CMA DIGITAL AUDIENCE REACHES ONE MILLION FANS, FOLLOWERS AND SUBSCRIBERS AS CMAWARDS.COM READIES FOR "THE 45TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS" NOV. 9
CMAawards.com to Go Live from the #CMAawards Red Carpet


NASHVILLE - The Country Music Association has surpassed one million digital fans, followers and subscribers. The total includes audiences on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube as well as mobile subscribers and "CMA Exclusive" e-mail subscribers. And the figure is growing daily as excitement builds for "The 45th Annual CMA Awards."

"With this accomplishment, CMA has surpassed all competing award show organizations, including the Grammy Awards, Oscars, Golden Globes, and Emmys, by hundreds of thousands of digital followers," said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. "Reaching this milestone is a testament to CMA's ability to reach and connect with the Country fans."

"This accomplishment further proves the fact that Country Music fans are just as connected and have fully embraced social media and other digital channels as much as their pop music counterparts," said Ben Bennett, Senior Manager of Digital Strategy.

As part of the milestone celebration, followers new and old can catch all of the action online as "The 45th Annual CMA Awards," hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

The CMA Awards site is rich with fresh content. Wednesday at 4:00 PM/CT, artist arrivals on the Macy's Walk of Stars will stream live on CMAawards.com and Livestream.com. During the live streaming special, fans can watch their favorite artists walk the red carpet and enjoy live interviews courtesy of the Associated Press News Camera. The special will also include footage from the CMA Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony where winners will be announced in select CMA Award categories and CMA Broadcast Award winners will be honored.

Once the telecast begins, the stream continues inside to the backstage press room, where the newly crowned CMA Award winners will share their thoughts on claiming Country Music's most coveted prize.

The new FanChatter feature allows fans to interact with artists and other fans using Facebook or Twitter accounts during CMA Awards Week. The widget is divided into three tabs. "Chatter" finds all the conversation happening around the Awards from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using the official CMA Awards hash tag, #CMAawards. "Official Updates" aggregates all the official posts from @CountryMusic, CMA's official Twitter handle, and Facebook.com/CMA, CMA's official Facebook page. "Insiders" combines the Twitter feeds from a list of industry insiders, journalists, bloggers, and websites to give fans an inside look at the CMA Awards from those who are on site.

Several new videos have been uploaded to CMAawards.com featuring behind-the-scenes access, artist interviews, rehearsal footage, hilarious outtakes from Paisley's and Underwood's promotional shoots, and the unofficial CMA Awards host auditions featuring special guests Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donnie and Marie Osmond, Miss Piggy, and Atticus Shaffer ("Brick Heck") and Eden Sher ("Sue Heck") from ABC's hit series "The Middle," and more.

In addition to these new features, fans can still build their CMA Awards nominee dream team with the all previously announced MyPicks game on CMAawards.com. The game, similar to a fantasy football league, allows players to gain points as their CMA Picks win CMA Awards during Country Music's Biggest NightT. Players choose one CMA MyPick from each of the 12 CMA Awards Categories. If a player's CMA MyPick wins their category during the CMA Awards, the player receives a designated number of points. The player with the top score will win a grand prize trip for two to the 2012 CMA Music Festival, including (2) four-day event tickets, plus airfare, hotel, as well as two new Wrangler outfits. The first place winner will win a Wrangler shirt previously owned by five-time 2011 CMA Award nominee Jaso n Aldean and a pair of autographed Wrangler jeans. A second place winner will receive a new Wrangler wardrobe consisting of four pairs of jeans and four shirts. In the event of a tie score, the player who submitted their CMA MyPicks first will be deemed the winner.

The CMA iPhone/Android app has also been updated for "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" with news, photos, CMA Awards themed radio station, and a mobile version of the MyPicks game. Fans can download the app from the App Store (iPhone, iPad) or the Android Market for free.

Artist performing on the star-studded gala include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Thompson Square, Keith Urban, Chris Young, and Zac Brown Band; plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration "You and Tequila;" Vince Gill, Paisley, and Urban performing a tribute to Glen Campbell; Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet "Easy;" Lionel Richie performing select duets with Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker; Blake Shelton joined by Kenny Loggins on "Footloose"; and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song "Remind Me."
"The 45th Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

About FanChatter
FanChatter (http://fanchatter.com) offers a platform for media properties, sports teams, and other organizations to engage their fans through content sharing and generate more revenue through sales and sponsorships. It was a Y Combinator-funded startup in 2009, the first such company originating from Minneapolis, Minn. Its customers include E! Online (Comcast Networks), the Minnesota Twins (MLB), the Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA), the Country Music Association, and several others.