Hallmark Signs Licensing Agreement With The Country Music Association

A new collection of 12 Hallmark greeting cards to feature music from popular Country Music artists

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Aug 04, 2016, 05:45 ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hallmark Cards, Inc. today announced a new licensing agreement with the Country Music Association (CMA) that will bring music from some of the most popular Country artists into the greeting card aisle.

With this contract, Hallmark will leverage the prestigious CMA Awards brand to feature products using songs from CMA-member artists including Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Craig Morgan, Brad Paisley, and Carrie Underwood.

"People love to connect with each other through music, and we're thrilled to bring some of today's hottest Country Music artists to Hallmark cards," said Kelly Reichman, Director – Hallmark Licensing. "Capturing the spirit of today's CMA-member artists, this collection celebrates good times with friends."

The collection includes 12 song cards to help consumers recognize birthdays and other celebratory occasions. Priced at $4.99, each card features a 15-second sound clip from some of the artists' top songs including No. 1 singles such as Carrie Underwood's "All-American Girl" and Brad Paisley's "Mud On the Tires."

"This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the CMA Awards, and we are excited this partnership with Hallmark gives our fans another way to celebrate," said Emily Evans, CMA Director of Strategic Partnerships. "Country Music tells the story of everyday living and these cards are a memorable way to mark life's special moments."

The cards will first appear in select Walmart stores in mid-October. The line will then be distributed through multiple retail channels nationwide by November. For more information about the card line, please visit Corporate.Hallmark.com. To locate a Hallmark Gold Crown store, visit Hallmark.com/stores.

About CMA
Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association was the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. In 1961, CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize artists and industry professionals with Country Music's highest honor. More than 7,600 music industry professionals and companies from around the globe are members of CMA. The organization's objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advance the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA's core initiatives: the CMA Awards, which celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year of recognizing outstanding achievement in the industry; the CMA Music Festival, which benefits music education and is taped for a three-hour TV special; and "CMA Country Christmas," featuring Country artists performing original music and Christmas classics. All of CMA's television properties will air on The ABC Television Network through 2021.

About Hallmark
For more than 100 years, privately-held Hallmark has been dedicated to creating a more emotionally-connected world. In the U.S., products offered by Hallmark Greetings, Hallmark Retail and Hallmark Home & Gifts can be found in more than 32,000 retail accounts including mass retailers, Hallmark Gold Crown® stores and online. Hallmark's family of companies also includes Crayola®, maker of creative art tools and toys, Crown Center, a mixed-use entertainment, office and residential district in Kansas City, and Hallmark International, which offers products in more than 30 languages available in 100 countries. Hallmark also is a majority stakeholder in Crown Media Family Networks, which owns and operates cable television's Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Hallmark employs 30,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit Hallmark.com. Connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.