LUKE BRYAN LEADS WITH SEVEN CATEGORIES; SAM HUNT GARNERS FIVE;
THOMAS RHETT AND ZAC BROWN BAND EACH EARN FOUR; AND
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE RECEIVE THREE
SUPERSTAR AND MULTI-CATEGORY FINALIST CARRIE UNDERWOOD
SET TO PERFORM
Finalists for the 2016 AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS were announced today. Country superstar Luke Bryan dominates the list with seven category nods, followed by newcomer Sam Hunt with five, Thomas Rhett and Zac Brown Band each with four, and Florida Georgia Line with three. Additionally, megastar and multi-category finalist Carrie Underwood has been added as a performer, joining previously announced performers Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett and more. The AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS are based on country music’s longest-running radio countdown show, “American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks,” which has recognized the best in country radio for more than 40 years. This year’s host and additional performers and presenters will be announced soon.
The 2016 American Country Countdown Awards will air live from the Forum in Los Angeles, CA, Sunday, May 1 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The two-hour event is the first country music awards show to air live from Los Angeles in more than 10 years. Tickets for the AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS at the Forum are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.com.
Superstar Carrie Underwood emerged from her 2005 AMERICAN IDOL win to become a true multi-format, multi-media artist, spanning achievements in music, television and film. A seven-time Grammy® Award winner, she has amassed more than 100 major honors, sold 58 million records worldwide and recorded 23 No. 1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote, with a catalog of songs that has been streamed more than 1.5 billion times worldwide. She is a finalist in two categories for the 2016 AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS: Female Vocalist Of The Year; and Album Of The Year (for “Storyteller”).
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“AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS” FINALISTS – Page 2
In addition to Underwood, A Thousand Horses, Blake Shelton, Cam, Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Jana Kramer, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, and Old Dominion each were named finalists in two categories. Brothers Osborne, Chris Janson, Chris Stapleton, Garth Brooks, Karen Fairchild, Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, Michael Ray, and Miranda Lambert also received nods.
Below are the finalists for the 2016 AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton
Florida Georgia Line
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Sam Hunt
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Sam Hunt
Thomas Rhett
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Cam
Carrie Underwood
Jana Kramer
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
A Thousand Horses
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band
BREAKTHROUGH MALE OF THE YEAR
Chris Janson
Michael Ray
Sam Hunt
BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE OF THE YEAR
Cam
Jana Kramer
Kelsea Ballerini
BREAKTHROUGH GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
A Thousand Horses
Dan + Shay
Old Dominion
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“AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS” FINALISTS – Page 3
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Stay A Little Longer” – Brothers Osborne
“Home Alone Tonight” – Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild
“Strip It Down” – Luke Bryan
“Die A Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett
“Homegrown” – Zac Brown Band
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Storyteller” – Carrie Underwood
“Traveller” – Chris Stapleton
“Kick The Dust Up” – Luke Bryan
“Montevallo” – Sam Hunt
“Jekyll + Hyde” – Zac Brown Band
DIGITAL SONG OF THE YEAR
“Girl Crush” – Little Big Town
“Kick The Dust Up” – Luke Bryan
“Die A Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett
DIGITAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Anything Goes” – Florida Georgia Line
“Montevallo” – Sam Hunt
“Tangled Up” – Thomas Rhett
TOURING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Garth Brooks
Kenny Chesney
Luke Bryan
Shania Twain
Zac Brown Band
AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS finalists and winners for all categories are based on radio airplay charts, sales and streaming data from April 1, 2015 to March 28, 2016 provided by BuzzAngle Music. Touring data is from Pollstar “The Concert Hotwire.” The NASH Icon Award is chosen by The American Country Countdown.
To apply for press and publicist credentials, please visit: http://www.dickclark.com/shows/american-country-countdown-awards. Deadline to apply is Friday, April 15, 2016, 5:00 PM PT.
The AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro (CEO, dick clark productions), Mike Mahan (President, dick clark productions), Mark Bracco (Executive Vice President, Programming and Development, dick clark productions), Kix Brooks, Richard Godfrey and Tom Forrest are executive producers.
About AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS
The AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS is based on country music’s longest-running radio countdown show (43 years), “American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks,” and honors country music’s biggest stars, based on album sales and radio airplay. Since launching in 1973, the radio show now airs on more than 280 radio stations in 155 markets, covering 90% of the country.
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“AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS” FINALISTS – Page 4
About dick clark productions
dick clark productions (dcp) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming, with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS, “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Hollywood Film Awards” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, from 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group and dcp; and “World’s Funniest,” from Jukin Media and dcp. dcp also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries, with more than 55 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.
About Cumulus Media
A leader in the radio broadcasting industry, Cumulus Media (NASDAQ:CMLS) combines high-quality local programming with iconic, nationally syndicated media, sports and entertainment brands to deliver premium content choices to the 245 million people reached each week through its 454 owned-and-operated stations broadcasting in 90 U.S. media markets (including eight of the top 10), more than 8,200 broadcast radio stations affiliated with its Westwood One network and numerous digital channels. Together, the Cumulus/Westwood One platforms make Cumulus Media one of the few media companies that can provide advertisers with national reach and local impact. Cumulus/Westwood One is the exclusive radio broadcast partner to some of the largest brands in sports and entertainment, including the NFL, the NCAA, the Masters, the Olympics, the GRAMMYs, the Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards and Miss America. Additionally, it is the nation's leading provider of country music and lifestyle content through its NASH brand, which serves country fans nationwide through radio programming, NASH Country Weekly magazine, concerts, licensed products and television/video. For more information, visit www.cumulus.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION:
Cheat Tweet: Here are the finalists for the 2016 @ACCAs! Watch the #ACCAs LIVE Sunday, May 1 on @FOXTV. www.theaccawards.com
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CONTACTS:
AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS
Lisa Chader 615-428-7223 lisa@wortmanworks.com
dick clark productions
Liz Morentin 310-255-4602 lmorentin@dickclark.com
Lydia Baskharoon 310-255-0319 lbaskharoon@dickclark.com
FOX
Alyssa McGovern 310-369-5361 Alyssa.mcgovern@fox.com
Kelley Kirkpatrick 310-369-5820 Kelley.Kirkpatrick@fox.com
Nicole Gonzales 310-369-0827 nicole.gonzales@fox.com