Keepin' it Country Media & Radio » CMA Fest

Fan Fair X to debut at CMA Fest this year!

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:36:11 +0000

Things are getting just a little more exciting for country music fans heading to Nashville this year for the world’s biggest country music festival. CMA Fan Fest announced yesterday the addition of brand new features, including Fan Fair X, in the brand new Convention Center during the annual event from Thursday, June 6th until Sunday, June 9th.

Fan Fair X will be the new home for artist autograph signings, exhibits, live broadcasts, a marketplace, and the lifestyle home for country fans during the festival.

CEO Steve Moore shared:

“The relationship between our artists and the fans is at the very heart of what this event was founded on, and we continue to embrace that legacy with Fan Fair X. By moving to the Music City Center, we are able to provide more opportunities and activities to enhance this treasured experience for the fans.”

Country superstars Lady Antebellum are the first announced acts for Fan Fair X. They’ll perform the special ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 6th. Hillary Scott said:

“I’m looking forward to being in the new Music City Center. We’re really excited to be given the opportunity to merge our ‘PING PONG & SONGS’ event with Music Fest and this new fan experience CMA is creating. Now that fans from all over the country will be able to play ping pong against us, Charles and Dave are going to have to brush up on their skills! All the money we raise at our booth will go to LADYAID – it’s going to be so fun for us and for the fans!”

Are you excited for CMA Fan Fest this year? Did you get your tickets yet? Who else do you want to see added to the Fan Fair X lineup?

CMA Music Festival Adds Artists to 2013 Lineup

Jessica Crans — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:01:33 +0000

Nashville’s yearly CMA Music Festival has just added more fabulous country stars to this year’s lineup at LP Field! Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Kelly Clarkson, Florida Georgia Line, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band are the artists just announced, adding to previous lineup of Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town.

“We have an amazing lineup of talent for this year’s Festival,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “I know our fans will be entertained and enthralled to see our annual family reunion of the best and brightest performers in the industry.”

This years fest will take place on June 6-9 in downtown Nashville, TN. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000, or 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378). Ticket prices range from $135 – $350 plus fees.

More artists will be announced soon…stay tuned for details! More info can be found over at cmaworld.com.

Announcing the Official 2012 Chevrolet Fan Anthem

Jennifer Swirsky — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:58:31 +0000

Today, Chevy is mentioned in nearly 1000 songs, sold in more than 140 countries and continues to play a role in popular culture and the lives of many artists and fans, especially country music fans.

Chevrolet has been a partner with CMA for seven years, and with the 2012 CMA Fest wrapping up and summer in full swing, Chevrolet strives to continue to look for ways to support the music their clientele enjoys. Accordingly, Chevrolet has launched a music initiative, Official 2012 Chevrolet Fan Anthem, where country music fans contribute to a crowd-sourced country song compiled through daily fan submissions on Facebook. You can check out the Fan Anthem in development here.

The 2012 Chevrolet Fan Anthem started on June 4, and, each day, a new lyrical prompt will be available for submissions. The prior day’s three top tweets will be displayed for voting and the highest rated lyric is added to “Birth of An Anthem.” At the end of the campaign, all lyrics will be compiled to create the 2012 Chevrolet Fan Anthem. Get your country crooning on for your chance to make an appearance in Chevrolet’s Fan Anthem!

Caroline Kole makes her first CMA Fest appearance

Jessica Z — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 16:02:29 +0000

Up-and-coming singer/songwriter, Caroline Kole, made her first appearance at the CMA Music Festival on June 8th when she performed at the Martin Guitar tent. She sang a three song set that included a cover of Miranda Lambert’s ‘White Liar’ as well as Caroline’s original song, ‘Nobody But Me.’ The song ‘Nobody But Me,’ is about not letting anyone decide how your life is going to go and doing what you think is best and writing your own story. On June 10th, Caroline also played on the Hard Rock Acoustic stage, where fans stopped to watch as soon as they heard her start to sing. At fourteen years old, she has a stage presence that makes anyone want to stop and listen to what comes out of this young girl.

To learn more about Caroline, listen to her music or check out her tourdates, including a date opening for Blake Shelton, go to www.carolinekole.com. You can also check her out on facebook, twitter and youtube.

Payton Rae Turns Heads at CMA Music Festival

Nicole Piering — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 03:06:34 +0000

Payton Rae may only be 16-years-old, but the Internet phenom showed her star power in Nashville during CMA Music Fest last week. She wowed fans at the Hard Rock Cafe Stage, with both her voice and her fashion choice. Rae rocked a pair of pink Betsey Johnson dresses to show off her self-proclaimed “passion for fashion!”

In addition to wow-ing crowds, Payton was wowed by some of the performances she got to see. “All of the performances I saw this week were over the top amazing,” said Payton. “If I had to pick my favorites, I would have to say Carrie Underwood’s ‘Good Girl’ performance at the 2012 CMT Music Awards and Hunter Hayes’ show at LP Field.”

While Payton was setting the stage ablaze in Nashville, her new single, “Stomp The Fire Out,” hit country radio and all of the major video channels, including The Country Network (TCN), GACtv.com and AOL. The CMA highlighted Payton Rae on their blog, noting that the 16-yr old “Generation YouTube” Internet star “draws the next generation of @CountryMusic enthusiasts.” Payton is already a huge star on social media, with over 140,000 Twitter followers, 68,000 Facebook fans and over 6.6 million YouTube channel views in less than two years.

While her single climbs the country charts, Payton Rae is preparing to hit the road on the 2012 Camplified Tour, beginning in July. The tour, which is in its 11th year, showcases emerging teen stars by bringing them to over 50 camps and putting them before over 50,000 campers between the ages of 6 and 17.

For more info on Payton, please visit: www.paytonraemusic.com.

Chris Young Hosts a Virtual Meet & Greet with Fans

Jennifer Swirsky — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:03:28 +0000

After signing autographs and hosting a fan club party for fans — events that, combined, lasted over nine hours at CMA Music Festival in Nashville — Chris Young had to bid adieu to hit the road for some tour stops. However, this did not keep Young from showing his gratitude to his fans he had to leave behind in Nashville.

Young utilized Netwave Technology while sitting backstage awaiting his set on Miranda Lambert‘s “On Fire ” Tour so that he could spend a tenth hour with his fans through a virtual meet and greet session. Fans continued to wait in line to meet Young, but this time, they communicated with him via video chat, where Young took a minute to speak to each individual fan and sign a digital autograph for them. As if this wasn’t enough, Young then went to Twitter and announced a Skype session with CMA Music Festival attendees while he was in Chicago. Young made history with his selfless actions, as he was the only artist this year to host a virtual meet and greet from Fan Fair Hall at CMA Music Festival.

Did you participate in any of Young’s virtual fan appreciation events? If so, tell us all about it here!

Tiffany Houghton Self-Titled Debut EP Available Today

Nicole Piering — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 03:03:47 +0000

She may have just graduated high school, but country newcomer Tiffany Houghton didn’t throw your typical graduation party. Instead, she packed a show at the House of Blues Dallas and released her self-titled debut EP. With a small group of friends and family in tow, Tiffany toasted to her album release in Nashville at the Crowd Surf Offices. The group toasted with homemade “Crownies” (chocolate chip cookies with a brownie inside) and Tiffany Blue punch.

Tiffany’s EP features her current single, “Only One,” which is an upbeat break-up anthem. Know for her captivating and sweet voice, Tiffany uses the tracks of her EP to tell true stories of country music. Additionally, she wrote and produced all of the tracks on her new release.

Tiffany will be soaking in the CMA Fest excitement and has teamed with Roughstock.com for a contest where a fan can win dinner with Tiffany and 3 of their friends. Additionally, she will also be appearing at the BBQ Beach Meet & Greet on 6/9 and 6/10 from 3:00-4:00 PM and stopping by the Martin Guitars tent located on Broadway on 6/9 at 12:00 noon.

For additional information on Tiffany Houghton, please visit www.tiffanyhoughton.com.

Cracker Barrel Connects with Country Music Fans at CMA Fest

Nicole Piering — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:44:00 +0000

Cracker Barrel has become a home for country music and Americana, so it’s only fitting for the restaurant to be a part of 2012 CMA Music Fest. Thanks to Cracker Barrel, fans will have the opportunity to meet artists, catch performance and win prizes from artists who have participated in Cracker Barrel’s exclusive music program.

“The success of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store exclusive music program is really due to the passion of the fans,” explains the program’s marketing manager, Julie Craig. ”We want to have a chance to meet them and say thank you, as well as introduce new fans to the great music available at their local Cracker Barrel.”

Artists participating in this include Josh Turner, Jason Michael Carroll, The Oak Ridge Boys, Eden’s Edge and more.

Representatives from Cracker Barrel and the Cracker Barrel exclusive music program will be on location at both Fan Fair Hall as well as Riverfront Park throughout the festival:

Thursday, June 7:
Dailey & Vincent Autograph Session 11:30 – 12:30 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Cracker Barrel Booth
Josh Turner Autograph Session 2 – 3:00 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Cracker Barrel Booth
Jason Michael Carroll You’ve Been Sentenced Game Show 2 – 4:30 PM Hard Rock Cafe
Eden’s Edge Autograph Session 4 – 5:00 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Cracker Barrel Booth

Friday, June 8:
Jason Michael Carroll Autograph Session 10:30 – 11:30/ 12:30 – 1:30 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Cracker Barrel Booth
Oak Ridge Boys Autograph Session 2 – 3:30 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Cracker Barrel Booth

Saturday, June 9:
Teddy Gentry & Best New Nashville: Autograph Session 11:30 – 2:30 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Cracker Barrel Booth
Teddy Gentry, Garrett Steele, 3 Lanes Crossing, Amber Shalene & Chip Davis
Jason Michael Carroll Performance – Durango Stage 11:30 – 12 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Acoustic Corner
Jason Michael Carroll Autograph Session 12:00 – 1 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC WSM-AM Booth

Sunday, June 10:
The Grascals Autograph Session 10 – 11:00 AM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Cracker Barrel Booth
Jason Michael Carroll Autograph Session 11:00 – 12:00 PM Fan Fair Hall-NCC Cracker Barrel Booth

Bucky Covington Shares Details for Sold-Out Fan Club Party & Free Public Concert

Nicole Piering — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:27:54 +0000

Bucky Covington will be partying with his most-devoted fans on Wednesday, June 6, at Whiskey Bent Saloon in Nashville. Tickets to this event were a hot commodity and the party was sold-out within hours. Due to the overwhelming response, Bucky has opted to extend the party with a free, full-band show later that same night.

The sold-out fan club party will begin at 8:30pm for ticket holders and will include autographs, a fan Q&A, an acoustic performance and the opportunity to mingle with Covington. Following this intimate event, the downstairs area of Whiskey Bent will open to the public for a free, full-band performance that will start around 10:30pm.

Fans that aren’t in Nashville can get their Bucky Covington fix by listening to his new single, “I Wanna Be That Feeling,” off his forthcoming album “I’m Alright.” For more info on Bucky, check out: www.buckycovington.com.

Dierks Bentley’s Father Passes Away

Nicole Piering — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 23:13:16 +0000

Keepin’ It Country would like to extend our deepest thoughts and condolences to Dierks Bentley and his family with the passing of Dierks’s father Leon Bentley. Leon passed away on Friday, June 1st, in Phoenix, surrounded by family. He was 88.

In light of his father’s passing, Dierks cancelled a performance on Saturday night in Washington D.C., as well as Wednesday’s fan club part for CMA Music Festival. According to CMT.com, he will resume his tour schedule on June 9th in Detroit and will appear at LP Field on June 10th.

Dierks tweeted, “my dad died yesterday. it was an honor to comfort him as he left us. thank you fans for the time and understanding.” He also shared this moving photograph.