CMT has announced the start of voting today (4/13), announcing finalists for the 2009 CMT Music Awards, country music’s only entirely fan-voted awards show. Dynamic duo Sugarland leads the pack with six first-round nominations followed by Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift who have four each. Beginning today (4/13), at 10:00 AM/CT, fans can vote on CMT.com to determine the final nominees for CMT’s eighth annual awards show. Videos that debuted on CMT between January 18, 2008 and February 23, 2009 are eligible. This year’s awards includes a new category, CMT Performance of the Year, spotlighting a live performance from the past year. Finalists were determined by an industry panel that includes noted country music journalists, as well as music industry, music retail and CMT executives. Streaming clips of nominated videos can viewed at CMT.com.

The first round of voting runs on CMT.com from April 13 through May 11. On Tuesday, May 19, CMT will announce the four fan-voted finalists in each of the categories, with the exception of Video of the Year. Fans can then vote at CMT.com through June 15 to determine the overall winners. Final nominees for Video of the Year will be announced at the beginning of the live show and fans can vote at CMT.com and via text message throughout the broadcast to determine the night’s big winner. The 2009 CMT Music Awards airs live on Wednesday, June 17 on CMT and CMT.com.

The nominees in each of the 2009 CMT Music Awards categories include:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•   Trace Adkins – “You’re Gonna Miss This” (Director: Peter Zavadil)
•   Kenny Chesney featuring The Wailers – “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” (Director: Shaun Silva)
•   Toby Keith – “God Love Her” (Director: Michael Salomon)
•   Kid Rock – “All Summer Long” (Director: Deaton Flanigen)
•   Lady Antebellum – “Lookin’ For A Good Time” (Director: Chris Hicky)
•   Brad Paisley – “Waitin’ On A Woman” (Directors: Jim Shea & Peter Tilden)
•   Rascal Flatts – “Every Day” (Director: Deaton Flanigen)
•   Sugarland – “All I Want To Do” (Director: Shaun Silva)
•   Taylor Swift – “Love Story” (Director: Trey Fanjoy)
•   Carrie Underwood – “Just A Dream” (Director: Roman White)

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•   Trace Adkins – “You’re Gonna Miss This”
•   Jason Aldean – “She’s Country”
•   Alan Jackson – “Good Time”
•   Jamey Johnson – “In Color”
•   Toby Keith – “God Love Her”
•   Brad Paisley – “Waitin’ On A Woman”
•   Darius Rucker – “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”
•   Keith Urban – “Sweet Thing”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•   Julianne Hough – “That Song In My Head”
•   Miranda Lambert – “More Like Her”
•   Martina McBride – “Ride”
•   Heidi Newfield – “Johnny & June”
•   Kellie Pickler – “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful”
•   Taylor Swift – “Love Story”
•   Carrie Underwood – “Just A Dream”
•   Lee Ann Womack – “Last Call

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•   Eli Young Band – “When It Rains”
•   Gloriana – “Wild At Heart”
•   Lady Antebellum – “Lookin’ For A Good Time”
•   Little Big Town – “Fine Line”
•   The Lost Trailers – “Hollerback”
•   Rascal Flatts – “Bob That Head”
•   Rascal Flatts – “Every Day”
•   Zac Brown Band “Chicken Fried”

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•   Brooks & Dunn – “Put A Girl In It”
•   Caitlin & Will – “Stupid Boy”
•   Carter Twins – “Heart Like Memphis”
•   Joey + Rory – “Cheater Cheater”
•   Montgomery Gentry – “Roll With Me”
•   Sugarland – “All I Want To Do”
•   Sugarland – “Already Gone”
•   Sugarland – “Love”

USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•   Carter Twins – “Heart Like Memphis”
•   Gloriana – “Wild At Heart”
•   Julianne Hough – “That Song In My Head”
•   Joey + Rory – “Cheater Cheater”
•   Jamey Johnson – “In Color”
•   Lady Antebellum – “Lookin’ For A Good Time”
•   James Otto – “Just Got Started Lovin’ You”
•   Zac Brown Band – “Chicken Fried”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•   Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire – “Cowgirls Don’t Cry”
•   Kenny Chesney featuring The Wailers – “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven”
•   Brad Paisley and Keith Urban – “Start A Band”
•   Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – “Please Read The Letter”
•   The Raconteurs featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe – “Old Enough”
•   Rehab featuring Hank Williams, Jr. – “Bartender Song”
•   Sugarland, Little Big Town and Jake Owen – “Life In A Northern Town”
•   Josh Turner featuring Trisha Yearwood – “Another Try”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
•   Caitlin & Will – “Stupid Boy” from CAN YOU DUET
•   Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley – “Country Boy” from CMT GIANTS: ALAN JACKSON
•   Toby Keith – “She’s A Hottie” from the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS
•   Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)” from CMT CROSSROADS: ROBERT PLANT AND ALISON
KRAUSS
•   LeAnn Rimes – “Nothin’ Better To Do” from the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS
•   Sugarland, Little Big Town and Jake Owen – “Life In A Northern Town” from the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS
•   Taylor Swift and Def Leppard – “Photograph” from CMT CROSSROADS: DEF LEPPARD AND TAYLOR SWIFT
•   Keith Urban and Brooks & Dunn – “Raise The Barn” from the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS

WIDE OPEN COUNTRY VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•   Kevin Costner & Modern West – “Backyard”
•   Def Leppard and Tim McGraw – “Nine Lives”
•   Def Leppard and Taylor Swift – “Photograph”
•   Kid Rock – “All Summer Long”
•   John Mellencamp featuring Karen Fairchild – “My Sweet Love”
•   Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – “Please Read The Letter”
•   The Raconteurs featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe – “Old Enough”
•   Rehab featuring Hank Williams, Jr. – “Bartender Song”

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
•   Kristin Barlowe (award eligible videos include: Martina McBride’s “Ride” and Chuck Wicks’ “All I Ever Wanted”)
•   Deaton Flanigan (award eligible videos include: Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” and Rascal Flatts’ “Every Day”)
•   Trey Fanjoy (award eligible videos include: Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” and George Strait’s “Troubador”)
•   Wayne Isham (award eligible videos include: Darius Rucker’s “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” and “It Won’t Be Like This For
Long”)
•   Shaun Silva (award eligible videos include: Sugarland’s “All I Want To Do” and Kenny Chesney’s “Everybody Wants To Go To
Heaven” featuring The Wailers)
•   Eric Welch (award eligible videos include: Heidi Newfield’s “Johnny & June” and the Carter Twins’ “Heart Like Memphis”)
•   Roman White (award eligible videos include: Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream” and Reba McEntire’s “Every Other Weekend”)
•   Peter Zavadil (award eligible videos include: Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This” and Joey + Rory’s “Cheater Cheater”)

Opry Originals: The Shop On Broadway, a Grand Ole Opry-themed retail store, is set to open on Nashville’s Lower Broadway area at 300 Broadway on Thursday, April 16. A rhinestone-studded ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Monday, April 20 followed by a week of grand opening events. With a design sensibility dubbed “Country Archeology,” the free-standing, 5,000 square-foot store will bring together the roots of the Grand Ole Opry and country music’s contemporary culture in a collection of old and new, brought to life through media, graphic imagery, and re-claimed materials and finishes. Reminiscent of a market, the space will encourage hands-on interaction and invite guests to discover and take home their own piece of the Opry lifestyle. The store will showcase an extensive line of lifestyle products including Opry-branded clothing; local artisan merchandise; a new Opry Country Kitchen line of food products; dinnerware and home furnishings. The store will also feature artist appearances and book/record signings as well as listening stations, photo opportunities, and food and beverage offerings. Included among the store’s apparel offerings will be an “Opry by Manuel” collection of jackets, shirts, and jeans designed exclusively for the Opry by legendary clothier Manuel. The 300 Broadway structure was built circa 1911 as the home of the Broadway National Bank. It housed banking institutions until 1987 and has been occupied by R.C. Mathews and The Mathews Co. since 1991.