It was one for the record books when the final list of nominees for The 44^th Annual CMA Awards were announced today with fresh faces layered throughout the field of finalists vying for a coveted crystal trophy on what they call "Country Music's Biggest Night." 

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and broadcast live in Australia on CMC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at midday on Thurdsay November 11.  When the final nominations were tallied, Miranda Lambert led the list of finalists with nine nominations - the most for any female artist in the history of the CMA Awards. Alan Jackson received 10 nominations in 2002. Prior to that, Merle Haggard held the record with nine in 1970. 

Lambert received nominations for Entertainer; Female Vocalist; Album for Revolution; two for Single, 'The House That Built Me' and 'White Liar' Song for 'White Liar,' which she wrote with Natalie Hemby; Musical Event, for 'Bad Angel' with Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson; and two for Music Video of the Year for 'The House That Built Me' directed by Trey Fanjoy, and 'White Liar' directed by Chris Hicky. Lady Antebellum garnered the second highest number of CMA Awards nominations with five including Entertainer of the Year. Third on the list of nominees was Zac Brown Band and Blake Shelton with four nominations. 

In a major surprise, 2009 Entertainer of the Year and 2010 Grammy Album of the Year winner Taylor Swift was not nominated for the Entertainer of the Year award this time around.

Australia's Keith Urban received two nominations for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. Urban won Entertainer in 2005 and Male Vocalist of the Year three times (2004, 2005, and 2006).  The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA. They include international voters. 

Click Here To See The Full List of 2010 CMA Awards Nominees

Adam Harvey will release his first greatest hits collection on August 20 through Sony Music.

Best So Far is a collection of Harvey's favourite tracks spanning his career, plus two new songs. He will also release a DVD in August, entitled Best So Far, which will include many of his currently unavailable music videos, a brand new video for his new song Better Than This, as well as interview footage and a candid documentary of Adam throughout his career.

Harvey won his first Golden Guitar with Tanya Self in 1998. In a career spanning more than a decade, he has gone from strength to strength, winning seven Golden Guitars, receiving the Global Artist Award in Nashville, and being invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry Ryman Auditorium

Adam Harvey's brand new single, 'Better Than This', has now been released. It's a track Harvey wrote specially for this album; “I have the best job in the world, and I’m very grateful – its just doesn’t get any better than this!”

Following a triumphant debut voyage to Australia earlier this year, multiple-CCMA and Juno Award winners, Doc Walker, are returning here again in  January 2011, for three shows only! The first show is a one-off event at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, followed by a concert in Brisbane and another in Sydney.

“We had such an incredible time in Australia”, said Doc Walker’s Chris Thornsteinson. “The way we were embraced by the Aussie crowds is unlike anything we’ve experienced outside of Canada. We can’t wait to get back!”

Doc Walker’s 2010 Australian Tour kicked off at CMC Rocks the Snowys Festival in Thredbo, followed by dates around NSW and QLD with Texan country-rocker, Jack Ingram, and our own Steve Forde. With their soaring harmonies, tight band interplay and easy-rockin’ country sound, the Canadian trio won over crowds around the country, making many new fans who are clamouring for them to return.

Their new album, Go, debuted at #12 on the ARIA Country Chart earlier this year and their current single, 'I’m Gonna Make You Love Me', just topped the Canadian video charts and features footage from their first Australian trip.

It was just announced that Doc Walker received nine nominations for the 2010 CCMA Awards, including Album, Single and Group of the Year.

The Doc Walker 2011 Australian Tour will kick off at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, after which you can catch them at Brisbane’s Pioneer Village Country Music Club and Sydney’s Rooty Hill RSL Club.

Special Guest on the Tamworth and Sydney shows is ABC Music recording artist, Peter McWhirter, the energetic country-rocker whose debut album, Lucky As A Seven, recorded in Nashville, is due out on September 10. Queensland country-folk duo, Busby Marou, will perform on the Brisbane show. 

DOC WALKER AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES 
Saturday January 22 – Blazes Showroom @ Wests, Tamworth
Sunday January 23 – Pioneer Village Country Music Club, Petrie
Tuesday January 25 – Rooty Hill RSL Club, Sydney

Recent Australian visitors Doc Walker and upcoming visitor Corb Lund have both featured prominantly in the 2010 Canadian Country Music Awards nominations.

Doc Walker are nominated for Album of The Year (Go), Fans Choice, Single of the Year ('If I Fall'), Songwriters of the Year ('If I Fall'), and Group or Duo of the Year.

Lund is nominated for Fans Choice, Video of the Year ('Devil's Best Dress'), Male Arist of the Year and Roots Artist of the Year.

See A Full List of 2010 CCMA Award Nominees Here

The awards will be held on September 12 in Canada and air on CMC in Australia from September 30.

In a great boost for the local industry, Sony Music Entertainment has announced its new association with new Country Music label ‘Core Music’. Core Music is headed and owned by producer Rod McCormack.

Supported by the team at Sony Music Entertainment, the infant label already boasts the likes of Gina Jeffreys and Beccy Cole. Core Music say they will continue to acquire established artists, as well as signing and releasing emerging talent.

“I’m excited about the new label and look forward to giving some of our great artists, both established and emerging, a new home and the support they deserve” said Rod McCormack.

Sony Music Entertainment Australia boss Denis Handlin said, “We are looking forward to expanding our local roster of Australian talent through our new association with Core Music”.

Core Music will release the new album from Beccy Cole titled Pre-Loved on September 3, and the previously independently released, Old Paint from Gina Jeffreys on September 17.

Taylor Swift's new single 'Mine' has been leaked online and has been rush released for online sale in the US.

"An unauthorized low-quality mp3 file of the single appeared online earlier today. As the low-quality file started to spread virally the decision was made to rush release “Mine" to iTunes and Country radio to ensure that Taylor’s fans were able to hear the single as she intended" said Swift's record company Big Machine Records earlier today."

Within hours of release to Country Radio in the US, the new track has jumped to #35 on the Billboard Country Radio singles chart.

UPDATE: The track has now also been rushed to Australian radio and online stores.

New ABC Music artist Peter McWhirter has released his second single 'I Will Stand By You'. The clip was premiered on CMC on the weekend and is the channel's "Country Pick" this week.

'I Will Stand By You' is the follow-up to McWhirter's debut #1 single 'Humm'.

The music video for 'I Will Stand By You' was directed by Stuart Bowen (Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission) and directed by Jodi Matherson.

Peter McWhirter's debut album, titled Lucky As A Seven, will be released on September 10 and he's appearing at CMC Rocks North Queensland on a bill which includes Tim McGraw, Corb Lund, Steve Forde and 2009 ARIA nominee Jasmine Rae. He is also supporting Corb Lund during his other Australian shows.

Take a look at 'I Will Stand By You' below...

New pop/country artist Stephanie Brownlee is today releasing her debut album Keep It Real through Compass Bros Records.

Brownlee was discovered at the age of 14 by former Fleetwood Mac Manager Dennis Dunstan and after three years of development, he put her into the studio to record her debut album. 

Recorded in Nashville and Sydney, Keep It Real showcases a collection of songs from Jessie Alexander, Tom Shapiro and Liz Rose, who co-penned several of Taylor Swift’s hits.  

She toured with the McClymonts late in 2009. 

Brownlee's new single is a Sarah Buxton cover titled 'That Kind Of Day'. Check it out below...

It's official...  Taylor Swift will release her third studio album, Speak Now  at the end of October.  She announced these details Tuesday with her fans on Ustream. 

The album's first single, 'Mine,' will be released around mid-August.

"Ever since we put out 'Fearless' I've been writing this one," said Swift, who added that "Speak Now" will consist of about 14 songs. "Through the past two years, I've been through a lot of things that I have been dying to write about and talk about. There were a lot of things that I wanted to say in the moment but couldn't, and this album is my opportunity to do that.

Swift co-produced the album with Nathan Chapman, whom she collaborated with on her first two albums.

"Current CMA Entertainer of the Year and Grammy Album of the Year holder Taylor Swift will conduct a live web chat next Wednesday morning at 7:00am Australian Eastern time to give fans details about her new album - set for release before Christmas"

“I’ve spent the last two years out on the Fearless tour and working on my new record,” Taylor said. “I’ve gotten so many questions from fans -- on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, my website, everywhere really, and it’s so incredible to see how excited everybody is about what’s next. I want them to be the first to know about my new music, and I can’t wait to talk to everybody as directly as I can!”, said Taylor on her official website this week.

Visit www.taylorswift.com at 7:00am Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne time on Wednesday morning to hear all the news from Taylor herself.