Mark McGrath Hosts AXS TV's 2nd Annual 'GRAMMY PREDICTION SPECIAL' - Broadcast Forecasts Winners On Tues. Feb. 3 At 10pE/7pP

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Get ready for the GRAMMYS® with AXS TV's 2^ND Annual GRAMMY PREDICTION SPECIAL—an interactive event airing Tuesday, February 3, at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. This is the perfect primer for music's biggest night, as AXS TV's experts give viewers a taste of what they can expect when the winners are announced for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' GRAMMY® Awards on Sunday, February 8. Mark McGrath, fan-favorite television personality and front man for the smash-hit rock band Sugar Ray, will host this exclusive hour-long event, moderating an esteemed panel of industry insiders that features expert opinion and analysis from Variety columnist and acclaimed music critic Bob Lefsetz, hip-hop tastemaker DJ Skee, and consumer research company CivicScience's CEO John Dick. The 2015 GRAMMY PREDICTION SPECIAL will be rebroadcast throughout the week, leading up to the Recording Academy®'s 57^th Annual GRAMMY® Awards.

The forecasted results will be determined by polling conducted by CivicScience from late December up until the show's airtime, and responses will be generated in partnership with Billboard Magazine. AXS TV's experts will deliver their own unique and informed take concerning the awards show's top categories, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist and Record of the Year, while discussing and debating consumers' predictions as told to CivicScience.

"AXS TV is proud to air another installment of our GRAMMY PREDICTION SPECIAL, once again using real-time and representative consumer polling data from CivicScience," said Michele M. Dix, AXS TV's senior vice president, programming and development. "CivicScience has established a great track record over the years forecasting trends and outcomes, and now we have the opportunity to engage with music fans again, as CivicScience polls consumers to determine who the 2015 winners will be. This signature event is one that music enthusiasts are sure to enjoy with Mark McGrath leading our panel of experts, discussing the top trends of music in 2014."

To discuss and debate the night's results, AXS TV has assembled a super-group of expert pundits. Making his GRAMMY PREDICTION SPECIAL debut is rock icon Mark McGrath, who will serve as host and moderator. Returning to the panel is Variety columnist Bob Lefsetz, a revered music critic who has built a reputation as one of the most spirited and knowledgeable names in the business; he is also the author of the highly regarded online publication "The Lefsetz Letter." Lefsetz is joined by DJ Skee—a hip-hop trendsetter at the forefront of music, fashion and culture, and a sought-after composer, radio host and disc jockey who has emerged as one of the most influential figures in the industry. As the founder of Dash Radio and SKEE.TV, Skee's eye for talent and mastery of music genres is unparalleled, making him a valuable addition to the team. CivicScience's CEO John Dick rounds out the panel, a successful entrepreneur and executive whose market research company has been trusted to deliver the most secure and accurate data to a variety of entertainment outlets.

CivicScience is using its proprietary method for polling consumers about the GRAMMY winners, and the company is further analyzing segments of consumers who are better predictors than the general population. This year, the company expects that over 100,000 respondents will be included in the company's analysis based on polls distributed through both Billboard and CivicScience's network of hundreds of web publishing partner sites. To participate in the research study, fans can visit http://civicscienceinc.com/Grammys, http://bit.ly/GrammyPrediction, and http://www.billboard.com/articles/6429590/grammy-2015-predictions-poll, where they will be able to vote until the show's premiere.

AXS TV'S GRAMMY PREDICTION SHOW WILL COVER THESE CATEGORIES AND RESPECTIVE NOMINEES:

Record of the Year

• FANCY (Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX)
• CHANDELIER (Sia)
• STAY WITH ME-Darkchild Version (Sam Smith)
• SHAKE IT OFF (Taylor Swift)
• ALL ABOUT THAT BASS (Meghan Trainor)

Album of the Year

• MORNING PHASE (Beck)
• BEYONCÉ (Beyoncé)
• X (Ed Sheeran)
• IN THE LONELY HOUR (Sam Smith)
• GIRL (Pharrell Williams)

Song of the Year

• ALL ABOUT THAT BASS – Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor)
• CHANDELIER - Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia)
• SHAKE IT OFF - Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
• STAY WITH ME-Darkchild Version -James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
• TAKE ME TO CHURCH - Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier)

Best New Artist

• IGGY AZALEA
• BASTILLE
• BRANDY CLARK
• HAIM
• SAM SMITH

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

• FANCY- (Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX)
• A SKY FULL OF STARS – (Coldplay)
• SAY SOMETHING- (A Great Big World with Christina Aguilera)
• BANG BANG - (Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj)
• DARK HORSE – (Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J)

Best Rock Performance

• GIMME SOMETHING GOOD - (Ryan Adams)
• DO I WANNA KNOW? – (Arctic Monkeys)
• BLUE MOON - (Beck)
• FEVER - (The Black Keys)
• LAZARETTO – (Jack White)

Best Rock Album

• RYAN ADAMS- (Ryan Adams)
• MORNING PHASE – (Beck)
• TURN BLUE - (The Black Keys)
• HYPNOTIC EYE – (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
• SONGS OF INNOCENCE - (U2)

Best Rap Album

• THE NEW CLASSIC- (Iggy Azalea)
• BECAUSE THE INTERNET – (Childish Gambino)
• NOBODY'S SMILING - (Common)
• THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP2 – (Eminem)
• OXYMORON - (Schoolboy Q)
• BLACC HOLLYWOOD – (Wiz Khalifa)

Best Country Album

• RISER - (Dierks Bentley)
• THE OUTSIDERS – (Eric Church)
• 12 STORIES - (Brandy Clark)
• PLATINUM – (Miranda Lambert)
• THE WAY I'M LIVIN' – (Lee Ann Womack)

ABOUT AXS TV
AXS TV is the cable industry's leading general entertainment network for live event programming, and the premier destination for some of the nation's biggest music festivals in 2015. Launched in July 2012 by visionary entrepreneur Mark Cuban, AXS TV is dedicated to providing groundbreaking music programming, stand-up comedy performances from today's top comedians, and hard-hitting mixed martial arts promotions. Boasting over 70 hours of exclusive live broadcasts of premier music festivals in 2015 (featuring Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Stagecoach Country Music Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Rock on the Range Music Festival and Firefly Music Festival), the HD channel heavily concentrates on bringing the industry's biggest names directly into their viewers' homes, for the ultimate front row experience. Other hit network franchises include such original programs as THE BIG INTERVIEW with Dan Rather; DISCOVERING LUCY ANGEL, THE WORLD'S GREATEST TRIBUTE BANDS, GOTHAM COMEDY LIVE, ART MANN PRESENTS, AXS TV FIGHTS and INSIDE MMA.

AXS TV is a partnership between Mark Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS. The network is available in the United States via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite and telco providers. The network is also distributed in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. For more information, visit the website, www.axs.tv; go to the Facebook page here and follow the company on Twitter, @axstv; on Instagram; Tumblr  and YouTube.

About the CivicScience Methodology
CivicScience collects real-time consumer research data via polling applications that run on hundreds of U.S. publisher websites, cycling through thousands of active questions on any given day. Respondents are 100% voluntary opt-in with no incentives, compensation or coercion -- they answer just for fun and are kept anonymous, allowing for greatly reduce bias and higher levels of engagement. Respondents for this study will be collected from December 19, 2014 up to the GRAMMY'S show airdate on February 8, 2015. Using its technology and other polling attribute data collected, CivicScience will also determine which segments of consumers make for better predictors in this area when compared to the general population. The CivicScience methodology has been scientifically validated by a team of academic leaders and by independent research firms. CivicScience currently has more than 28.5 million anonymous consumer profiles stored, growing daily.

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SOURCE AXS TV

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