COUNTRY MUSIC FANS HAVE THE POWER TO DECIDE THE 47th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC(R) AWARDS ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AND NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Fans Can Log on to www.VoteACM.com to Vote for Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year

Entertainer of the Year Voting Powered by Ram Truck Brand

CBS.com also Featuring Original 5-Part Web Series, ROAD TO THE ACM AWARDS, Documenting New Artist of the Year Nominees Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes and Scotty McCreery's Journey to THE 47th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

Ram Truck Brand Hosts an Enter-to-Win Sweepstakes* that Gives Fans a Chance to Drive Away in a 2012 RAM Truck or Win a Trip for Two to Next Year's ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

LOS ANGELES - March 19, 2012 - Today, country music fans have the power to choose the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year, powered by the Ram Truck brand, and New Artist of the Year by casting their votes on www.VoteACM.com. The winners will be announced live on the 47th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, to be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Sunday, April 1 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Nominees Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift, who will all vie for Entertainer of the Year while Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes and Scotty McCreery will compete for the New Artist of the Year award. Fans can cast their vote for New Artist of the Year through the start of the live broadcast; fans can vote for Entertainer of the Year into the third hour of the show. Fans will also be able to vote using their mobile device** by logging on to www.VoteACM.com, or via text message using a number that will be announced during the telecast.

On CBS.com/ACMs, fans can watch the original Web series, ROAD TO THE ACM AWARDS, featuring New Artist of the Year nominees Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes and Scotty McCreery. The 5-websiode series takes fans behind the scenes during the final weeks leading up to both nominees' first trip to the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS. In past years, the series has featured country music superstars Taylor Swift, Josh Thompson, Gloriana and Lady Antebellum.

Country music fans will also have the chance to win a trip for two to next year's ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS or drive away in a 2012 Ram Truck by entering the Ram Truck brand's hosted Enter-To-Win sweepstakes. For more information and to enter the sweepstakes please visit www.VoteACM.com.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:

Jason Aldean is nominated for six awards, including his second consecutive nods for Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. He is nominated for Album of the Year forMy Kinda Party, and has nominations for Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for "Don't You Wanna Stay," featuring Kelly Clarkson. He is also nominated for Video of the Year for "Tattoos on This Town."

Kenny Chesney is nominated for nine awards, including Entertainer of the Year, a category he has won four times since 2004. He is also nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, a category he has been nominated for 10 times previously. He is twice nominated for Album of the Year for Hemingway's Whiskey, as both artist and producer, and also earned double nominations for Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year as both artist and producer for "You and Tequila" with Grace Potter. Chesney is also nominated for Song of the Year for "You and Tequila" with Grace Potter.

Blake Shelton returns to co-host the Awards telecast alongside Reba for the second consecutive year. He is nominated for two awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, marking his first nomination in the Entertainer of the Year category. In 2010, Shelton won Vocal Event of the Year for "Hillbilly Bone," his chart-topping duet with longtime friend Trace Adkins. Straight off five back-to-back #1 hits, his current single, "Drink On It," is his fastest-rising single to date and is featured on his GRAMMY(R) Award-nominated album, Red River Blue.

Brad Paisley is the reigning Male Vocalist of the Year and is nominated for four awards, including his fifth consecutive nomination for Entertainer of the Year and eighth nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year, which he has won five times consecutively between the years of 2006-2010. He received two nominations in the Vocal Event of the Year category for "Old Alabama" with Alabama and "Remind Me" with Carrie Underwood.

Reigning Entertainer of the Year, Taylor Swift, leads solo female nominees with three nominations, including her third consecutive nod for Entertainer of the Year. If Swift wins Entertainer of the Year, this will be her second consecutive win in that category. Swift is nominated for the fifth time for Female Vocalist of the Year, and for the third time for Video of the Year for "Mean."

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:

At the age of 27, Brantley Gilbert already has an impressive list of industry accolades. The deluxe version of the rising star's sophomore album, Halfway to Heaven Deluxe, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart in September 2011. Collectively, the standard and deluxe versions of Halfway to Heaven have already sold almost 500,000 albums to date. Brantley's first single on The Valory Music Co., "Country Must Be Country Wide," recently scored the #1 spot at Country radio. As a celebrated songwriter, Gilbert also penned three #1 hits - "My Kinda Party," "Dirt Road Anthem," and most recently, "Country Must Be Country Wide." In addition to playing his own headlining dates, Gilbert is currently on the road with Eric Church for his The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour. For tour dates and more on Brantley visit: www.facebook.com/BrantleyGilbertMusic.

Hunter Hayes is the only 2011 debut artist to play every instrument, write/co-write every song and co-produce his critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. This multi-instrumentalist garnered praise with recent national television appearances on CBS' Late Show with David Letterman, Good Morning America and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Billboard calls Hunter "a prodigious talent�drawing on modern pop and country sounds - including Keith Urban, John Mayer, Rascal Flatts and Jason Mraz." USA Today raves "if this Louisiana singer is as good as this single [Storm Warning], he's about to be a big country star." He has co-written songs for Rascal Flatts and Montgomery Gentry and has shared the stage with Trace Adkins, Lady Antebellum, Hank Williams, Jr., Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and more. Hunter is currently on his first headlining Most Wanted Tour with sold out dates across the country.

Scotty McCreery's debut album, Clear As Day, was certified platinum in just three months, and he was recently named No. 1 on Billboard magazine's list of Top New Country Artists for 2011. Clear As Day debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts, making him the youngest man in history to open at the top of the all-genre chart with a debut release. It garnered the highest sales of any country solo album released last year and held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for six weeks. The album's first single, "I Love You This Big," has been certified gold, and his current single, "The Trouble With Girls," is approaching gold status. He is currently touring as part of Brad Paisley's Virtual Reality Tour 2012 presented by Chevrolet.

About the Academy of Country Music Awards

The 47th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers. Barry Adelman is producer, and Bob Bardo is the executive in charge of production. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music. For more information, please visit www.acmcountry.com.

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*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. You have not yet won. Open to legal residents of the United States, at least 18 years old and age of majority in state of residence, with a valid driver's license, at date of entry into sweepstakes. Void where prohibited by law. Sweepstakes ends at 5:00pm PT on 4/15/12. See official rules at CBS.com/vote for details.

** MSG&Data rates apply.