Two-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Toby Keith has received three nominations for the 47th Annual ACM Awards, scheduled for April 1 in Las Vegas. All three are for his explosive new song “Red Solo Cup” – Video of the Year and twice for Single Record of the Year as the song’s artist and producer.

The nominations just add to the unparalleled success of his simple, silly, singable, “Red Solo Cup,” which almost instantaneously became the biggest viral sensation in country music history. The videos for the song (holiday version and original flavor) have surpassed the 11 million views mark. At radio, the single is already in the top 10 and climbing. And this week the single is No. 1 on the country download chart.

Even more remarkable, the single’s success has pushed Keith’s current album Clancy’s Tavern back to the No. 1 country album pinnacle. Tavern debuted at No. 1 in October and has spent the majority of the intervening weeks in the top 5. “Red Solo Cup” is also the No. 1 most-played song on jukeboxes, with Toby Keith ranking as the No. 1 most-played artist. Both are all-genre standings as reported by TouchTunes.

Catalog sales of Keith’s music hit a record 3.3 million downloads in 2011, with RSC leading the way to become the best-selling single download of his career.

In other Toby news, the Chicago Tribune recently named him the No. 1 spokesman for full-size trucks. Keith’s tours have been sponsored by Ford F-Series since 2003, and the Tribune notes: “Toby looks like a truck owner, acts like a truck owner and looks comfortable talking with truck owners.”

Tim McGraw’s long-delayed album “Emotional Traffic” has the attention of Music Row this week as it finally hits the streets. And in the wake of his long battle to depart from Curb Records, knowing that this is the last product he’ll have to deliver to the label Tim is likely experiencing some emotional traffic of his own. 
The last album in the long, lucrative but contentious relationship between McGraw and Curb Records arrives more than a year late with a fascinating backstory and a little bit of buzz. McGraw isn’t actively promoting the album, but it kicks off what promises to be a high visibility year for the country star.
He’s currently considering his next move after a judge granted his freedom from his record deal last November. What’s already on the schedule is the “Brothers of the Sun” stadium tour this summer with Kenny Chesney and actively recording new songs.
“Emotional Traffic” already indirectly produced a multi-week No. 1 song, “Felt Good on My Lips,” which was released against McGraw’s wishes on a hits package in 2010. McGraw has called the new album his “best ever” and fan interest is piqued.
“There are a lot of possibilities with this record. It’s hard to say,” said Wade Jessen, who tracks country music and other charts for Billboard Magazine in Nashville. “I think at least in the public comments Tim has made about it, he’s very much a cheerleader for this music, and that may go a long way to making the most emotionally invested fans overlook the fact that it’s coming out on a record label Tim has had some issues with. And we know how loyal country music fans are. They like for their artists to be treated fairly and with respect, and if there’s any perception otherwise it can guide their decisions.”
With legal issues to resolve still, McGraw and Curb executives aren’t doing interviews to promote “Emotional Traffic.” But McGraw laid the groundwork for a promotional campaign in a few interviews last year. He also previewed a handful of cuts from the album on last year’s extremely popular “Emotional Traffic” tour.
In an interview last April, McGraw said he couldn’t wait for fans to hear the new album. After recording four or five LPs with his road band, The Dancehall Doctors, McGraw decided to use a different set of musicians on “Emotional Traffic” and looked to open up his sound. He brought in Ne-Yo for a duet as well.
“There are some great players,” McGraw said. “A couple of guys from Paul McCartney’s band are on this album. Paul Bushnell is on bass, who’s one of my favorite bass players ever. The songs are just really fresh and cool. I’m excited.”
McGraw’s longtime producer Byron Gallimore agrees with McGraw’s assessment of the album. He says over the two decades they’ve worked together, they’ve used a formula for choosing songs. “Emotional Traffic” continues that trend of not only including country material, but expanding into areas like R&B, pop and rock. McGraw can then use his voice to pull the song back into country territory.
“We’re certainly happy with it and feel like it’s one of our best,” Gallimore said. “I think every time you do another one you feel like it’s probably better than the last one, for me personally at least. We’ve got a great batch of songs on here and I’m just excited that it’s getting out there. … I feel very strongly about this record. I would agree with Tim on that.”
Without McGraw’s direct help, Curb has had to get creative with its promotion. It’s liberally using McGraw’s “best ever” quote, for one, enlisting the artist’s help at least passively. The label also partnered with NPR’s “First Listen” series to stream the album for a week leading up to release. While this practice isn’t unusual in the indie rock world, it’s a step in a different direction for mainstream country.
There’s also a new single “Better Than I Used to Be” moving up the charts, the traditional way to get a fan’s attention.

FANS WILL ONCE AGAIN VOTE FOR ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR & NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

TELECAST TO AIR LIVE FROM MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS
Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network

Kenny Chesney leads male nominees with 9 nominations;
Jason Aldean earns 6 nominations, Brad Paisley earns 4 nominations, Toby Keith earns 3 nominations;
Taylor Swift leads solo female nominations with 3, Grace Potter receives 3 noms for projects with Kenny Chesney;
Lady Antebellum leads group nominations with 5, Eli Young Band earns 3

47th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, a star-studded event produced for television by dick clark productions broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Nominees were announced online via the first-ever ACM digital press conference this morning on the Academy’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Awards co-host Reba participated with a video message to kick things off and entertainment superstars Lionel Richie, who will be honored during a special taping of ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert in April (to air at a later date on CBS), Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls), Nancy O’Dell (Entertainment Tonight), Michael Ausiello (TVLine.com) announced batches of nominations in video postings during the approximately 20 minute online event which culminated in music fans announcing the nominees for the Academy’s biggest prize, Entertainer of the Year, a privilege fans embraced for the first time ever by submitting videos naming their favorite artist. Fans from around the country announced Entertainer of the Year nominees Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift.

As previously announced, Blake Shelton will join forces with country music star Reba to host the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards for the second consecutive year.

For the fifth year, fans will select the winner of the Academy’s most prestigious honor, Entertainer of the Year, and for the fourth year, the New Artist of the Year category will also be opened up to fan voting. Nominees for New Artist of the Year were not announced in the press conference today because fan voting for those semi-finalists will close on January 30 (see page 2 below). The winners of Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year will be announced live during the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

A REALLY GOOD DAY for Kenny Chesney as he received nine nominations for the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards, the most of any artist this year. Chesney’s nominations include “Entertainer of the Year,” “Male Vocalist of the Year,” “Album of the Year” for ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA), and “Single of the Year” for “You and Tequila,” his smash duet with Grace Potter. Chesney has received nine ACM Awards to-date, including four consecutive “Entertainer of the Year” awards.

The ACM announcement coincides with the news that the ‘Brothers of the Sun’ Tour, with Chesney and Tim McGraw, has already sold more than 500,000 tickets for what is one of 2012′s biggest tours. The stadium-only tour will be the only cities and venues Kenny plays in 2012.

“It’s an honor to receive so much love from the Academy of Country Music after all they’ve done to support my music over the years,” Chesney said. “I can’t wait to get back on the road with my good friend Tim and throw one big spring break party all summer long.”

Chesney’s ACM nominations:

Entertainer of the Year
Male Vocalist of the Year
Album of the Year (Artist) – ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA) 
Album of the Year (Producer) – ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA) 
Single Record of the Year (Artist) – “You And Tequila”
Singe Record of the Year (Producer) – “You And Tequila”
Song of the Year – “You and Tequila” 
Vocal Event of the Year (Artist) – “You And Tequila”
Vocal Event of the Year (Producer) – “You And Tequila”

Jason Aldean is nominated for six awards, including his second consecutive nods for Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. He is nominated for Album of the Year for My Kinda Party, and has nominations for Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” featuring Kelly Clarkson. He is nominated for Video of the Year for “Tattoos On This Town.”

Lady Antebellum leads group nominations with five nods, including Vocal Group of the Year, which they have won for two consecutive years. They are also nominated for Album of the Year as artists and producers for Own The Night, and for Song of the Year and Video of the Year for “Just A Kiss.”

Reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, Brad Paisley, is nominated for four awards, including his fifth consecutive nomination for Entertainer of the Year and eighth nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year, which he has won five times consecutively between 2006-2010. He received two nominations in the Vocal Event of the Year category for “Old Alabama” with Alabama and “Remind Me” with Carrie Underwood.

Toby Keith received three nominations for “Red Solo Cup,” including Video of the Year, which he last won in 2003 for “Beer For My Horses.” He also received a double nomination as artist and producer for Single Record of the Year for “Red Solo Cup.” Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill is also nominated for Nightclub of the Year in Minneapolis, MN (a nod that is not among Keith’s total nominations count, because it is awarded to the venue itself not it’s owners).

Reigning Entertainer of the Year, Taylor Swift, leads solo female nominees with three nominations, including her third consecutive nod for Entertainer of the Year. If Swift wins Entertainer of the Year, this will be her second consecutive win in that category. Swift is nominated for the fifth time for Female Vocalist of the Year, and for the third time for Video of the Year for “Mean.”

First-time ACM nominee, Grace Potter, received three nominations for “You And Tequila” with Kenny Chesney, in the Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year categories.

Eli Young Band has three nominations including Vocal Group of the Year, as well as Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Crazy Girl.”

Dierks Bentley, Kelly Clarkson, Vince Gill, Miranda Lambert, Aaron Lewis, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood and Chris Young all received two nominations each.

The Academy of Country Music’s professional membership select the nominees and winners of the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, and select the final top five nominees of the Entertainer of the Year category and the eight semi-finalists in the New Artist of the Year category. Presenters and performers who will appear at the ceremony will be announced at a later date.

Fan voting for New Artist of the Year began at VoteACM.com and GACtv.com/ACM on January 16, 2012 and will close on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 12noon ET/9:00AM PT, after which nominees in that category will be announced separately. Fan voting for New Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year begins on March 19, 2012 at 12noon ET/9:00AM PT at VoteACM.com. Fan voting for New Artist of the Year will close at 5 p.m. PT on April 1, 2012 (before the LIVE show starts) and fan voting for Entertainer of the Year will close during the third hour of the LIVE broadcast.

FOR FULL LIST OF NOMINEES Continue reading »

Carrie Underwood will release her new single, “Good Girl,” to country radio on February 23, in advance of her new CD coming later this spring.

CARRIE wrote the track with Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley, who co-wrote two of Underwood’s No. 1 hits “Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” and “All-American Girl.” Once again Carrie teamed up with Mark Bright, who produced her two previous albums as well as seven tracks from her debut album Some Hearts.

More Grammy Gold? Underwood is a current Grammy Award nominee and a five-time Grammy Award winner, a two-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, a three-time Country Music Association and ACM Female Vocalist winner, and a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry.

The Annual Country Radio Seminar (and regional seminars) are Country Radio Broadcasters’ events that are rightfully credited for much of country music’s success as a radio format for several decades now. So, it’s an honor for country performers to attend and perform for the event, including superstars like Alan Jackson who will headline The Capitol/EMI Records Nashville luncheon to be held inside the Performance Hall at the Nashville Convention Center from 12:30 – 2:20 p.m. CRS 2012 is held Feb. 22-24, 2012.

CRS President Mike Culotta comments, “Alan Jackson’s success as a songwriter and as a performer is well-deserved and well-documented. Alan has built an extraordinary career by making exceptional music at a very high level for a very long time. We’re thrilled to have him perform at our Thursday CRS luncheon.”

CRS 2012 $499 Regular Rate registration expires Friday, Jan. 27. On-Site registration increases to $599 effective Jan. 28. Visit www.CountryRadioSeminar.com to register today.

Rascal Flatts bassist and vocalist, Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison, a former Miss Tennessee and a current CMT personality, are anticipating the birth of their second child this summer. The baby will become a younger brother or sister to their daughter Madeline Leigh, born December 17, 2010.

“This was definitely a huge surprise, but we’re so thankful and excited that Maddie is going to have a brother or sister,” says Jay. “We’re really gonna have our hands full!”

“Jay and I are thrilled about completing our family. Madeline is going to love having a sibling and we are bracing ourselves for the many sleepless nights ahead,” adds Allison.

Academy of Country Music Awards co-host Reba will guest host the Celebs onFacebook page during the first-ever ACM digital press conference, presented by the Academy of Country Music, CBS Television and dick clark productions, at 6:30 AM PST on TODAY, January, 26th, 2012 at www.facebook.com/AcademyOfCountryMusic and www.twitter.com/ACMawards.

As nominations are announced via the ACM social media channels, Reba will continue the interaction as she takes over the Celebs on Facebook page at www.facebook.com/celebs. Over 3.9 MM Celebs on Facebook fans, as well as any visitors to the page, will be able to watch Reba simultaneously update as the Academy of Country Music posts the nominations starting at 6:30 AM PST on Thursday, January, 26th, 2012.

As previously announced, VIP SURPRISE GUESTS will also reveal nominees via videos posted in real time by the Academy to its Facebook page and by Reba to the Celebs on Facebook page. The press conference will culminate with a video post of country music FANS announcing the nominees for Entertainer of the Year.

Average Joes Entertainment released a press release yesterday, January 24, noting the impressive 1.3 million views for Montgomery Gentry’s “Where I Come From” music video. The video relies heavily on emotional images of soldiers in battle in mid-east battle fields…and implies correctly that many of them come from middle-class America.
Shortly after the release went out nationwide, the award-winning duo’s YouTube channel experienced technical difficulties and the video could not be viewed. YouTube has not responded to the issue at this time.
Due to the fact this video truly has hit the hearts of Americans with over a million views and thousands of touching comments, and has connected with radio listeners across the country reaching the #17 spot on the radio charts, Montgomery Gentry’s management has uploaded the video a second time. View it here: www.youtube.com/montgomerygentry101

“Technology. You can’t live with it, you can’t live without it,” jokes Eddie Montgomery. “But we’re really proud of this video and the message that goes along with it, so it’s important to upload it again for our friends out there.”

Chris Young recently got a great example of the unabashed, strait-forward personality of the always refreshing, Mirada Lambert, as he got the invitation to join Miranda Lambert on her “On Fire” Tour.

“Actually, it was her. It wasn’t a phone call. We were doin’ a show somewhere, and she was like, ‘You’re gonna go out with me on my tour next year, right?’ I’m like, ‘Uhhhh, sure! Like, really?’ ‘Cause we have the same manager, and so my manager was standin’ there, she goes, ‘She’s asking you.’ I’m like, ‘Uhh, yeah!’ So, that was the first time I’ve ever had someone ask me in person. That was the first time that had happened.”

Keith Urban gives his fans a look at the special moments from his critically acclaimed Get Closer 2011 World Tour with the release of his newest video for “You Gonna Fly”. The video is airing on CMT and GAC.
“You Gonna Fly” is the fourth single from Get Closer and is the follow-up to his previous consecutive #1s, “Long Hot Summer” and “Without You”. The single is currently #7 on the Billboard/BDS chart and #6 on the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart marking Urban’s 27th Top 10 (including 13 #1s). You can check out the video here.
“We had cameras rolling every night on tour, which is a great way for us to capture all of those unpredictable things that seem to happen at our shows,” said Urban. In a way, the video is also a huge thank you to everyone that came out and made it so insanely fun night after night,” says Urban.