Taylor Swift on stage in Seoul, South Korea on the Asian leg of her 2011 Speak Now World Tour. Photo courtesy of Taylorswift.com.

Billboard.com has released their list of the Top 25 Tours of 2011. U2 takes the top spot, but country music is well-represented, notching four spots on the multi-genre chart. Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney both made it into the Top 10, with Taylor being ranked at No. 5 and Kenny coming in right behind her at No. 6. Jason Aldean took spot No. 24 and Toby Keith came in at No. 25.

Artists are ranked by total gross earnings, according to Billboard Boxscore, from Nov. 1, 2010, to Nov. 8, 2011.

Top 25 Tours of 2011:

1. U2
2. Bon Jovi
3. Take That
4. Roger Waters
5. Taylor Swift
6. Kenny Chesney
7. Usher
8. Lady Gaga
9. Andre Rieu
10. Sade Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Taylor Swift has received three People’s Choice Awards nominations while Blake Shelton and Lady Antebellum snagged two apiece. Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts are also nominated for a PCA Award each. The People’s Choice Awards will air live on CBS on November 11 at 9/8 CT from Los Angeles.

Taylor received nominations for Favorite Country Artists along with Blake, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts. She is also nominated for all-genre Favorite Female Artist with Adele, Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga as well as Favorite Tour Headliner with Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, U2 and Usher. Continue Reading

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Producer John Shanks (l) has worked with Keith Urban (r), Kelly Clarkson & Bon Jovi.

Guitar Center has launched Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter, an artist discovery program aimed at finding the nation’s best unsigned singer-songwriter. The winner will receive a prize package that includes recording 3 songs with Grammy-winning producer John Shanks, who has worked with Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson and Bon Jovi, among others, plus recording time at Converse Rubber Tracks studio, new gear and $10,000 in cash.

“Often the only thing standing between a great artist and their dreams is an opportunity,” Dustin Hinz, director of music and entertainment marketing at Guitar Center, said. “Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter is another way we continue to deliver on our ongoing commitment of providing unsigned artists with opportunities they need to be discovered.”

“I’m thrilled to be able to help Guitar Center give a potentially career-altering opportunity to an unsigned artist,” John Shanks said. “Helping an artist hone their sound is something I relish as a producer, and I can’t wait to see what the winner has to offer.” Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Last week Billboard.com released the list of finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, scheduled to air on May 22nd at 8p ET/PT on ABC.

The Billboard Music Awards take a holistic look at artist performance based on key fan interactions with music — finalists and winners are determined by chart performance and social and streaming activity as chronicled in Billboard magazine and on Billboard.com during the eligibility period of Feb, 28, 2010 and Mar. 1, 2011.

The 46 award categories are based on measures provided by Billboard’s data partners including sales data shared by Nielsen SoundScan, radio airplay monitored by Nielsen BDS, streaming data measured by Tubemogul and Nielsen BDS, social media consumption gauged by Next Big Sound and tour grosses tracked by Billboard Boxscore.

Here’s a look at some of the key categories and finalists country fans will be most interested in: Continue Reading

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Rascal Flatts photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

We told you it was coming. A duet with Rascal Flatts and teen pop sensation Justin Bieber. And now, there’s a video to go along with the track, “That Should Be Me,” which can be found on Justin’s Never Say Never – The Remixes album.

Now before you go and say Justin Bieber is not country, Continue Reading

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Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Thanksgiving is officially a holiday, but that won’t stop many of country music’s top stars from working while the rest of us eat.

Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and James Otto are a few of the artists who have Turkey Day activities planned. Some of those appearances — including Taylor’s first-ever network special — were already shot. But others, such as Gloriana’s appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, indeed occur in real time.

Here’s a roundup of country-related Thanksgiving stuff:

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Eli Young Band photo courtesy of Universal Records South.

In an era when Kid Rock and Bon Jovi have found success in country music, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to hear Tom Petty’s name being thrown around.

The Eli Young Band has been covering the rocker’s “American Girl” frequently in concert, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are something of a muse for the Texas foursome as it develops a follow-up to the 2008 album Jet Black & Jealous.

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Tim McGraw photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of Curb Records.

He’s touring, he’s finished work on a movie and has yet another on the way. Now Tim McGraw’s been added to the lineup for a concert TV special and there’s speculation that he — or another of his fellow country stars — could become the halftime entertainment at next year’s Super Bowl.

Fitting in more recording sessions might be difficult, but you can bet Tim will be doing that, too.

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Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.

Jason Aldean recently saw his hit “She’s Country” go platinum, and he’ll talk about his unique blend of country and hard-rockin’ music with co-host Nan Kelley on this weekend’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

“She’s Country” was the first hit off his current Wide Open album, which has notched two more huge singles: “Big Green Tractor” and “The Truth.” He’s taking a break from touring through the end of December, but he’ll be back out on the trail in 2010. His calendar already includes a major stop on the inaugural HullabaLOU Music Festival at Churchill Downs, the same Louisville venue that hosts the Kentucky Derby. Also on the bill with Jason in July are the Zac Brown Band, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Chesney, Bon Jovi, Dwight Yoakam, the Dave Matthews Band, the Black Crowes and Gloriana.

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