Monday, February 29, 2016

Chase Rice Releases New Song

CHASE RICE’S “WHISPER” ARRIVES AT COUNTRY RADIO TODAY, FEBRUARY 29
 
First single from Rice’s eagerly anticipated 2016 album hits the airwaves as the dynamic entertainer prepares for Campus Events Network Presents College Days, Country Nights: The Chase Rice Back to College Tour
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 29, 2016) – Whether he’s on stage or in the studio, Chase Rice holds nothing back when it comes to performing and the legion of fans that shows up night after night to sing every word back to him on tour reflects the passion Rice inspires through his music. His new single, “Whisper,” is no exception having already racked up more than one million streams on Spotify ahead of today’s impact date at country radio. With “a big, bass-heavy chorus that dominates the radio” (Taste of Country), “Whisper” is the first release from Rice’s forthcoming 2016 album and serves as what he calls the “bridge” between his last chart-topping album, Ignite the Night, and the new music.

CMA Music Fest 45th Anniversary

THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY MUSIC FAN EXPERIENCE: CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 45 YEARS IN 2016

NASHVILLE – CMA Music Festival, the Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience, celebrates 45 years in 2016 with all the non-stop music, fan engagement, and artist experiences attendees have come to expect since the event began as Fan Fair® in 1972.


“Country Music festivals come and go, but this event has succeeded for four and a half decades because we constantly challenge ourselves to enhance the experience for our fans, the industry, and the artists, who make this event possible,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We don’t just raise the bar each year, we set the bar.” 

Friday, February 26, 2016

Carrie Underwood Tour Sellouts

Carrie Underwood Sells Out All Nine Shows of
“The Storyteller Tour” Since Launch
 
Tour Heads to Europe Next Week for C2C Festival
With Sold Out Shows in London and Glasgow
 
Carrie Meets with Military Families and Patients of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Carrie performs live before 17,000 fans at Boston’s TD Garden 
NASHVILLE, TN– (February 26, 2016) – Following her performance on the Grammy Awards last week, Carrie Underwood sold out five consecutive arena concerts in Pittsburgh, PA, Hampton, VA, Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, and Washington, D.C. Underwood  has sold out all nine arena shows since The Storyteller Tour launched. 

Martina McBride Goes Reckless

MARTINA McBRIDE GOES “RECKLESS” TODAY
 
AWARD-WINNING FEMALE VOCALIST’S NEW SINGLE AVAILABLE NOW

Listen Here: http://smarturl.it/RecklessVevo
 
Nashville, TN (February 26, 2016) – Country superstar Martina McBride has spent the last several months in the studio, recording new music for her thirteenth studio album and her first for Big Machine Label Group imprint Nash Icon Records. While the full project is due out this spring, fans get a taste today (2/26) with the release of the powerful title track, Reckless,” to all digital partners.Listen here: http://smarturl.it/RecklessVevo. The track was written by Sarah Buxton, Zach Crowell and Heather Morgan with producers Nathan Chapman and Dann Huff at the helm in studio. “Reckless” showcases Martina's unmatched vocals as she belts out lyrics that mirror her own story of love’s saving grace.

Dierks Bentley's New Video


DIERKS BENTLEY LANDS “SOMEWHERE ON A BEACH”
WITH NEW MUSIC VIDEO OUT TODAY


The Comedy Site Break Shares Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Footage From the Set in Mexico

NASHVILLE, TN - Feb. 26, 2016 – Multi-PLATINUM entertainer and ACM nominee Dierks Bentley builds momentum for “Somewhere On A Beach” with the release of the wildly funny new music video today (2/26) on VEVO. The lead single from his forthcoming eighth studio album BLACK (Capitol Records Nashville) is the fastest rising of his career cruising into the Top 20 in just four weeks.   

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Florida Georgia Line Play Daytona

 

 Florida Georgia Line gets the Fans Revved Up for the Daytona 500


Florida Georgia Line rocked their first live performance of 2016 at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 21st.  They performed at the pre-show for thousands of fans packed onto Daytona International Speedway's grassy tri-oval, singing singles like ‘Anything Goes,’ ‘Round Here,’ and ‘This is How We Roll.” Click here to view/download the performance.  

Frankie Ballard Debuts New Video


FRANKIE BALLARD DEBUTS NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR “IT ALL STARTED WITH A BEER”
Singer/songwriter’s current single racing toward Top 25 at radio
NASHVILLE, TN (February 25, 2016) – Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville’s Frankie Ballard premiered the new music video for his current single “It All Started With A Beer” on RollingStone.com today. The track is a look back at love and happiness that’s grown over time despite the bumps life offers along the way. It starts with a simple acoustic guitar played over a vibey organ line and builds like a couple swirling on the dance floor to one of the Michigan-born Ballard’s laidback guitar solos as he sings “Ain’t it crazy, baby, how we got here/it all started with a beer.”
"I really enjoyed expressing myself visually with this new video,” said Frankie. “I called up some buddies, had a few beers, and shot some cool studio moments. I wanted people to see us playing the song. This new album is all about the music, so I thought, let's show that!"

Randy Travis Surprises Opry Benefit

Industry Veteran Jim Ed Norman Receives
Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award
(L to R) Bob Kingsley; Kenny Rogers; Pete Fisher, VP/GM, Grand Ole Opry;
Jim Ed Norman; Don Henley

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Luke Bryan Goes Platinum

LUKE BRYAN’S KILL THE LIGHTS ALBUM CERTIFIED PLATINUM
BY THE RIAA   
“Kill The Lights Tour” Launches Tomorrow  
(Nashville, TN) – February 17, 2016 – During preparations for his performances at the MusiCares Gala and the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards® where he paid tribute to music icon Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan learned his Kill The Lights album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. The reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year debuted the album at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200, his third consecutive album to do so, and Top Country Albums charts. Kill The Lights contains Luke’s two-week No. 1 single “Home Alone Tonight” featuring Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town and closed 2015 as the best-selling country album of the year and the 10th biggest selling album on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Year-End list. Luke also wrapped 2015 as the most streamed country artist with 660 Million streams. 

Monday, February 15, 2016

Country Grammy Winners



2016 COUNTRY GRAMMY WINNERS
 
Best Country Solo Performance - "Traveller" - Chris Stapleton Track from: Traveller
 
Best Country Duo/Group Performance - "Girl Crush" - Little Big Town - Track from: Pain Killer
 
Best Country Song - "Girl Crush" - Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)
 
Best Country Album - Traveller- Chris Stapleton

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Garth Brooks Remembers A Friend

GARTH BROOKS: Celebrating – and Saluting – a Friend

Garth Brooks helped thousands of people celebrate Valentine’s Day over the course of three nights (and four full-length shows) this weekend in North Charleston, South Carolina…but this stop on his World Tour With Trisha Yearwood also took on a bit of poignancy with the Thursday passing of friend and frequent songwriting partner Kim Williams.
 
“Great man, great friend,” is how Garth describes Williams, who died at the age of 68 last week (February 11). “This guy…he’s a sweet man, and he will live – he’ll live forever through his music and through his friends, like all of us that remember him.”

Friday, February 12, 2016

Sam Hunt Goes Double Platinum

SAM HUNT SURPRISED WITH A DOUBLE PLATINUM PLAQUE FOR MONTEVALLO AT HIS CRS HOUSE PARTY AT THE RYMAN
 
Hunt Performs this Monday with Carrie Underwood at 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards; Plus Nominations for Best New Artist and Best Country Album
 
JL-23
Photo ID (L-R): UMGN Sr. VP A&R Brian Wright, UMG’s Mike Harris, UMGN Chairman & CEO Mike Dungan, Sam Hunt, Homestead/Red Light Management’s Brad Belanger, UMGN President Cindy Mabe, UMGN VP A&R Stephanie Wright
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 11, 2016) – At Tuesday night’s late night CRS show at Ryman Auditorium, MCA Nashville’s Sam Hunt was presented with a plaque commemorating his RIAA Double Platinum album MONTEVALLO. The ACM and GRAMMY-nominated MONTEVALLO is the fastest country debut album to reach the impressive milestone since Taylor Swift’s 2006 debut. Tracks from Hunt’s album have sold more than 6 million individual downloads and accumulated nearly 600 million streams leading MONTEVALLO to the No. 1 most-streamed country album of 2015.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Jason Aldean's Australian Sellout



JASON ALDEAN TO HOST CAPACITY CROWD AS FIRST-EVER HEADLINER
TO SELL OUT CMC ROCKS QLD COUNTRY FESTIVAL


ACM "Entertainer of the Year” Nominee Sets The Tone For International Shows
in Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland, AUS

NASHVILLE, TN - Feb. 10, 2016 - ACM “Entertainer of the Year” nominee Jason Aldean catapults his career internationally as the first headliner to ever sellout CMC Rocks QLD Country Music Festival. Fans snagged every ticket to the festival which has featured past headliners, Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw. Before taking the stage, Aldean will bring  one of "2016’s Hottest Tours” (Rolling Stone) to Melbourne, AU (3/8) and Sydney, AU (3/9).

Cam To Be Grammy Presenter

GRAMMY® Nominee Cam to Also Be a Presenter on Monday’s 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards®
 
Look for a Profile of the Best Country Solo Performance Nominee
on Friday’s CBS This Morning
 
New Single, “Mayday,” Officially Impacts Country Radio Next Week
 
Nashville, TN – Best Country Solo Performance GRAMMY® nominee and Arista Nashville/RCA Records recording artist Cam announced via social media that she’ll be among the presenters when the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards airs live in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound this Monday, February 15th, at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT, on the CBS Television Network.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Garth Brooks Birthday Thoughts

 
GARTH BROOKS: The Birthday Boy Celebrates…and Reflects

While most of the nation is gearing up to enjoy the Super Bowl today (Sunday), Garth Brooks is doing more than preparing to catch the game – he’s also celebrating his birthday! Garth’s celebration involves “having lots of people over” to watch the Big Game and to celebrate his day…a gathering that’ll include a homemade German chocolate cake with chocolate frosting – his favorite – made by wife Trisha Yearwood.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Charles Kelley Album Out Now


CHARLES KELLEY DRAWS CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR  “POLISHED YET IMMENSELY SUPPLE" (NPR) FIRST SOLO ALBUM
THE DRIVER - OUT TODAY


GRAMMY Nominee To Perform on
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Tonight

NASHVILLE, TN – Feb. 05, 2016 – Dubbed by Entertainment Weekly as “one of the best voices in Music City” and landing on their “Must List,” today Charles Kelley releases his first-ever solo album THE DRIVER (Capitol Records Nashville). Fans can tune-in for a special performance of the album’s GRAMMY nominated lead/title track on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight (2/5 on CBS at 10:35P CT).

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Sam Hunt Plays Super Bowl



Sam Hunt will headline the Super Bowl 50 NFL Tailgate Party at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco on Sunday (February 7th), along with pop superstar Seal. Sam will perform prior to the big matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, and both his performance will be televised as part of CBS’s Super Bowl Sunday pregame show, The Super Bowl Today.

Dierks Bentley Exhibit Coming

DIERKS BENTLEY TO BE FEATURED IN EXHIBITION AT
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME
® AND MUSEUM 
Dierks Bentley: Every Mile a Memory, Presented by Citi, Opens March 4, 2016
Museum Will Host Bentley Interview and Performance March 12, 2016
 
Photo by: Jim Wright
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn., – Feb. 4, 2016 – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore the life and career of multi-platinum entertainer Dierks Bentley with the exhibition Dierks Bentley: Every Mile a Memory, presented by Citi, which opens March 4, 2016, and runs through Sept. 6, 2016. The exhibition will include stage wear, guitars, song manuscripts, photos and more from Bentley’s personal collection. 

To celebrate the launch of the exhibit, the museum will host a special appearance by the “Somewhere on a Beach” singer on Saturday, March 12, at 2 p.m., in the museum’s 800-seat CMA Theater. Bentley will discuss his career and perform a short acoustic set. The program will be hosted by museum editor Peter Cooper. 
 
 

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Carrie Underwood's Storyteller Tour

Carrie Underwood Stages Biggest Tour of Career with
“The Storyteller Tour – Stories in the Round 
Launches with Back to Back Sold Out Shows

Nashville, TN – (February 3, 2016) – Carrie Underwood’s “Storyteller Tour - Stories in the Round” launched on Saturday in Jacksonville, FL, and continued Monday in Atlanta, GA, both to sold-out 360-degree crowds. The tour's 17 semi-trucks and 8 buses rolled into Greensboro, NC for the third show tonight to continue its highly-successful 2016 run. Already fans and critics are raving about her stand-out performances coupled with the dramatic in-the-round stage production.

Brantley Gilbert's 2016 Tour

BRANTLEY GILBERT OPENS BLACKOUT TOUR 
WITH CAPACITY CROWDS
 
Announces Take It Outside Summer Tour, Throwing Down with Justin Moore & Colt Ford

Nashville, TN (February 3, 2016) – Following a standing-room-only opening weekend of the BLACKOUT TOUR’s North American leg, BRANTLEY GILBERT is gearing up for another season on the road. The Georgia native will continue the momentum this summer headlining his TAKE IT OUTSIDE summer tour.
 

“We’re just getting started bringing the music to the people,” says the back-to-back PLATINUM Country album sellers. “We hit that stage in Saginaw, and the crowd was lit up. Makes you wanna hit the road, and stay out there – when the people are so raging. We knew when we did this arena tour, we were gonna wanna take it outside! We don’t have all the dates in place, but I want the fans in these markets to know I’m coming.”

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Alan Jackson 2016 Tour Dates

 ALAN JACKSON KEEPS ON “KEEPIN’ IT COUNTRY” 

Country Superstar’s First 2016 Tour Dates Announced With More to Come!
Tickets Onsale Now!

  Rising Star Lauren Alaina Tapped as Special Guest!
 Alan Jackson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (Nashville, TN – February 2, 2016) Country superstar Alan Jackson is taking his 25-plus years of hits and fan-favorites on the road in 2016, as he extends his hugely successful KEEPIN’ IT COUNTRY TOUR into the new year. Rising star Lauren Alaina will be the special guest. 

Monday, February 1, 2016

Jana Kramer Welcomes Baby Girl

JANA KRAMER RECEIVES ACM AWARD NOMINATION FOR FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
 
Kramer Also Welcomed New Baby Girl on Sunday
 
Jolie Rae
NASHVILLE, TN – (Feb 1 2016) – Elektra Records Nashville/Warner Music Nashville’s Jana Kramer has received two wonderful surprises in less than 24 hours: a Female Vocalist of the Year nomination for this year’s ACM Awards and a new baby girl, Jolie Rae Caussin, born yesterday afternoon in Nashville. This is Kramer’s first Female Vocalist nom following her ACM Award win for “Top New Female Artist” in 2012.

Garth Brooks: 1 Billion Streams


GARTH BROOKS: Baltimore By the Numbers – 5-4-3-2-1
Five shows…four additional events…three days…two artists…one amazing weekend. That’s the long-awaited Baltimore stop on the Garth Brooks World Tour With Trisha Yearwood, in a nutshell!

New Cole Swindell Album May 6

COLE SWINDELL TO RELEASE BRAND NEW ALBUM MAY 6th, ENTITLED YOU SHOULD BE HERE
 
Debut single “You Should Be Here” jumps to Top 15 on Country Radio
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (February 1, 2016) – Rising star Cole Swindell is set to follow up his Gold-certified debut album on May 6th with You Should Be Here. The forthcoming album draws its name from its emotional lead single, which has quickly vaulted to the Top 15 on the Billboard Country Singles chart only three weeks after its official impact date and has become his fastest rising single yet. 

51st Annual ACM Nominations

NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE51st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS®COUNTRY MUSIC’S PARTY OF THE YEAR®
51st ACM AWARDS® TO AIR LIVE FROM MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS
Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network
Eric Church and Chris Stapleton Lead with Five Nominations;
Cam, Chris Young and Little Big Town Each Receive Four Nominations, with Karen Fairchild Receiving An
Additional Nod; Chris Janson, Miranda Lambert and Thomas Rhett Each Receive Three Nominations 

ENCINO, CA (February 1, 2016) – Nominations were announced today for the 51st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS®, Country Music’s Party of the Year®, honoring country music’s superstars and hottest emerging talent. Hosted by Dierks Bentley and reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, the ACM Awards are produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.