Our Country RoadCountry Music news and reviews

This week on Urban Developments, Keith takes fans behind the scenes of his CMT Crossover episode with John Mayer. If you didn’t catch the performance on CMT, you can watch videos on CMT.com of this amazing collaboration.

Check out video from the busy week for Keith Urban including the CMT Awards, CMA Fest, a show at the New Meadowland Stadium in NJ and at Gillette Stadium in Mass. Quite a life for one of the biggest stars in the music business.

Keith Urban and John Mayer taped an episode of CMT Crossroads a few months ago. The CMT air date is June 18th. Here is a sneak peak of these two superstars with a performance of Urban’s “Sweet Thing”.

Keith Urban’s latest episode of Urban Developments comes from his trip to NYC and Ellis Island. He was there for a private concert and here is a look at Keith in NYC.

Forbes Magazine has a great article on the top earning country music stars. The article talks about the stability of the country music industry comparatively to the rest of the genres. It also talks about fan loyalty and dedication to artists that continue year after year. Kenny Chesney took the top earning spot followed by Toby Keith. Taylor Swift, with the help of her massive “Fearless Tour”, made a huge move this past year and finished #3. The only real surprise was Carrie Underwood coming in at #10. I would have expected her to be higher on the list. Here is an excerpt from the article. Fans should definitely head over to Forbes Magazine and read the entire piece.

“Unlike success on the coasts, fame in Nashville seems to come with an irrevocable ticket into the hearts and wallets of country fans who, like the heroes of a sad song, are in it for the long haul.”

“Their loyalty is one big reason why Nashville seems to be a time warp back to the days when the music industry was all-powerful and radio stations dictated who would become a star. Over the last year country has remained calm as the rest of the business continues to shed dollars and talent. Country album sales were down only 3% in 2009, compared with double-digit declines in rock, alternative and rap.”

Here is the Top 10 list of earners in country music. The exact monetary figure is an estimate. Check out a slide show of all of the Top 10 along with facts and figures on their earning at Forbes.com.

1. Kenny Chesney – $50 Million
2. Toby Keith – $48 Million
3. Taylor Swift – $45 Million
3. Rascal Flatts – $45 Million
5. Tim McGraw – $30 Million
6. Keith Urban – $28 Million
7. George Strait – $25 Million
8. Brad Paisley – $22 Million
9. Alan Jackson – $15 Million
10. Carrie Underwood – $13 Million

GACTV.com is reporting that last night’s Nashville flood relief benefit, “Music City Keep On Playin’” has raised over $1.7 million. The generous outpouring of money from all around the country will benefit those who have been devastated by the flood in middle Tennessee. Huge donations came in from Comcast, Delta, TMobile, and many other corporations. Brad Paisley and his wife generously gave $100,000 to relief efforts. This money will be able to help many people, who have lost everything in this terrible event. Thank you to everyone who gave to the relief efforts. Below are some pictures from the benefit event last night.

Photos courtesy of GACTV.com. Check out GAC for more info and pictures from “Music City Keep On Playin’”

Friday, May 14th “Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music” will re-open to the public as a permanent exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Among the many items added to the exhibit will be Carrie Underwood’s 2007 Grammy dress created by Badgley Mischka. Carrie’s dress is a jaw dropper but there are many other great items in the exhibit also. Other items include, Jamey Johnson’s 2004 Epiphone Masterbilt acoustic guitar, Brad Paisley’s Serratelli cowboy hat, Keith Urban’s 1954 Harmoney Stratotone electric guitar and Taylor Swift’s gown from the 2009 CMA Awards.

This will be a big weekend for the Hall of Fame. The curators of the exhibit will talk about their project on Friday. Then on Saturday, Naomi Judd and Joe Galante will be on hand to talk to fans at 1:30 pm. Check out all of the other great programs at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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For all of you Keith Urban fans…here is this week’s Urban Developments Episode 54. Go behind the scenes with Keith At Late Night With Jimmy Fallon…Check it out:

Keith Urban visited the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Show last night for their Rolling Stones tribute week. Here is Urban’s performance of “Tumbling Dice” off of the Stones album, Exile On Main Street.

Laura Bell Bundy and Evan Farmer announced the final nominees for the CMT Music Awards on People.com today.

And here are the CMT Music Awards 2010 Nominees ….

Female Video of the Year:
* Miranda Lambert- “White Liar”
* Reba McEntire- “Consider Me Gone”
* Taylor Swift-”You Belong With Me”
* Carrie Underwood-”Cowboy Casanova”

Male Video of the Year:
* Jason Aldean-”The Truth”
* Billy Currington-”People Are Crazy”
* Toby Keith-”American Ride”
* Tim McGraw-”Southern Voice”
* Keith Urban-”Til Summer Comes Around”

Group Video of the Year:
* Gloriana-”How Far Do You Wanna Go”
* Lady Antebellum-”Need You Now”
* Rascal Flatts-”Here Comes Good Bye”
* Zac Brown Band-”Toes”

Duo Video of the Year:
* Brooks & Dunn: “Indian Summer”
* Steel Magnolia-”Keep on Lovin You”
* Sugarland-”Keep You”
* Sugarland-”Night Swimming/Joey”

USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
* Luke Bryan-”Do I”
* Easton Corbin-”A Little More Country than That”
* Steel Magnolia-”Keep on Lovin You”
* Laura Bell Bundy-”Giddy on Up”

Collaborative Video of the Year:
* Taylor Swift & Kellie Pickler-”Best Days of Your Life”
* Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins-”Hillbilly Bone”
* Jason Aldean & Bryan Adams-”Heaven”
* Kenny Chesney & Dave Matthews-”I’m Alive”

Video Director of the Year
*Deaton Flanigen (eligible videos include: Jason Aldean’s “The Truth” and Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home”)
*Chris Hicky (eligible videos include: Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar” and Justin Moore’s “Small Town USA”)
*Shaun Silva (eligible videos include: Kenny Chesney’s “Out Last Night” and Rascal Flatts’s “Summer Nights”)
*Roman White (eligible videos include: Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” and Kellie Pickler’s “Best Days of Your Life”)

CMT Performance of the Year
*Lady Antebellum – “Lookin’ For A Good Time”
*Reba McEntire – “Consider Me Gone”
* Tim McGraw – “Southern Voice”
* Brad Paisley – “Then”
* Carrie Underwood – “Temporary Home”

Video of the Year:
* Toby Keith-”American Ride”
* Lady Antebellum-”Need You Now”
* Keith Urban-”Til Summer Comes Around”
* Jason Aldean-”The Truth”
* Miranda Lambert-”White Liar”
* Carrie Underwood-”Cowboy Casanova”
* Kenny Chesney-”Out Last Night”
* Zac Brown Band-”Toes”
* Brad Paisley-”Welcome to the Future”
* Taylor Swift-”You Belong with Me”

Fans can vote online at CMT.com through June 8 to determine the winners. The final nominees for Video of the Year will be announced at the beginning of the live show, and fans can then vote at CMT.com and via text message throughout the live broadcast (ET/CT only) to determine the night’s big winner.