If you’re a fan of country music, you’ve probably seen clips of your favorite artists singing snippets of popular songs with the caption “September 20. #ForeverCountry” on social media. Those clips are teases for “Forever Country,” a song in honor of the 50th Annual CMA Awards in November.
The CMA has partnered with country radio, labels and 30 artists for the song that’s produced by Shane McAnally. The song celebrates artists and music across the genre’s history and features Tim McGraw, Reba, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley and more.
The song launches on Friday, September 16th when radio groups and stations, including iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Entercom, Cox, Emmis and Townsquare, premiere it at 8:30 am EST as part of a radio “roadblock.” This unprecedented move is in tandem with the digital release to consumers the same morning.
“This is a special, powerful piece of art and I hope programmers and air talent appreciate this moment in time relative to where we are as an industry.”
“First, I want to again express my gratitude to the radio committee and the companies represented for an amazing level of interest in doing the greater good for CMA and country music,” Emmis/New York SVP/MM and CMA Radio Committee Chair Charlie Morgan tells Country Aircheck. “This is the second time in the last two years we’ve seen that willingness, the first being the reorganization of the CMA Awards radio remotes.
“Second, I hope the radio people getting this are touched in the way it’s touched all of us. I got chills watching the raw video in the board meeting. This is a special, powerful piece of art and I hope programmers and air talent appreciate this moment in time relative to where we are as an industry. So often what we do is about mechanics, but in this instance I would encourage everyone to really feel this.”
The music video debuts on September 20th and is set to an intricate medley of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” All are former CMA Entertainers of the Year.
Additionally, a contest launches on September 16th that sends one national grand prize winner to Nashville for the “Ultimate CMA Experience.” The contest closes on September 20th. Fans can visit forevercountry50.com to sign up and get more details.
Marketing and distribution for the track is being handled by UMG Nashville.
