The BIG 98 Teams With TC Restaurant Group For New Satellite Studio

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iHeartMedia Nashville’s The BIG 98 has teamed with TC Restaurant Group to launch a satellite studio on South Broadway in Nashville. The new studio will be home to the Tige and Daniel Show weekday afternoons from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. The location also allows WSIX to bring in a number of artists, as well as to serve as a special event studio for Cody Alan with CMT, The Bobby Bones Show and iHeartCountry station broadcasts.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity to bring iHeartCountry to Broadway and into Nashville’s newest venue, where Country music is made and played,” said Gator Harrison, iHeartCountry Brand Coordinator.

“TC Restaurant Group is committed to Nashville and particularly South Broadway and we are excited to continue to show this commitment with this Partnership” says Adam Hesler, President, TC Restaurant Group.

Next Big Sound Opens Up Pandora Data From Every Artist

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In 2015 Pandora acquired Next Big Sound, a service which tracks song popularity online and in social networks.

In a blog post last month, Sr. Product Manager, Next Big Sound – Pandora Dan Wissinger detailed how the service will open up Pandora data.

“Until recently, Pandora data was only visible to an artist and their manager and label. In an industry where stream counts are an important measure of an artist’s success, the inaccessibility of this data publicly has meant that Pandora’s important role in many artists’ career trajectories has gone unnoticed.” -Wissinger

The post announced Pandora data will now be publicly unveiled within Next Big Sound, including releases, reach, and engagement. These sections of the profile will show Pandora metrics like radio spins, interactive plays, thumbs up, and station adds for every artist on Pandora and each of their tracks. Next Big Sound users can follow, or even get email notifications and Weekly Report emails for artists.

In 2017, the streaming service launched Pandora Premium to compete with on-demand rivals. As of June, Pandora boasted 71.4 million active users, down again from 76 million the year prior. In September 2018, it was announced Pandora would be acquired by SiriusXM in a deal valued at approximately $3.5 billion.

Next Big Sound accounts are free at nextbigsound.com.

Chase Rice Plots Eyes On You Tour For Fall

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Chase Rice will hit the road in November with his Eyes On You Tour, launching Nov. 2 in Eugene, Oregon. The tour borrows its title from Rice’s single of the same name, which has been streamed over 50 million times before even being announced as a single.

“Our fans have been singing ‘Eyes On You’ back to us at the top of their lungs all summer long,” says Rice. “They made it a hit at our live shows before it even got to radio, so it’s only right that we name this the Eyes On You Tour and bring our show back to the people who have been so supportive all along.

“Even if people don’t want to admit it, we all love ‘love.’” he says of the song. “When you find that perfect relationship it becomes less important what you’re doing and more about that partner you’re doing it with. ‘Eyes On You’ has a fun, singalong melody to it but when you listen to the lyrics you realize it’s talking about that true love we all hope for.”

Rice is currently bringing that live show to fans as part of the Luke Bryan Farm Tour 2018 before going overseas for a headlining U.K. run in advance of the Eyes On You Tour.

Eyes On You Tour
Friday, Nov. 2 – McDonald Theater, Eugene, OR
Saturday, Nov. 3 – The Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA
Tuesday, Nov. 6 – Ace of Spades, Sacramento, CA
Saturday, Nov. 10 – Doheny State Park, Dana Point, CA
Friday, Nov. 30 – The Criterion, Oklahoma City, OK
Saturday, Dec. 1 – Billy Bob’s Texas, Fort Worth, TX
Thursday, Dec. 6 – The Filmore, Detroit, MI
Friday, Dec. 7 – Ground Zero, Traverse City, MI
Thursday, Dec. 13 – Music Farm, Charleston, SC
Friday, Dec. 14 – Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta, GA
Saturday, Dec. 15 – Coyote Joe’s, Charlotte, NC
Friday, Dec. 21 – Joe’s Live, Rosemont, IL
Saturday, Dec. 22 – 8 Seconds Saloon, Indianapolis, IN

New Charlie Daniels Album Coming Oct. 26

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Charlie Daniels‘ latest album, Beau Weevils – Songs in the Key of E, will release Friday, Oct. 26. The new ten-track album features lead vocals, guitar and fiddle by Daniels, music industry musician/producer/publisher/label exec James Stroud on drums and percussion, Billy Crain on guitar, and Charlie Hayward on bass.

“Beau Weevils – Songs in the Key of E is the culmination of a long held desire of James Stroud and myself to do a project together,” Daniels says. “We had worked together, with James in the capacity of producer, which had resulted in some of our most successful albums for The Charlie Daniels Band, but James is one of the finest and most soulful drummers in the business and I figured we could get together, musician to musician, and come up with something special. We just needed a vehicle in the form of songs that would fit the bill.”

Stroud has also produced several albums for The Charlie Daniels Band, including 1988’s Homesick Heroes, 1989’s Simple Man and 1991’s Renegade.

Daniels wrote or co-wrote each track on the new album, which was produced by Stroud and Casey Wood, with David Corlew serving as executive producer.

“The whole thing started one day when I, as I often do, was fooling around with my guitar and came up with the opening riff on a song that eventually turned out to be ‘Mudcat,'” Daniels says. “That song set the style for the rest of the songs I would write, that all lent themselves to being played in the key of E, hence the title.”

A staple of the southern rock scene since early 1970s, Crain has performed with The Allman Brothers Band, The Rossington-Collins Band, The Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, The Outlaws and the Henry Paul Band. He’s the brother of the late Charlie Daniels Band guitarist, Tommy Crain.

Longtime Charlie Daniels Band guitarist Hayward is best known for playing bass on Gregg Allman’s critically-acclaimed album, Laid Back. His additional credits include performing with Dr. John, as well as sitting in with The Allman Brothers Band after bass guitarist Berry Oakley was involved in a motorcycle accident.

Beau Weevils – Songs in the Key of E Track Listing:

1. Geechi Geechi Ya Ya Blues
2. Bad Blood
3. Mexico Again
4. Louisiana Blues
5. Oh, Juanita
6. Smokey’s Got Your Number
7. Mudcat
8. Everybody’s Gotta Go Sometime
9. We’ll All Have Some
10. How We Roll

Country Music Hall Of Fame Launches Rite Of Remembrance And Member Salute

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The Country Music Hall of Fame is welcoming new members Johnny Gimble, Ricky Skaggs and Dottie West in the annual Medallion Ceremony this year, and for two weeks prior to the induction, the museum will recognize the full Hall of Fame membership (133) with a special, newly-established ritual this year — the Road to the Country Music Hall of Fame: Rite of Remembrance and Salute.

The ceremony will take place daily at 1 p.m., from Oct. 7-20, to honor the members of the Country Music Hall of Fame from 1961 to 2017. The museum’s Circle Guard will oversee the ritual, reading biographies of each Hall of Fame member in the museum’s Rotunda. Different members will be recognized each day. During the daily presentation, a Circle Guard member—David Conrad, Bill Denny, Mary Ann McCready, Seab Tuck, Steve Turner or Kyle Young—will wear the Master of Ceremonies stole, designed by couturier Sandi Spika Borchetta. The stole is rich in detail and ornate symbolism and is backed by swatches of fabric from some of music’s most iconic ensembles, including Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” dress and Country Music Hall of Fame member Reba McEntire’s legendary red dress worn to the 1993 CMA Awards.

“This ritual brings together and celebrates those who created the country music story,” said Steve Turner, chairman of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s board of officers and trustees. “Each day of the Road to the Country Music Hall of Fame, those Circle Guard members who have made a commitment of time, talent and treasure to the museum honor those in the country music world who have served and continue to serve as an inspiration for millions of fans around the world.”

Schedule for Road to the Country Music Hall of Fame Readings:
Sunday, Oct. 7
Class of 1961: Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose and Hank Williams
Class of 1962: Roy Acuff
Class of 1963: None elected
Class of 1964: Tex Ritter
Class of 1965: Ernest Tubb
Class of 1966: Eddy Arnold, Jim Denny, George D. Hay and Uncle Dave Macon

Monday, Oct. 8
Class of 1967: Red Foley, J.L. “Joe” Frank, Jim Reeves and Steve Sholes
Class of 1968: Bob Wills
Class of 1969: Gene Autry
Class of 1970: Bill Monroe and the Original Carter Family
Class of 1971: Art Satherly
Class of 1972: Jimmie Davis

Tuesday, Oct. 9
Class of 1973: Chet Akins and Patsy Cline
Class of 1974: Owen Bradley and Pee Wee King
Class of 1975: Minnie Pearl
Class of 1976: Paul Cohen and Kitty Wells
Class of 1977: Merle Travis
Class of 1978: Grandpa Jones

Wednesday, Oct. 10
Class of 1979: Hubert Long and Hank Snow
Class of 1980: Johnny Cash, Connie B. Gay and Original Sons of the Pioneers
Class of 1981: Vernon Dalhart and Grant Turner
Class of 1982: Lefty Frizzell, Roy Horton and Marty Robbins

Thursday, Oct. 11
Class of 1983: Little Jimmy Dickens
Class of 1984: Ralph Peer and Floyd Tillman
Class of 1985: Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs
Class of 1986: Whitey Ford (The Duke of Paducah) and Wesley H. Rose
Class of 1987: Rod Brasfield
Class of 1988: Loretta Lynn and Roy Rogers

Friday, Oct. 12
Class of 1989: Jack Stapp, Cliffie Stone and Hank Thompson
Class of 1990: Tennessee Ernie Ford
Class of 1991: Boudleaux and Felice Bryant
Class of 1992: George Jones and Frances Williams Preston
Class of 1993: Willie Nelson

Saturday, Oct. 13
Class of 1994: Merle Haggard
Class of 1995: Roger Miller and Jo Walker-Meador
Class of 1996: Patsy Montana, Buck Owens and Ray Price
Class of 1997: Harlan Howard, Brenda Lee and Cindy Walker

Sunday, Oct. 14
Class of 1998: George Morgan, Elvis Presley, E.W. “Bud” Wendell and Tammy Wynette
Class of 1999: Johnny Bond, Dolly Parton and Conway Twitty
Class of 2000: Charley Pride and Faron Young

Monday, Oct. 15
Class of 2001: Bill Anderson, The Delmore Brothers, Don Gibson, Homer & Jethro, Waylon Jennings, The Jordanaires, Don Law, The Louvin Brothers, Ken Nelson, Sam Phillips and Webb Pierce

Tuesday, Oct. 16
Class of 2002: Bill Carlisle and Porter Wagoner
Class of 2003: Floyd Cramer and Carl Smith
Class of 2004: Jim Foglesong and Kris Kristofferson
Class of 2005: Alabama, DeFord Bailey and Glen Campbell

Wednesday, Oct. 17
Class of 2006: Harold Bradley, Sonny James and George Strait
Class of 2007: Ralph Emery, Vince Gill and Mel Tillis
Class of 2008: Tom T. Hall, Emmylou Harris, The Statler Brothers and Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman

Thursday, Oct. 18
Class of 2009: Roy Clark, Barbara Mandrell and Charlie McCoy
Class of 2010: Jimmy Dean, Ferlin Husky, Billy Sherrill and Don Williams
Class of 2011: Bobby Braddock, Reba McEntire and Jean Shepard

Friday, Oct. 19
Class of 2012: Garth Brooks, Hargus “Pig” Robbins and Connie Smith
Class of 2013: Bobby Bare, Cowboy Jack Clement and Kenny Rogers
Class of 2014: Hank Cochran, Ronnie Milsap and Mac Wiseman

Saturday, Oct. 20
Class of 2015: Jim Ed Brown and the Browns, Grady Martin and The Oak Ridge Boys
Class of 2016: Charlie Daniels, Fred Foster and Randy Travis
Class of 2017: Alan Jackson, Jerry Reed and Don Schlitz

Aaron Watson And Family Celebrate Holidays With New Album

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Aaron Watson is releasing his first-ever Christmas album, An Aaron Watson Family Christmas, this Friday, Oct. 5.

The 10-song collection features both holiday standards and two originals, and was a labor of love for Watson and his family, including his wife of 16 years, Kimberly and their children Jake (12), Jack (10) & Jolee Kate (8), who are all featured on the album. The two originals on the project include the self-penned nod to his home state, “Lonely Lonestar Christmas,” and “She Stared At Him All Night,” a religious song written by Drew Womack.

“We’ve talked about making this record for a few years now and I’m so glad we finally did,” says Watson. “I had so much fun with Kim and the kids working on this project and including them, and am so proud of how it turned out. It’s very much a Frank Sinatra on the farm kind of feel.  We hope it is something families can enjoy during the holidays for years to come.”

Beginning Friday, fans can order special packages from aaronwatson.com with items including a tree ornament replica of Watson’s guitar, a set of holiday cards for fans to send out, an Aaron Watson ugly Christmas sweater, and more.

An Aaron Watson Family Christmas
1. “Lonely Lonestar Christmas” (Aaron Watson)
2. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” – featuring Kimberly, Jake, Jack & Jolee Kate
3. “She Stared At Him All Night” (Drew Womack)
4. “Christmas Time is Here” – featuring Jolee Kate w/ Jack reading Luke
5. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” – featuring Kimberly
6. “The Christmas Waltz”
7. “Jingle Bells” – featuring Kimberly
8. “Silent Night”
9. “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” – featuring Jake
10. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” – Watson Family Greeting

 

Exclusive: Midland Discuss CMA Nominations And Completing Album No. 2

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Midland. Photos courtesy of At Large Magazine.

In just over a year, Midland members Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy, and Jess Carson ushered in a sterling, neo-traditional sound, seemingly custom-made to appeal to both the bottle-breaking, rowdy barflies they performed for in the honky-tonks of Texas, as well as fans who embrace country music’s more progressive sound.

Their breakthrough single, “Drinkin’ Problem,” with its rustic, authentic rendering, has been certified Platinum by the RIAA and became the trio’s first No. 1 song, off their debut Big Machine Label Group album On The Rocks. On Spotify, the group has gained approximately 1.6 million monthly listeners.

“Drinkin’ Problem” earned the trio a nomination for Single of the Year at the upcoming CMA Awards, a nomination that also honors producers Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne, as well as mix engineer Justin Niebank.

Midland is nominated in two additional CMA categories, including New Artist of the Year, as well as Vocal Group of the Year.

“This year, we’ve been touring non-stop,” Wystrach tells MusicRow, not long after the nominations were announced. “We weren’t really aware that the [CMA] nominations were coming out because we were so busy. It put fuel in our tank and was a rewarding day. All the work you are doing is being recognized and noticed and it will help us to continue to accomplish our goals.”

They do have a few predictions for what will happen should their names be called as the winner in any of those categories.

“I bet Cameron will be a sobbing mess,” Wystrach adds. “Jess will probably take over, perhaps give one of the best speeches in CMA music history and I’ll be emotional, too. After that, Jess will probably crack open a nice bottle of pinot grigio or even perhaps a nice oaky buttery chardonnay, or a sauvignon blanc and after that who knows? Just getting nominated is such a big thing that, winners or losers, we’ll be partying like winners no matter what.”

Later this month, the Texas trio will set out on their own set of headlining dates for the Electric Rodeo Tour. Most recently, the trio has been performing for fans as part of Thomas Rhett’s Life Changes Tour.

“On paper it maybe seems improbable,” says Carson. “But Thomas Rhett has worked really hard to curate an amazing following, and a fun crowd that is literally there just to consume music.”

Carson adds, “For us it’s exciting to expose an all-new audience and even a younger, more pop-oriented audience to our music and they are loving it.”

YouTube video

Given the trio’s hectic schedule, efficiency was top of mind when it came to shooting the laid-back, smoky video for their latest single “Burn Out,” which was shot in one take at iconic honky tonk Billy Bob’s in Texas.

“It’s hard to tear yourself away from touring to do much else, much less direct and make a music video,” says Duddy, whose music video director credits have also included recent work for Bruno Mars (“24K Magic,” “Versace On The Floor”) and Jennifer Lopez (“Ain’t Your Mama”).

“It was designed to be an easy day of shooting, like one location and one setup,” continues Duddy, who collaborated with director TK McKamy on the video. “When you are doing a one-shot video, it’s all about the pre-production. It was organized chaos, as opposed to just flat-out chaos as most videos end up being. We’ve played Billy Bob’s a half-dozen times, and they gave us carte blanche to do pretty much whatever we wanted there. With their help, this whole thing came together and it is very authentic to our story and our sensibilities.”

Between tour dates, the trio has been piecing together their follow-up album. The trio has been in studios in Nashville and Texas, working on new album that Wystrach says is “75 percent in the can. We just spent three days down in Austin recording vocals.”

“We are chomping at the bit to put out new music,” he says. “If it was up to us, we would have released a new album at the end of this year, but ‘Burn Out’ is getting really strong reaction at radio. Hopefully we will put out our next album not long after.”

The group is again working with mega-writers and producers Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne for the followup album, and folded in new collaborations with writers including Marv Green, Bob DiPiero, Rhett Akins and Liz Rose, among others.

Asked how their sound continues to grow, Carson quips, “We are developing. A lot of the album is about what works live. We’ve gotten our own [band] guys into the studio. In Nashville that’s not the most usual thing, to get your road band into the studio with you, but we did. We used session musicians, too. It is very much a continuation of On The Rocks and we feel like it’s maturing. We have experience under our belt. We all wear one belt—it’s a three-person belt.”

YouTube video

Marathon Music Works, Paradigm, WME, AEG Presents Among Top IEBA Award Winners

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Pictured (L-R): Renee Alexander, Ali Harnell, and Jay Williams backstage after receiving their IEBA Industry Awards.

IEBA, the leading trade organization for live entertainment industry professionals, concluded its 48th Annual Conference last night (Oct. 2) after its Honors & Awards Ceremony. The winners of seventeen (17) IEBA Industry Awards, which celebrate those who work tirelessly behind the scenes of the concert business, were announced during the event.

A special on-stage presentation announced the endowment of permanent scholarships at New York University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Belmont University through IEBA’s Educational Outreach Fund.

Pictured (L-R): Rickey Medlocke, Gary Rossington, and Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd pose with their IEBA Hall of Fame plaques at IEBA’s Honors & Awards Ceremony.

The ceremony also included the induction of four new IEBA Hall of Fame members, including southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, booking agents Ray Shelide and Bonnie Sugarman, and longtime marketing director and champion of the Great Allentown Fair Bonnie Brosious.

IEBA’s 49th Annual Conference will be held Oct. 27-29, 2019 again at the JW Marriott Nashville.

Pictured: IEBA Executive Director Pam Matthews and IEBA Educational Outreach Fund Board Member Barry Jeffrey (WME) present Gene Lundgren with a check commemorating the establishment of a permanently-endowed scholarship at New York University in his honor.

2018 IEBA AWARD WINNERS:

Club of the Year: Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN

Casino of the Year: Talking Stick Resort and Casino – Scottsdale, AZ

Ryman Auditorium Theater of the Year: Durham Performing Arts Center – Durham, NC

Arena of the Year: BOK Center – Tulsa, OK

Amphitheater of the Year: The Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA

Fair of the Year: Minnesota State Fair – St. Paul, MN

Festival of the Year: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – New Orleans, LA

Club Buyer of the Year: Jim Mallonee – House of Blues

Casino Buyer of the Year: (TIE) Kell Houston – Houston Productions, and Randy Wright – Integrity Events

Corporate Buyer of the Year: Michael Boltzman – AEG Presents

International Buyer of the Year: Ron Sakamoto – Gold & Gold Productions

Fair Buyer of the Year: R.J. Romeo – Romeo Entertainment Group

Festival Buyer of the Year: Roger LeBlanc – Madison Entertainment

Venue Executive of the Year: Kim Bedier – Tacoma Dome, Cheney Stadium, Pantages and Rialto Theaters, & Theater on the Square

Young Professional of the Year: Paige Ryan – Paradigm Talent Agency

Talent Agent of the Year: Jay Williams – WME

Promoter of the Year: Ali Harnell – AEG Presents

On The Cover: Carrie Underwood Graces MusicRow Magazine’s 2018 Publisher Issue

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Carrie Underwood is featured on the cover of MusicRow Magazine’s all-new 2018 Publisher Issue.

Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, and film. A seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner, she has sold 64 million records worldwide and recorded 26 No. 1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote.

She released Cry Pretty, her first studio album on Capitol Records Nashville on Sept. 14, marking the first time she has co-produced her own album. In Spring 2019, Carrie will launch The Cry Pretty Tour 360, which will kick off in May and will play 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada. Earlier this year, she released the hit event anthem she co-wrote, “The Champion” featuring Ludacris, which opened NBC’s Super Bowl LII and was incorporated into the network’s coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

MusicRow Magazine’s 2018 Publisher Issue features an annual directory of top Nashville-focused music publishers. This issue also includes exclusive editorial examining Irving Azoff‘s Global Music Rights as well as Florida Georgia Line‘s growing Nashville empire, and highlights a slate of recent documentaries highlighting Nashville’s songwriter community. Additionally, this issue features songwriter interviews with Kassi Ashton, Shy Carter, Zach Crowell, Justin Ebach and Jessie Frasure.

Single copies of the Publisher Issue are available for purchase for $45 at musicrow.com, and are included with yearly subscriptions at no additional cost. First Class subscribers to MusicRow will receive their copies first, in the coming week.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD CAREER STATS

Label: Capitol Records Nashville
Current Album: Cry Pretty
Current Single: “Love Wins”
Current Producer: David Garcia (Co-Produced Cry Pretty with Carrie)
Management: The HQ
Booking: CAA
Recent Hits: “Cry Pretty,” “The Champion” featuring Ludacris, “Dirty Laundry,” and “Church Bells”
Recent Awards: 7 Grammy Awards, 6 CMA Awards, 18 CMT Music Awards, 12 American Music Awards and numerous other awards and honors. She recently took home her 14th career ACM Award for Vocal Event of the Year for “The Fighter,” her collaboration with Keith Urban.
RIAA Certifications: Top Country Artist on RIAA’s Digital Single Ranking with 28 Million; Top 5 Female in RIAA’s Digital Single Program (All Genres)
Platinum Albums: Storyteller, Greatest Hits: Decade #1, Blown Away (2x), Play On (3x), Carnival Ride (4x), Some Hearts (8x)
Special TV Appearances: In 2013, Carrie starred as Maria von Trapp in NBC’s three-hour holiday blockbuster, the Emmy®-winning The Sound of Music Live!. Carrie will return this Fall for her sixth season as the voice of primetime television’s No. 1 program, Sunday Night Football, and this November, Carrie and Brad Paisley will co-host the CMA Awards for the 11th consecutive year.
Lifestyle: Carrie is lead designer for her fitness and lifestyle brand, CALIA by Carrie Underwood, which launched in 2015 and is exclusively available at DICK’S Sporting Goods nationwide and online at caliastudio.com.
Birthday: March 10
Musical Influences: Dolly Parton, Randy Travis, George Michael, Freddie Mercury, Guns ’N Roses, Alan Jackson and Reba McEntire

Jason Aldean To Headline Nashville Show For Pandora’s Backroads Celebration

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Jason Aldean is set to perform Nov. 27 at Pandora Presents:Backroads, a live celebration hosted by Pandora at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works. Aldean is the top-played country artist for the platform in Pandora’s history.

“In the last year, Pandora has served up billions of listening hours for country music,” said Jeff Zuchowski, Vice President of Artist Marketing and Industry Relations at Pandora. “Jason Aldean fans have contributed to many of those hours and we’re thrilled to have him be part of Backroads, giving our loyal country fans an opportunity to experience him live.”

For the first time, Pandora is offering country listeners nationwide the opportunity to win a free trip to Nashville to attend Pandora Presents: Backroads and see Jason Aldean perform live. Beginning today (Oct. 3), fans can visit AmicaPandoraSweeps.com to enter to win a trip to see Aldean’s concert, including roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations, spending money and expedited access to the live event.