Taylor Swift
and
Chris Young have
joined the
"Give the Gift of Music" campaign. In their new video testimonials,
Swift talks about hearing
Faith Hill's "This Kiss" for the first time, while Young recalls
receiving his first guitar as a Christmas gift. The videos launched exclusively in a special "Countdown to CMA" area on the
campaign's website. Previously-posted videos feature
Kelly Clarkson,
Little Big Town,
Martina McBride,
Rascal
Flatts,
Darius Rucker and
Blake Shelton. The
campaign has also launched a contest asking fans to share how a particular 2011 CMA Awards nominee's music (song, lyrics,
performance, etc.) has inspired them. The grand prize winner will receive two tickets to the CMA Awards show in Nashville
on Nov. 9 and $1,000. Country music gift packages will go to the second and third place winners. Last fall, the National Association
of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) led an industry-wide effort to
re-energize the 30-year old "Give the Gift of Music" campaign.
