The CMA Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement in the Country Music industry and is the one night of the year most anticipated by the artists and fans alike.

ABC’s broadcast of “The 44th Annual CMA Awards” – Country Music’s Biggest Night – emerged as the #1 entertainment show for the week!

33.8 million viewers experienced the joy as Brad Paisley celebrated his first Entertainer of the Year win. Fans and industry cheered as Miranda Lambert took home three trophies including her first as Female Vocalist of the Year at the same time fiancé Blake Shelton was awarded the Male Vocalist of the Year title.

The night got even hotter with performances by Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and many more!

The show, which boasted a sold-out crowd inside Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, towered over the network competition, beating the nearest competitors by 5.7 million viewers.

Winter 2010

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton

Loretta Lynn and Sissy SpacekGwyneth Paltrow and Vince Gill

Black ties and beautiful gowns sparkled even brighter as artists and celebrities strolled down the CMA Awards Black Carpet presented by Jack Daniel’s. For the first time, CMAAwards.com offered live streaming footage from the CMA Awards Black Carpet. After kicking off “The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” Jack Daniel’s finished off the night by co-presenting the CMA Awards Post Party.

Country Music and television star Billy Ray Cyrus hosted the “DRIVE4COPD Pavilion” on the Black Carpet where visiting artists and celebrities were invited to lend support for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by autographing colorful DRIVE4COPD pinwheels.

Lucky Country Music fans were given a front row seat to the excitement with the PEOPLE Country fan bleachers where they were able to witness their favorite artists and celebrities walk the CMA Awards Black Carpet.

Again this year, as part of their 2010 CMA partnership, Chevrolet teamed up with NASCAR and Country Music for the “Chevrolet Salutes America’s Heroes” promotion. Upon arriving at the CMA Awards, Country artists and celebrities stopped to sign the hood of a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS. The autographed hood will be put up for auction in early 2011 with proceeds benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization that honors and empowers wounded soldiers.

As a result of creative partner promotions and fan communication, the CMA online and mobile audience saw tremendous growth in the two weeks leading up to the CMA Awards…

• Approximately 66,000 entries in the CMA Awards text-to-win contest

• Mobile text subscribers up 72% to more than 140,000

• Social network fans, friends and followers up 126% to more than 315,000

• CMA email database up 12% to more than 120,000

• The cumulative CMA online and mobile audience is almost 600,000 fans strong, ranked #2 amongst all awards shows for biggest social network audience, topping the Grammys and the Oscars!

CMA Awards Black Carpet presented by Jack Daniel’s Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman Rodney Atkins and Billy Ray Cyrus

PEOPLE Country fan bleachers

Leading up to the CMA Awards, VIPs from Corporate America’s most sought after brands were treated to the CMA Marketing Summit, a two-day immersion into the Country format. Guests from ABC, Applebee’s, BioSector 2, Boehringer Ingelheim, The Coca-Cola Company, ConAgra, General Mills,

Jack Daniel’s, Macy’s, MARS Petcare, Purina, State of Kentucky Tourism, Unilever, Weber Shandwick and Zenith Optimedia learned how their brands can target the loyal Country Music fan base.

Many of Country Music’s biggest stars returned to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena the day following the CMA Awards to kick-off the holidays at “CMA Country Christmas.” Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles hosted the special and was joined by Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Leann Rimes, Darius Rucker and more to share treasured family memories and perform favorite holiday classics on the first-ever “CMA Country Christmas.” 7.34 million viewers tuned in November 29 for the show’s initial airing on the ABC Television Network. Viewers will have a second opportunity to experience the music, memories and stories of the season when the holiday special re-broadcasts December 22nd.

“CMA Country Christmas” Performers

Attendees said:

Summit attendees with Alan Jackson

“Pillsbury BiscuitFEST” case study panelists Danny Gokey and General Mills’ Lisa Kessel

After f loods devastated Nashville in May, Country Music artists and fans rallied in June to celebrate their favorite music and Music City’s recovery at the 39th annual CMA Music Festival. A record $2.9 million in net proceeds from the CMA Music Festival was donated by the CMA to support music education via Keep The Music Playing and aid f lood relief in Metro Nashville through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Immediately following Country Music’s Biggest Night, more than 2,500 guests attended the CMA Awards post-party where they were invited to participate in a silent auction benefitting Keep The Music Playing. This first-time-ever auction raised nearly $50,000 for the non-profit, which supports music education programs in Middle Tennessee.

With 140,000 tickets sold to nine concerts at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Garth Brooks continues to scale new heights by setting a new record for ticket sales by a single performer in Tennessee. More than $3.5 million was raised from ticket sales for the December concerts, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to benefit f lood relief in the area.

America’s music was showcased by Country Music’s best and brightest storytellers when the CMA Songwriter Series returned to the Library of Congress on December 4 for a free show featuring Little Big Town, Brett James, Lori McKenna and host Bob DiPiero. Ten events are planned for 2011, captivating audiences in New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and beyond.

Country Music superstar Keith Urban recently got up close and personal with his fans when he surprised travelers with pop-up concerts at New York City’s Penn Station and Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. Urban also performed impromptu acoustic versions of his biggest hits for guests on an Amtrak trek between the two cities.

Worldwide superstar Taylor Swift broke records in November when her latest album, Speak Now, went on to sell 1,047,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week of release, posting the biggest first week sales numbers for any genre in five years!

Other Country Music superstars releasing albums in the 4th quarter include Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Sugarland, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band.

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