Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan, and Eric Church Will Perform at 2012 CMA Music Festival

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Faith Hill, reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, and Zac Brown Band have joined the performance lineup for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during 2012 CMA Music Festival.  The event that USA Today calls "the crown jewel of Country Music festivals" will once again take over downtown Nashville for four days this summer, Thursday-Sunday, June 7-10, 2012.  

Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, and Carrie Underwood were previously announced as performing at the legendary Festival, which has grown since starting in 1972 as Fan Fair® to become Nashville's signature music event. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.  

Hill returns to CMA Music Festival for the first time since 2008. She debuted her long-awaited new single "Come Home" on "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" in November.  Her seventh new studio recording is set for an early 2012 release.

This will be Church's debut performance on the Nightly Concerts at LP Field. His most recent album, the Gold-certified Chief, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Billboard Country Albums charts last year.

Fans can purchase their tickets through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or 1-(800)-745-3000. They can also purchase them by calling 1-(800)-CMA-FEST (262-3378). Ticket prices are based on the level of seating at LP Field for the Nightly Concerts, and range from $115 to $325 plus handling fees. Fans can stay in the loop by visiting CMAfest.com, the official website of CMA Music Festival.

Featuring concerts, autograph signings, family activities, and more, CMA Music Festival is an unparalleled celebration of America's music. In 2011, the event drew a record-setting 65,000 fans from all 50 states and 26 nations and, for the second consecutive year, sold out in advance each night at LP Field for the star-packed nightly concerts. CMA Music Festival is a four-time winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association's LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010).

CMA Music Festival celebrates the unique relationship between Country Music artists and their fans in the heart of Music City USA. The artists participate for free, and on their behalf, CMA has donated half the net proceeds of the Festival to support music education through the Keep the Music Playing program. 

To date, more than $4.7 million has been donated to purchase musical instruments and supplies, providing thousands students in Metro Nashville Public Schools with the resources and opportunities they could not have afforded on their own, and giving many of them a strong reason to remain in school. The total also includes an annual endowment gift for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Words & Music program, which assists language arts and music teachers with classroom instruction in the basics of songwriting.

CMA Music Festival will once again be filmed for a national television special to air on the ABC Television Network. This is the ninth consecutive year that the event has been filmed for a network television special, a feat no other music festival has achieved. CBS aired the first CMA Music Festival special in 2004, with ABC airing it from 2005 onward through 2021. "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" will be executive-produced by Robert Deaton.  

CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. Fan Fair® is a registered trademark of CMA. Chevrolet(tm) is the Official Ride of Country Music. American Airlines is the Official Airline of 2012 CMA Music Festival.

SOURCE Country Music Association