America Votes: Viewers to Determine Winner of GAC's First-Ever Nationwide Talent Competition

Nashville, TN (PRWEB) September 3, 2008 -- America: it's now your turn to let your voice be heard. Grueling rehearsals, heart-stopping performances and personal advice from country superstars may have led the six finalists to the last stop in the Great American Country (GAC) and Music Nation's Next GAC Star (http://www.gactv.com/star) competition, but it is the American viewers who will crown the winner during two voting phases starting Wed., Sept. 3, through the last segment of the Sept. 10 finale. Chosen among thousands of independent country artists around the U.S., the final six are vying to fulfill a dream of a lifetime: a record deal with Original Signal Recordings, a music video, and a Gibson Hummingbird guitar.

The finalists - J.C. Andersen, Tyler Barham, Megan Conner, Angela Engelman, One Night Rodeo and Lane Turner - have each displayed incredible talent and shared their triumphant musical journey with audiences, but who will ultimately reign as the Next Great American Country Star?

Viewers can get to know each finalist by visiting www.gactv.com/star, where each finalist profile includes an in-depth Q&A, a mock job interview video, and original, studio recordings. Immediately following the Sept. 3 episode, viewers will be able to cast their votes for their favorite contestant by logging on to www.gactv.com/star. Voting will end on Sept. 10 - mere hours before the live 90-minute finale.

The nail-biting finale will be broadcast live in front of a studio audience at Nashville's City Hall venue on Wed., Sept. 10 at 9 pm ET. In the program's opening moments, host Robin Meade, anchor of "Morning Express with Robin Meade" on Headline News, will announce the elimination of two finalists, who received the least amount of votes from the viewers through the week. Joining Meade on the stage will be ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year Jack Ingram, Desmond Child and Victoria Shaw.

The remaining four contestants will then launch into the final challenge: a live performance of a SONY ATV cover song. Viewers will have one final chance to weigh in on who they believe should win when voting lines open online, via text messages and to a specified 1-800 number immediately following the four performances. Voting will be open until the final minutes before the show ends.

In the final moments of the program, Meade will announce the person America chose as The Next GAC Star, and the house band will strike up a never-before-heard Sony ATV original song, which will later be released as a single.

After the show, the winner will begin their artist development deal with Original Signal Recordings, who in partnership with GAC will release a video of the winner and a single for downloading.

For more information on The Next GAC Star visit www.gactv.com/star.

About Great American Country:

Great American Country is the leader in country music entertainment. GAC delivers to viewers the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. GAC broadcasts original country music programming, country music performance specials, live concerts, music videos, and is the exclusive television home of the Grand Ole Opry. GAC is available in more than 54 million households and online at http://www.GACTV.com.

About Music Nation:

Engineered to navigate the changing landscape of the music business, Music Nation is a next generation music company designed to discover, develop, and build artist brands. The company employs both its expanding online music community, which acts as a digital A&R source, and traditional methods to sign artists to its label Original Signal Recordings. Through custom deals that are equitable, artist-friendly partnerships, the company is able to focus on developing new revenue streams around artists to create career sustainability.

Launched in 2006, the company is the brainchild of Daniel Klaus (CEO), Lucas Mann (Co-founder), Kevin P. Ryan (Chairman), and Peter Read (Managing Director, UK and Europe); their combined expertise crosses the e-commerce, digital media, and music industry divides.

About Original Signal Recordings:

Original Signal Recordings merges the services of a traditional record label with a pioneering approach to long-term artist growth. By offering a new breed of equitable, joint venture deals that function on multiple platforms, Original Signal presents a unique value to new and established artists. Embracing technology rather than shying away from it, the company employs new media and other channels to generate sustainability for its artists. Their roster includes Ingrid Michaelson, David Ford, and The Modern Society, among others.

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