CMA Music Festival to Celebrate 40th Anniversary

The Band Perry will be among the stars performing as part of Nightly Concerts on the Concert Stage at LP Field during this year's CMA Music Festival Thursday through Sunday, June 9 - 12 in Nashville. Photo by Joseph Anthony Baker

NASHVILLE -- The iconic CMA Music Festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary when it takes over the Downtown Nashville campus for four days this summer, Thursday-Sunday, June 9-12, 2011. The event that USA Today calls "the crown jewel of Country Music festivals" started in 1972 as Fan Fair®. Forty years later, the legendary festival has become Nashville's signature music event, which annually attracts thousands of fans from all 50 states and around the globe while raising millions of dollars for music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools. 2011 will also mark the eighth consecutive year that CMA Music Festival will be filmed for a network television special, shining a national spotlight on both the Country Music format and "Music City USA."

The reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert , Male Vocalist of the Year Blake Shelton , and Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum join Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Darius Rucker, and Keith Urban as the first artists announced as performers during the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during CMA Music Festival. This will be Crow's first performance at CMA Music Festival. Additional names and performance schedules will be announced in coming weeks.

"This is an excellent collection of superstar artists to launch 2011 CMA Music Festival, continuing the legacy started 40 years ago by artists such as Chet Atkins, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette at the first Fan Fair," said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer.

Fans can stay in the loop by visiting the all-new CMAfest.com, the official website of CMA Music Festival, which makes its debut today. On CMAfest.com fans can buy tickets, sign up for the CMA Exclusive e-news, watch helpful videos to make their CMA Music Festival experience better than ever, follow the CMA Facebook and Twitter feeds for more insider info and of course see the entire lineup of Country Music's biggest stars as they are announced for the event.

CMA Music Festival celebrates the unique relationship between Country Music artists and their fans in the heart of Music City USA. The artists participate for free, and on their behalf, CMA donates half the net proceeds of the Festival to support music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools through the Keep the Music Playing program.

To date, more than $4.7 million has been donated to purchase musical instruments and supplies, providing thousands of Metro Nashville Public Schools students with the resources and opportunities they could not have afforded on their own, and giving many of them a strong reason to remain in school. The total also includes an annual endowment gift for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Words & Music program, which assists language arts and music teachers with classroom instruction in the basics of songwriting.

Featuring concerts, autograph signings, family activities, and more, CMA Music Festival is an unparalleled celebration of America's music. In 2010, the event drew a record-setting 65,000 fans from all 50 states and 26 nations and, for the first time, sold out each night at LP Field for the star-packed nightly concerts in advance. According to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, direct visitor spending generated by the Festival totaled more than $23 million. CMA Music Festival is a four-time winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association's LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010).

Fans can purchase their tickets through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000. They can also purchase them through CMAfest.com or 800-(262-3378. Ticket prices are based on the level of seating at LP Field for the Nightly Concerts, and range from $115 to $325 plus handling fees.

Ticket prices are subject to change without notice. All sales are final and non-refundable. Four-day ticket package categories correspond to a different level of seating at LP Field. Children 3 years and younger are admitted FREE. For information on ADA seating, please call 1-800-CMA-FEST.

A limited number of four-day parking passes for LP Field are available. Call toll-free 800-CMA-FEST, 800-345-3000 (Ticketmaster) or www.ticketmaster.com to order. The price is $32 for cars; $64 for vans/shuttles; and $124 for RVs/motor coaches. Prices do not include handling fee. Spaces are limited, and no overnight parking is allowed. All persons planning to park at LP Field must pre-purchase the parking pass. Free shuttles (for four-day registrants) will run daily between major Festival event locations.

CMA Music Festival will once again be filmed for a national television special to air on the ABC Television Network late this summer. This is the eighth consecutive year that the event has been filmed for a network television special, a feat no other music festival has achieved. CBS aired the first CMA Music Festival special in 2004, with ABC airing it from 2005 onward. "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" will be executive-produced by Robert Deaton.

Source: Country Music Association

Published February 9, 2011