• Garth Brooks will return to Las Vegas for eight shows in October and November. The shows are slated for Oct. 18 (7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.), Oct. 19 (7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.), Nov. 8 (7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.), Nov. 9 (7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.). Tickets are on sale at wynnlasvegas.com.

• Kellie Picker was hospitalized and forced to delay a concert on Saturday (Sept. 21), after a suspected bout with food poisoning. Pickler received an IV at the show and went on to perform a 90-minute set.  “Many thanks to everyone who came to my show tonight,” Pickler tweeted. “Again, I’m so sorry I had to delay my show…thank you for your grace & understanding.”

• Calling all beards! Chris Stapleton is calling on his fans to submit photos of their facial hair via social media for the chance to win a place on his guest list at one of his shows, beginning with Joe’s Bar in Chicago on Sept. 27. The ongoing campaign, “Get Cleared With Your Beard,” launched today and encourages fans to get creative with their submissions.
“It’s funny, I get a lot of questions right off the bat from fans about my beard, which always makes for a great conversation starter…we just get straight down to the personal stuff,” laughed Stapleton. “I decided to have some fun with it and celebrate the beard…women too! If your husband or boyfriend or brother, or even your grandma has a beard and you are proud of it, then send in your photos!”
Fans can submit photos of their beard with the hashtag #GetClearedWithYourBeard to Stapleton’s Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram.

• Songwriters Hall of Fame songwriter, Roger Murrah, welcomed jazz great, Al Jarreau, back to Nashville Sunday (Sept. 22). The two friends enjoyed some laughs following Jarreau’s sold out performance with the Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Murrah and Keith Stegall wrote one of Jarreau’s most successful songs of his career, “We’re In This Love Together.” Murrah will soon be in the studio recording his own ‘songwriter album’ planned for release in the Spring of 2014.
•  Sibling trio Taylor Made recently performed in support of the Wounded Warrior Walkers, who are making the cross-country trek to raise money and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project. Together with station WTNJ, the band supplied live music at a show in West Virginia during a meet-and-greet with the Wounded Warrior Walkers.

Katy Perry will perform a concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday, Oct. 23 benefiting the Young Survival Coalition. Perry’s We Can Survive concert will feature several guest artists, including Sara Bareilles, Ellie Goulding, Tegan & Sara and Country music’s Kacey Musgraves.

“These are all very powerful women that I really respect and look up to,” said Perry in an interview with Carson Daly on 97.1 AMP, “and I wanted them to come together to promote this supportive message and have a  fantastic night full of great music. There’s so many great acts in this lineup. And I get to play a lot of songs off the record that will have come out the night before.”
The Young Survival Coalition is a global organization dedicated to helping young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Tickets for Perry’s We Can Survive concert go on sale Friday, Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. PT through Ticketmaster. Pre-sale for Citi Thank You card-members begins on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. PT.

In promotion of his debut album Redneck Crazy, Tyler Farr has launched a limited web series called Redneck Ranch. The series debuts today, September 23, and will include four episodes, chronicling Farr and his team. Future episodes will air on 9/25, 9/27 and 9/30. Beginning today, fans can check out an exclusive behind the scenes look at Farr’s newest endeavor on NRACountry.com.
Fans can visit Country Outfitter to hear an exclusive full album stream of Tyler Farr’s new album, a full week before it is available everywhere on 9/30, as well as an exclusive interview with the artist.
In addition to receiving 5 million views on VEVO, Farr’s hit single “Redneck Crazy” continues to climb the charts and receive praise from numerous media outlets, including The New York Times. Last week, Farr threw a packed album release party in Nashville, showcasing his talent as an artist and a performer.
Farr is currently performing on select tour dates with Lee Brice and will open for Florida Georgia Line’s headlining tour, beginning in October. His debut album is currently available for preorder.
Click here to check out the first episode of Farr’s Redneck Ranch.

• Nielsen has reached an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission obtaining clearance to go forward with its proposed acquisition of Arbitron which is expected to close on Sept. 30. The FTC issued a Decision and Order Sept. 20 announcing the agreement and its terms.
In a press statement, Nielsen addressed the transaction: “Nielsen’s agreement with the FTC is intended to preserve the competitive landscape in place before our announced intent to acquire Arbitron. It does not affect the strategic rationale of the acquisition or the anticipated benefits to Nielsen from the transaction. No Nielsen assets are affected by the FTC’s order. The FTC’s order effectively enables the continuation of a cross-platform project measuring TV, radio, PC, mobile, and tablet engagement which was announced by Arbitron in concert with ESPN and comScore, Inc. in September 2012. In the event that an FTC-approved third-party elects to agree to licensing terms and other requirements, Nielsen would make available for license Arbitron PPM and related data as well as software and technology currently being used in the ESPN project for the sole purpose of cross-platform measurement or up to eight years.”
• Labels are allowed to pursue Vimeo for copyright infringement, a federal judge in New York ruled last Thursday. Capitol Records and other major labels brought the legal action against the Barry Diller IAC-owned video website back in December 2009, alleging that the company copied and distributed recordings by artists like the Beatles, Beyonce’ and the Beach Boys. The company is one of the top 130 most-trafficked sites. Labels argued in the dispute that Vimeo had not taken sufficient actions to remedy infringements as they were discovered. Vimeo claimed it was free of liability, citing the safe harbor provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. But U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams denied that defense with respect to 55 of 199 videos in question where employees had some interaction.