to you.
Personally, I don't feel any of the "famous" people mentioned on this thread are talented enough for my money if they're going to laugh at me on the way to the bank.
Bach? Sure. Led Zeppelin? Pink Floyd? Maybe, ya. OK.
But the Dixie Chicks? The Beattles? Arlo Guthrie? lol. Right.
It is different.
Except for early bublegum of the Beatles, the ones you listed made their audience because of their politics. The Dipsy Chicks made a following by playing decently with lyrics that red-staters could tolerate. Then, they announce their politics. They risked losing their audience and came up on the losing end. Had they started out with political statements, they would have built a loyal following.
My beef with them is a little deeper. I liked their music, but won't play it, ever. My intolerance oncludes the fact that as a banjo player, I was happy to see someone bring it back into fashion and fun to listen to, just to destroy that by opening her mouth.
I just wish like their song, they would stay "Long Time Gone".
Long time gone
And it ain’t coming back again
I said a long time, long time, long time gone
Well it’s been a long time
Long time, long time, long time gone
Oh, it’s been a long time gone
Long time, long time, long time gone
Yeah yeah