Brad Paisley and Keith Urban Nomination for CMA Musical Event of the Year Added to List of Finalists for 2009 CMA Awards

Brad Paisley and Keith Urban Nomination for CMA Musical Event of the Year Added to List of Finalists for 2009 CMA Awards

NEW YORK CITY, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Subsequent to the CMA Awards nomination announcements on "Good Morning America," CMT's "Insider Special Edition: 2009 CMA Awards Nominations," and Premiere Radio Networks, it was discovered that Brad Paisley and Keith Urban were inadvertently omitted from the list of final nominees for CMA Musical Event of the Year for "Start A Band."

The omission occurred when transferring information from the online ballot to the list of final nominees.

"We take the integrity of the CMA Awards balloting very seriously," said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer. "And when an oversight like this occurs we commit ourselves to a thorough review, thoughtful and immediate correction, and complete disclosure and accountability to the artists and our industry.

"I can assure CMA's valued constituents that we have examined every detail of the ballot for other discrepancies and all other categories were correct as announced."

"Start A Band" will be added to the list of nominees for the final ballot and all previously announced nominees will remain on the list.

"All of the nominees for Musical Event of the Year are deserving and in the interest of fairness will remain on the ballot for the final vote by our membership," Genovese said.

"We sincerely regret the omission of these two deserving artists from the list of nominees and apologize to Brad and Keith, and their representatives, for any confusion," Genovese said.

The additional nomination gives Paisley a total of seven nominations - the most of any artist nominated for the 2009 CMA Awards. Urban's nomination count jumps from four to five. Zac Brown, Jamey Johnson, George Strait, and Taylor Swift each received four CMA Awards nominations.

Paisley was also nominated for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for American Saturday Night, which was produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois; Single and Song for "Then" (DuBois and Ashley Gorley are also nominated as songwriters); and Music Video for "Start A Band" with Urban, which was directed by Jim Shea.

Urban's other nominations include Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Music Video for "Start A Band" with Paisley; and Album of the Year for Defying Gravity. Urban is eligible to win a second trophy in the Album category for producing Defying Gravity with Dann Huff.

"The 43rd Annual CMA Awards" will be broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 11 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Paisley, the reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, and Carrie Underwood, the reigning CMA Female Vocalist return to host "Country Music's Biggest Night(TM)."

Winners of "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards" will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. Online voting for the CMA Awards is administrated by Election Services Corporation.

The complete list of finalists for CMA Musical Event of the Year Include (Award goes to each artist):

   "Cowgirls Don't Cry"   Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire   Arista Nashville    "Down the Road"   Kenny Chesney (with Mac McAnally)   Blue Chair Records, LLC & BNA Records    "Everything But Quits"   Lee Ann Womack (duet with George Strait)   MCA Nashville    "I Told You So"   Carrie Underwood Featuring Randy Travis   19 Recordings/Arista Nashville    "Old Enough"   The Raconteurs featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe   Third Man Records/Warner Bros. Records    "Start A Band"   Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)   Arista Nashville   

Tickets for the 2009 CMA Awards will go on sale to the public on Saturday, Sept. 19 (10:00 AM/CT) and can be purchased by logging on to www.ticketmaster.com; calling (800) 745-3000; or in person at the Sommet Center box office, 501 Broadway (corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, in Nashville).

Ticket prices begin at $110 for Upper Level. All ticket prices include sales tax but exclude applicable service/handling fees.

Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2009 CMA Awards. Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music.

For information, visit www.CMApress.com for CMA Awards history, complete list of 2009 CMA Awards nominees, photos, press releases and logos. Media credentialing for the CMA Awards begins today. This is a protected site for media only with restrictions on access and use.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Country Music Association

CONTACT: Wendy Pearl or Scott Stem, both of CMA, +1-615-244-2840; or
Denise Carberry, PFA/NY, +1-212-334-6116

Web Site: http://www.cmaworld.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment