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Montgomery Gentry Headlines Benefit for the T.J. Martell Foundation

Montgomery Gentry

Montgomery Gentry Headlines 9th Annual

Country on the Beach in Key West, Florida Benefitting the

T.J. Martell Foundation 

Three-Day Exclusive Event Brings Together Country Music and Resort Living All to Benefit Cancer Research

Montgomery Gentry

L to R: Eddie Montgomery, Storme Warren, Troy Gentry

Nashville, Tennessee – (July 21, 2017) The T.J. Martell Foundation, Music’s Promise for a Cure, has announced the 9th Annual Country on the Beach three-day event to take place at the Reach Resort in Key West, Florida Sunday October 1 through Wednesday, October 4, 2017. The event, hosted by popular media personality Storme Warren, will include concerts by some of country music’s most popular artists, daily events, parties, a chance to hang with country music superstars and memories made with new friends, all for the benefit of raising funds for cancer research. For tickets, go to
www.countryonthebeach.com.

Platinum-selling Country music superstars, Montgomery Gentry, will once again headline Country on The Beach. The duo who have fourteen Top 10 singles including five #1’s which include “Something to be Proud of,” “If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” Lucky Man,” “Back When I knew it All,” and “Roll With Me” are also CMA and ACM winners and inductees of the Grand Ole Opry. Acknowledged in 2010 by the Academy of Country Music with its Humanitarian Award, the duo also devotes much of their time and energy into making the needs of others a priority including their work with the T.J. Martell Foundation. This will mark the 7th year that Montgomery Gentry has headlined the event.

Joining Montgomery Gentry on the ticket are country music favorites Darryl Worley, Ray Scott, Love & Theft, Halfway To Hazard, Shelly Fairchild, and more.

Country on the Beach takes place at The Reach Resort, a landmark luxury resort, located in Key West, Florida. The Waldorf Astoria Resort will give guests the opportunity to escape to a refined haven and experience the gentle breezes and sunsets of the Atlantic Ocean while enjoying three full days of entertainment, great country music and the sights and sounds of the bright colors of Key West. The Reach Resort boasts the only natural beach on the island and the hotel offers the perfect blend of soft white sand and breathtaking sunshine.

Private balconies are included with every room and guests can spend time exploring Old Town and Duval Street, lounge by the pool and stroll the sugary beaches.

To confirm your reservation and tickets to the exclusive Country on the Beach three-day event for the T.J. Martell Foundation go to www.countryonthebeach.com. Rooms are limited and the event is open to guests of the exclusive event only.

ABOUT THE T.J. MARTELL FOUNDATION:
The T.J. Martell Foundation is the music industry’s largest foundation that funds innovative medical research focused on finding cures for cancer. The Foundation, headquartered in New York, is a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was founded in 1975 by music industry executive Tony Martell and his colleagues in loving memory of his son T.J., who died of leukemia. The Foundation has provided more than $280 million dollars for research that supports top hospitals in the United States. For more information click on the T.J. Martell Foundation go to www.tjmartell.org

 

 

 

 

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2017 CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL DELIVERS

2017 CMA Fest

2017 CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL DELIVERS WITH CAPACITY CROWDS, SOLD OUT NIGHTLY CONCERTS, AND HIGHEST FAN ENGAGEMENT IN 46-YEAR HISTORY OF MUSIC EVENT OF SUMMER

2018 CMA Music Festival Pre-Sales Begin June 19, National On-Sale Launches June 27

NASHVILLE – The 46th year of CMA Music Festival, the Music Event of Summer, drew sold-out crowds to the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium, capacity crowds at Chevrolet Riverfront Stage and the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater, and largest fan engagement by Country Music fans in the event’s history from visitors from all 50 states and at least 18 international countries.

The excitement in downtown Nashville includes 11 stages, seven of which are free of charge to the public, and offers 167 hours of music from 350 plus artists and over 1,100 musicians.

The Cracker Barrel Country Roads stage at Ascend Amphitheater, headlined by Big & Rich, Sara Evans, Hunter Hayes, and Dan + Shay, as well as the daytime Chevrolet Riverfront Stage, hit capacity numbers repeatedly over the course of the four-day event. Halfway through Old Dominion’s CMA Fest kick-off set Thursday morning in Riverfront Park, entry was briefly halted due to the volume of excited fans pouring in. Gates re-opened after each postponement.

On Wednesday night prior to CMA Music Festival’s official kick-off, CMA partnered with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to host a surprise Jason Aldeanconcert replete with fireworks at the Chevrolet Park Stage in honor of his Asphalt Cowboy featured exhibit.

In a thrilling and emotional surprise appearance, 2016 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Randy Travis joinedMichael Ray Thursday on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage for a moving performance of his CMA Award-winning No. 1 smash “Forever & Ever, Amen.”

In another stunning surprise, reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Garth Brooks brought the packed house at Nissan Stadium to a roar with a medley of his classics, including “Friends in Low Places” and “The Thunder Rolls,” as well as his newest single “Ask Me How I Know.” This marks Brooks’ first CMA Fest appearance in nearly 20 years.

Three-hour ABC TV Special “CMA Fest” Airs Aug. 16

XFINITY Fan Fair X at the expansive 350,000 square foot Music City Center launched each day with Artists of the Day that included Hunter HayesMartina McBride, and Jake Owen. Saturday’s Artists of the Day Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood drew an unprecedented crowd to the CMA Close Up Stage with CMA Awards Executive Producer Robert Deaton to share the behind-the-scenes process of prepping for Country Music’s Biggest Night™. The superstars then revealed they’ll be returning to host for the 10th consecutive year at this year’s “The 51st CMA Awards” live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, Nov. 8. The three-hour telecast begins at 8:00 PM/ET on the ABC Television Network.

The panel was livestreamed and can be viewed on Billboard.com. Fans have flocked online to view the livestream as well as a highlights video of Brad and Carrie’s most memorable hosting moments that debuted during the discussion panel. The pair of videos has already been viewed nearly one million times across the internet and social platforms after just two days.

The Budweiser “Forever Country” Park Stage was a hit with fans of all ages as timeless Country stars such as Tracy Lawrence, Little Texas, Restless Heart, Daryl Worley, and others carried the crowd with countless hits as they enjoyed games and activities like cornhole presented by Budweiser, and rocking chairs provided by Cracker Barrel.

“This is definitely one for the record books,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s Festival was marked with memorable moments and one-of-a-kind experiences. We’re happy how fans embraced not only our new stages, but also the city during an exciting historic Stanley Cup run for the Nashville Predators.”

CMA Music Fest fan engagement across the board was at an all-time high. The official free CMA Music Festival app was accessed throughout the four-day event by over 48,000 users besting the previous year by 25 percent. The average time spent per visit on the app was up over 41 percent. CMA Fan Access users were up 62 percent and CMA Fan Access engagements were up over 183 percent. The volume of social posts from Twitter and Instagram, powered by Sprinklr, were featured on the screens at six different stages, including Nissan Stadium, which saw an increase of 116 percent in social interactions.

This year, CMA implemented Budweiser FastBar at the Festival. Attendees clamored for the RFID wristband which offers easy access to purchase beverages across the downtown footprint by registering a method of payment and Driver’s License, and scanning in at various purchase points, eliminating having to present cash or a credit card every time. As a result, total beer sales increased by 126 percent.

The newly created VIP Nash Pass was also in high demand. All 1,500 $50 passes, which offered early access to the Ascend Amphitheater performances, sold out before the start of the Festival. Nash Pass also included admission to XFINITY Fan Fair X, as well as tours of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Ryman Auditorium during the Festival.

Corporate brand and marketing partnerships are a key element to the fan experience, and support the Festival. This year, there were 84 partner activations, up 68 percent from 2016. Digital partner collaborations included Amazon Music, Billboard, Facebook, Pandora, and Vevo, and were complimented by marketing and media efforts by ABC, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Cumulus, Escape Game, Grand Ole Opry, HGTV, iHeart, JACK FM 96.3, Jesus Calling, Mix 92.9, NASH, NASH Icon, PBR, PEOPLE, Radio Disney, RFD-TV, Sirius XM, WKRN, World Market, WSIX, and Yelp to enhance the overall Festival experience and exposure.

“The quality of digital and marketing partnerships this year, combined with the heightened fan engagement, speaks to the relevance and reach of Country Music,” said Damon Whiteside, CMA Chief Marketing Officer.

Key attendee statistics:

  • The percentage of returning attendees held steady at 48 percent. Among four-day passholders, the returning attendee level is even higher at 51 percent returning for 2017
  • Gen X and Millennials now make up the biggest base of Festival fans with equal shares of attendees from both of these coveted fan demos
  • Millennials, attendees ages 18-34, delivered a key segment for new attendees with a share of 57 percent attending for the first time compared to 52 percent across all age ranges

Preliminary attendee stats for this year’s Festival are based on attendee registration data via CMA Fest Fan Access.

CMA Fest - Lonestar“CMA Music Festival continues to attract a loyal and engaged audience that is evolving both demographically and in breadth of interest across all types of Country Music,” said Karen Stump, CMA Senior Director of Market Research. “It’s our fan base that is key to supporting the success stories from this year’s event.”

2017 CMA Music Festival merchandise sales of items such as tees, tanks, hats, accessories, and youth items are up over 2016, and e-commerce pre-orders are up over 400 percent. Official CMA Music Festival merchandise is still available here while quantities last. Fans can also purchase the special edition event tee that was previously only available onsite at the Festival.

CMA Music Festival directly benefits music education programs across the country, as every artist at the Festival donates their time, performing for free. The result of that generosity is that Festival proceeds support in- and after-school programs touching the lives of 1 million students nationwide through the work of the CMA Foundation.

Artists Kelsea Ballerini, Brooks, Evans, Scotty McCreery, and more demonstrated their commitment to music education across the event.

Brooks popped up at the HGTV Lodge with Trisha Yearwood to announce the cable network’s donation to the CMA Foundation and meet local CMA Music Teachers of Excellence Thursday afternoon prior to his surprise Nissan Stadium performance.

On Saturday, McCreery’s fan club presented the CMA Foundation with a donation on the singer’s behalf. McCreery in turn received the limited-edition CMA ADVOCATE key from The Giving Keys. The ADVOCATE key launched exclusively inside XFINITY Fan Fair X and is available for purchase now on The Giving Keys website. A portion of all sales benefits the CMA Foundation. Other artists presented the ADVOCATE key include Little Big Town and Thomas Rhett.

Bobcat Company, the choral group from Ballerini’s alma mater (Central High School in Knoxville, Tenn.), performed the national anthem at Saturday’s Nightly Concert at Nissan Stadium. Earlier in the day, the “CMA Fest” host surprised students during their rehearsal time.

Evans and ONEHOPE Wine, which creates award-winning wine that empowers people to do more good in the world with everyday actions, joined forces to develop the ONEHOPE Sara Evans Signature Series 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which was available at the ONEHOPE booth inside XFINITY Fan Fair X. Evans debuted the wine during a pre-Fest event Wednesday. Every purchase of the limited-edition bottle will benefit the CMA Foundation.

Also in XFINITY Fan Fair X was the CMA Foundation Celebrity auction. Fans bid on memorabilia and autographed items including CMA Awards posters and program books, CMA Fest commemorative drum heads, and more, raising nearly $50,000.

Fans also got in on the action by participating in the Cracker Barrel Rock-a-Thon, which saw 644 signature Cracker Barrel rocking chairs throughout the Festival (in honor of the number of Cracker Barrel restaurants nationwide), challenging fans to reach 150,000 rocks. They rose to the occasion and in return, Cracker Barrel donated $15,000 to the Foundation. Hayes presented the check to the CMA Foundation on behalf of Cracker Barrel prior to his Saturday night set on the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage.

National and international media alike flocked to Music City to cover CMA Music Festival. The event drew approximately 650 domestic media representing 233 outlets, including ABC’s annual Robin Roberts CMA Awards Week Special, Billboard, BuzzFeed, E!, “Extra!,” “Good Morning America,” NBC Sports Network, The NHL Network, PEOPLE, Rolling Stone, and NPR, to name a few.

Sixty-three media representatives from 32 international outlets, such as BBC Radio 2, UK; ZDF, Germany; RTL, France; MBS, Canada; and DPA, Germany, with coverage in the following 20 countries, also descended on Nashville: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K.

BBC Radio 2, with over 15 million listeners, will broadcast four one-hour specials in October as a lead into the 2017 CMA Awards.

The previously-announced three-hour ABC Television Network special, “CMA Fest,” co-hosted by Thomas Rhett and Ballerini, airs Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 8:00 PM/ET. The special debuted in 2004 and is helmed by Deaton.

Tickets for the 2018 CMA Music Festival, which is Thursday, June 7 through Sunday, June 10, go on pre-sale Monday, June 19. The national on-sale date is Tuesday, June 27. Order tickets online or call the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST (1-800-262-3378).

For CMA Fest news and information, stay connected onCMAfest.com, Facebook.com/CMA,Twitter.com/CountryMusic, Instagram.com/CMA, “CMAsnaps” on Snapchat, and sign up for CMA Country Connection, CMA’s e-newsletter.

CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. Fan Fair® is a registered trademark of WSM, Incorporated and is used by permission.

2017 CMA Music Festival merchandise sales of items such as tees, tanks, hats, accessories, and youth items are up over 2016, and e-commerce pre-orders are up over 400 percent. Official CMA Music Festival merchandise is still available here while quantities last. Fans can now also purchase the special edition event tee that was previously only available onsite at the Festival.

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Daniel Lee – New Artist Spotlight

daniel lee
Daniel Lee

Daniel Lee

Daniel Lee isn’t the first young Country artist to write about trucks, beer and ball caps. But he’s found a few fresh perspectives on these tropes.

DOWNLOAD DANIEL LEE’s ROOTS ON AMAZON

Consider “Hell Yeah,” one of five solo-writes on Daniel Lee’s debut album Roots, available now from Average Joes Entertainment. This is a flat-out exercise in braggadocio. He hollers out that he’s a “throw-down fighter,” a “Mason jar sipper” and “one crazy S.O.B.” His litany owes less to Music Row than to Mike Fink, the frontier riverboat legend who informed the patrons of countless saloons, “I’m a Salt River roarer! I’m a ringtailed squealer! I’m a reg’lar screamer from the ol’ Massassip!”
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American Young – New Artist Spotlight

american young

American Young

When two artists, already wise to the ways of the Country Music world, form a duo called American Young, the result can be more varied than what you often get from sibling pairs.

When the twosome is Kristy Osmunson and Jon Stone, it can also be close to magic.

They have plenty in common. Both are American and, though well established in Nashville, young. Stone’s writing credits include “Me and My Gang” for Rascal Flatts, “A Woman Like You” for Lee Brice and “It Ain’t Yours to Throw Away” for fictitious superstar Gunnar Scott on “Nashville.” Osmunson sizzled on fiddle with another duo, Bomshel.

DOWNLOAD AMERICAN YOUNG ON AMAZON


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Lucy Hale Performs on CMA Country Christmas

Lucy Hale - CMA Country Christmas

 Lucy Hale - CMA Country ChristmasSee Lucy Hale on ABC’s Country Christmas

NASHVILLE – ABC’s CMA Country Christmas – Country artist and “Pretty Little Liars” actress Lucy Hale brings holiday joy to “CMA Country Christmas” when she performs her original tune “Mistletoe.” The two-hour holiday special, hosted by Jennifer Nettles, airs Monday, Dec. 1 (8:00-10:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. For more information, visit CMAchristmas.com.


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DownDay – New Artist Spotlight – CMA Close Up Interview

downday

downdayDownDay could fit in equally at CMA Music Festival or on a bill with Metallica.

But the Arkansas quartet’s hearts are pure, if power-chorded, Country.

Download DownDay Music On Amazon

Christian Dean and Rockey Jones, along with bassist Damon Shores and drummer Mike Martin, signed with Render Records in April 2013. Nearly two months later, the label released the band’s earlier, regional album, Chapter 1, along with “Back in the Day” (written by Jones, Dean, Steve Freeman and David Oneal). From the structure of the song to the catchy chorus, that debut single leaned strongly toward Country and began earning adds within a month on Country radio. Read more →