Today, country.com announces an exciting, multi-year partnership with the Academy of Country Music. Under the agreement, country.com becomes the official online home of the Hollywood-based Academy.

What does this mean to country.com's online patrons? Plenty.

The first order of business will be to tell you all you want to know about the 35th annual ACM Awards, coming up May 3 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Go now to the special ACM Awards site for loads of background information on nominees, past winners, the Academy itself and awards show trivia.

Of course, the CBS broadcast network will carry the show live, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Dolly Parton has agreed to host this year, and Clint Black, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and George Strait are among the many country stars already slated to perform during the three-hour show.

To enhance your experience of the ACM's "Hat" awards, country.com will begin covering award-week festivities on Monday, May 1, with reports from rehearsals and live chats with many of country music's biggest names. When the big night arrives, we will host the official, 30-minute pre-show webcast. You'll get a preview of the nominees from our own Lisa Young, and you'll see a new interview with Brad Paisley, whose stock went sky-high on March 1 when folks found out he had four ACM nominations.

Go online while you watch the show, and you'll see live, up-to-date reporting on the night's performances and award winners. Country.com will be backstage at Universal Amphitheatre, feeding live, streaming video from the pressroom.

When all the "Hat" awards have been handed out, and the party clothes are put away, life goes on for the Academy of Country Music. As the Academy's partner, country.com will keep you posted on events such as the annual celebrity golf tournament, held in the fall, and we'll bring you ongoing reports about the Academy's doings. Our alliance with the Academy will be just one more way country.com can take you inside the world of country music.

"We are very honored that the Academy has entered into this natural partnership with us," says Martin Clayton, Vice President and General Manager, Interactive Media, CBS Cable (translation: country.com's big cheese). "Joining the Academy and its rich heritage with our in-depth music coverage will enhance country.com's reputation as the definitive destination on the web for all country music fans."