Additional Performers Announced for the 51st ACM Awards

The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions announced music superstars Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton have been added to the star-studded lineup of artists scheduled to perform at the 51ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, Country Music’s Party of the Year®.

The ceremony, co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas,  Sunday, April 3 at 8:00PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Exclusive to the 51st ACM Awards, 16-time ACM Award winner Tim McGraw will perform the national television debut of his new single, “Humble And Kind,” from his latest album, Damn Country Music.

In addition to performing on the 51st ACM Awards, Chris Stapleton leads the ACM nominations with seven nods, including Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. Thomas Rhett earned three including Album of the Year, and  Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan each received two nominations, including nods for ACM Entertainer of the Year.

Aldean, Bryan, McGraw, Rhett and Stapleton join previously announced performers including Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Cam, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sam Hunt, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Florida Georgia Line. Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information on the ACM Awards and all ACM events, visit acmcountry.com, like us on Facebook, or follow on Twitter at @ACMawards for more immediate updates.

CMA Music Festival Announces Thursday Night Lineup At Nissan Stadium

CMA has announced the artists who will be appearing Thursday, June 9 as part of the Nightly Concerts at CMA Music Festival. Country Music superstars Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and Rascal Flatts are scheduled to perform opening night. Artists and schedules are subject to change.

Each Wednesday in March CMA will announce the lineup for a different Nightly Concert at Nissan Stadium. Loyal fans who downloaded the CMA Music Festival app learned the news a full 24 hours before the announcement was made to the general public.

“The fans are the heart of CMA Music Festival,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern. “Nissan Stadium sells out every year before we announce who will be performing, and it is fitting that those fans who support this event so loyally should be the first to see this outstanding lineup.”

The 2016 CMA Music Festival runs Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12 in downtown Nashville. While the Festival boasts numerous free stages and unique fan experiences, the most anticipated events are the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium.

This year’s app is now available in the App store for iPhone and Android and includes features that allow fans to create individual concert schedules and be the first to know which of their favorite stars will be appearing on the Nissan Stadium stage.

Funds generated through CMA Music Festival ticket sales benefit music education. Since 2006, CMA and the CMA Foundation have donated more than $13.6 million to support sustainable music education initiatives across the country on behalf of the artists who participate in the event for free.

Fans who were not able to purchase tickets to the Nightly Concerts are still able to enjoy non-stop music, fan engagement, and artist experiences through numerous FREE stages and events across town and by experiencing Fan Fair X in the Music City Center.

Tickets to Fan Fair X are available now at CMAfest.com (Fan Fair X admission is included in four-day CMA Music Festival tickets). Fan Fair X tickets are $10 per day or $25 for a four-day pass.

For the second year, fans will be able to purchase a four-day pass to the Fan Fair X that includes a general admission ticket to the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum that is good for use any day in 2016. The package deal is on sale now through Friday, June 10 and costs $39.95. The combination Fan Fair X/Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum tickets are available via the Country Music Hall of Fame website, http://countrymusichalloffame.org, and will also be sold at their box office during the week of CMA Music Festival.

For upcoming announcements and all other info stay connected with CMA on CMAfest.com, Facebook.com/CMA, Twitter.com/CountryMusic, Instagram.com/CMA, and sign up for CMA Exclusive, CMA’s e-newsletter. Fans can also download the 2016 CMA Music Festival mobile app for iPhone  or Android to view the latest artist lineups and to plan their Festival experience.

Brett Young Reveals New Video for “Sleep Without You”

Swoon-worthy singer/songwriter Brett Young premiered today the new video for his highly buzzed about Republic Nashville debut single “Sleep Without You.” Watch here.

Starring Olivia Jordan, Miss USA 2015, and shot in Malibu, CA, director Shane Drake perfectly lays out the romantic feel of the song capturing scenes inspired by Young’s West Coast roots. As his love interest enjoys a night out with friends, Young patiently finds ways to distract his insomnia with lyrics “But as long as the night ends with you in a yellow cab / Shootin’ me a text sayin’ comin’ home soon / As long as I can bet on your crawlin’ into bed / After slippin’ out your high heel shoes / I ain’t lyin’, sayin’ have a good time / Out with your girls, girl do what you do / No matter how late, baby I’ll be stayin’ up / I can’t sleep without you.”

“What I like about Shane’s treatment is that I really wanted the video to follow the story of the song,” said Young. “All of the elements were very authentic, and I felt like I could really be myself. It didn’t hurt having the sunshine and ocean breeze as a nice reminder of home either.”

“Brett seemed like a seasoned artist shooting this video and knew exactly what he was doing,” added Drake. “That is not always the case with new artists so it was a very easy day.”

“Sleep Without You” is the first track off of Young’s self-titled EP, which was released in February and available at digital retailers. The six-song BRETT YOUNG EP was produced by two-time ACM Producer of the Year Dann Huff (Taylor Swift, Reba, Steven Tyler.) Rolling Stone has already named him as one of their “10 Country Artists You Need to Know” exclaiming he is “destined for mass appeal.” Music Row also said of Young’s music “his voice has an appealing throaty quality. The songwriting is vividly picturesque. The chugging, choppy production has loads of hooks. A solid winner.”

Young, who has a publishing deal with Big Machine Music, co-wrote all of the tracks on his EP. He has gathered quite a cult following in “Caliville” – the world between Young’s SoCal roots and his Music City coming-of-age. His songwriting credits – and inspirations – are extensive with his insightful music appearing on shows like Chrisley Knows Best (USA), Real World (MTV) and Kourtney and Kim Take New York (E!).

For more information and upcoming tour dates, visit brettyoungmusic.com.

Luke Bryan’s New Single Is Part Of His Every Day Life

Luke Bryan has just released his new single, “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” which says a whole lot about the Georgia native. He co-wrote it with his pals, the Peach Pickers (Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip), and the tune is something that Luke lives every single day.

“[It’s] probably one of my favorite songs I’ve ever done, and I wrote it out on the Farm Tour with the Peach Pickers,” says Luke. “It was a title that I ran by them, and we just started working on it and when we got in our groove on it, we knew we had something special. The production on it is so kind of – is a retro sounding guitar that makes it really, really have a lot of – it has a neat feel to it and I’m just proud to have it on the album. It says my story. Everything I’m about that’s what ‘Huntin’ and Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day’ is.”

“Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” is the follow up to his previous No. 1 hit, “Home Alone Tonight,” from his latest album, Kill the Lights.

The reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year is gearing up to host the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards April 3rd with his buddy, Dierks Bentley. Luke is once again nominated in the Entertainer category, as well as Vocal Event of the Year (for “Home Alone Tonight” with Karen Fairchild). The ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Dan +Shay To Perform New Single “From the Ground Up” On Good Morning America March 18

ACM Vocal Duo of the Year nominees Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) will perform “From The Ground Up,” on March 18th on ABC’s Good Morning America. Written by Smyers, Mooney and Chris DeStefano, the romantic new single is the first song to be released off their forthcoming album due out later this year and comes as a follow up to their No. 1 hit, “Nothin’ Like You,” which was recently honored with a nomination for favorite country song from the Radio Disney Music Awards.

“From The Ground Up” is far and away the fastest rising single of Dan + Shay’s career, soaring to the edge of Top 30 on the country charts only two weeks after its official impact. Upon reveal, the single was the most added song at country radio weeks before the impact date and earned them a record-setting 108 adds once released February 22nd. Co-produced by Smyers and Scott Hendricks, “From The Ground Up” also spent five days on Spotify’s US Viral 50 chart, which represents the most-shared songs on Spotify.

They are back on the road this month and will join Darius Rucker on his Good for a Good Time Tour this summer.

For tour dates and more information, visit www.DanandShay.com and follow @danandshay on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.