Drake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Robin Thicke, And Keith Urban Set To Perform On"The GRAMMY® Nominations Concert Live!! - Countdown To Music's Biggest Night®"

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAMMY^® winner Drake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Robin Thicke, and four-time GRAMMY winner Keith Urban are the first acts announced to perform on "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night^®." Two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J returns to host the one-hour special, which takes place at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on Friday, Dec. 6. The show — which will announce nominations in several categories as well as feature performances by past GRAMMY winners and/or nominees — will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 10 – 11 p.m. ET/PT. Additional performers and presenters will be announced shortly. For updates and breaking news, please visit GRAMMY.com, and The Recording Academy^®'s social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

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Following the one-hour live telecast, guests will experience an exclusive concert by Thicke. Tickets for "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Oct. 17, and will be available online at www.axs.com or via AXS charge-by-phone lines at 888.9.AXS.TIX (888.929.7849).

This concert special marks the sixth time nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards^® will be announced live on primetime television. Last year's airing of the nominations special helped lead to stellar ratings for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, which garnered 28.37 million viewers — the second-largest audience for the awards broadcast since 1993. The telecast also nearly doubled its social media conversation from the previous year, generating 24.8 million comments (based on research compiled by Bluefin, PeopleBrowsr and Mass Relevance).

LL COOL J has hosted "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" since its inception in December 2008, and also hosted the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast for the second time earlier this year.

The road to Music's Biggest Night begins with "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" and culminates with the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards, live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. 

"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" is produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures, LLC. Ken Ehrlich is the executive producer. LL COOL J is producer.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "The GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on Foursquare, GetGlue, Google +, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and YouTube.

SOURCE The Recording Academy