Martie Maguire and Emily Robison have signed a new publishing deal with Big Deal Music.

Best known for their participation in the Dixie Chicks, the sisters also perform together in their duo, Court Yard Hounds. The new contract marks the first time either one of them have signed exclusively with a publisher to represent their songs.

"As artists, Emily and I rely a lot on what other artists say about people they work with in the music business,” Maguire says in a press release. “We met Kenny MacPherson several years ago when he was publishing one of our favorite songwriters, and close friend, Dan Wilson. Dan's whole-hearted endorsement of Kenny, as well as the personal connection we felt when meeting the entire Big Deal Music team, made us confident in our decision to sign our first publishing deal with BDM. I now recognize that having a great company behind you can actually impact your motivation to be more creative!”

"Never before in our career have Martie and I partnered with a publisher to represent our music and champion our songs,” adds Robison. “Once we decided it was something we wanted to do, Big Deal seemed like a great fit for us -- the collaboration feels natural and we're excited about working with Kenny and all the great people at Big Deal.”

MacPherson is just as enthusiastic about the possibilities.

"We couldn't be more honored and excited about the opportunity to work with these two incredible women, artists and writers who've had such enormous impact on both music and culture," he states. "Working with them has been a serious goal of mine for many years, and I'm delighted at long last to get there, and excited about the results to come."

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