NashvilleHype!

A National Talent Search for Country Music’s Next Great Artist
Contestants Compete By Submitting Performance Videos Online – Enter Now

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Musicians who love the spotlight and dream of the day when millions of fans will scream their name now have the chance to show their mettle. Television network Great American Country (GAC) is joining the ranks of its sister networks HGTV and Food Network by premiering The Next GAC Star, a nationwide talent search for the next country music star, in a partnership with artist development company Music Nation.

Six finalists will be flown to Nashville to be featured in a final two-part television special on September 3 and 10, with a LIVE elimination in the second show. The winning artist will receive a record deal and a music video, which will air on GAC.

Beginning today and through July 14th, GAC will accept video, mp3s, and photos from hopeful country music enthusiasts looking for their shot at becoming a recording artist at www.gactv.com/star. In addition to submitting videos online, some applicants will be able to tape audition videos in-person by visiting the GAC Summer Tour Bus, which hits the road May 1 and will travel to select markets throughout the summer.

“There are two phenomenon currently at play in the music industry: the rise of consumer-generated music content on the Internet and the success of artists participating in national talent competitions. Thanks to our relationship with Music Nation, we’ve incorporated both aspects into one show with The Next GAC Star,” says Sarah Trahern, senior vice president of programming for the network. “Viewers can upload their favorite performances online with the hopes of seeing themselves on the network and possibly winning it all.”

Voting begins May 23rd and will run in three phases. For the first eight weeks, the public will vote on submissions using Music Nation’s head-to-head player, which randomly pits two artists against each other and asks the user to choose a favorite. During this period, there will be two weekly winners: the highest ranked artist from the head-to-head standings and an “Industry Insiders” Pick, an artist collectively chosen by GAC and Music Nation staffers. Select video submissions will also air in the new series, Next GAC Star, which premieres on June 1 and will broadcast every Sunday. During the second phase, the 16 weekly winners will be narrowed down to a field of six by Next GAC Star’s panel of celebrity judges, to be announced next month. Finally, these six finalists will move on to be featured on the two TV specials, where the Next GAC Star will ultimately be determined.

“In the past, we’ve launched a number of successful talent searches for the rock, pop, and urban genres, and this new partnership with GAC allows us to extend our brand into the devoted country music fan base,” says Daniel Klaus, Music Nation CEO. “This competition allows undiscovered artists a real shot at the career they dream of, in addition to having their music played on GAC.”

Interested artists and viewers can get more information on Next GAC Star by visiting http://www.gactv.com/star.

About Great American Country
Great American Country is the leader in country music entertainment. GAC delivers to viewers the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. GAC broadcasts original country music programming, country music performance specials, live concerts, music videos, and is the exclusive television home of the Grand Ole Opry. GAC is available in more than 53 million households and online at http://www.gactv.com/star.

GAC is owned by Scripps Networks, the leading developer of lifestyle-oriented content for television and the Internet, including HGTV , Food Network , DIY Network and Fine Living Network . Scripps Networks is based in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Nashville, and is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), a diverse media concern with interests in newspaper publishing, broadcast television, national television networks and interactive media. Scripps operates daily and community newspapers in 16 markets, 10 broadcast TV stations, Scripps Howard News Service, United Media and Shopzilla.com.

About Music Nation
Engineered to navigate the changing landscape of the music business, Music Nation is a next generation music company designed to discover, develop, and build artist brands. The company employs both its expanding online music community, which acts as a digital A&R source, and traditional methods to sign artists to its label Original Signal Recordings. Through custom deals that are equitable, artist-friendly partnerships, the company is able to focus on developing new revenue streams around artists to create career sustainability.

Launched in 2006, the company is the brainchild of Daniel Klaus (CEO), Lucas Mann (Co-founder), Kevin P. Ryan (Chairman), and Peter Read (Managing Director, UK and Europe); their combined expertise crosses the e-commerce, digital media, and music industry divides.