Jason Aldean,
Kenny Chesney,
Lady
Antebellum,
Brad Paisley and
Taylor
Swift will be honored during
CMT Artists of the Year, a 90-minute special premiering Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on
CMT. Criteria for choosing the five acts included music sales, country radio airplay, concert grosses as a headliner or co-headliner
and video streams, searches and page views on
CMT.com. During the past 12 months, the five artists have collectively
sold more than 9 million copies of their albums and more than 20 million individual downloads of their current singles. Scheduled
to be taped in Nashville, the celebration will feature star-studded performances from the honorees as well as celebrity peers
from across the entertainment spectrum. The evening's cuisine will be inspired by the artists of the year and prepared by
celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, winner of TV's
Top Chef competition and chef/partner of Girl and the Goat restaurant
in Chicago.
Find out more about the 2011 CMT Artists
of the Year special.
