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Rhapsody Users Listened To Carrie Underwood’s Some Hearts More Than Any Other Country Album In 2007

NASHVILLE, TN – April 15, 2008 – CMT, a division of MTV Networks and Rhapsody®, the digital music service from MTV Networks and RealNetworks®, Inc. (Nasdaq RNWK), congratulate country artist Carrie Underwood, winner of Rhapsody’s Most Played Country Album of 2007 award. Announced as a part of the CMT Music Awards Red Carpet show, this award acknowledges that Ms. Underwood’s 2007 release Some Hearts was listened to more times by Rhapsody users than any other country album in 2007.

“Rhapsody gives music fans unlimited access to millions of songs, so it’s always fascinating to discover which albums people return to over and over again,” said Tim Quirk, vice president of music programming, Rhapsody America. “Today, we’re honored to be toasting Carrie Underwood and Some Hearts as Rhapsody’s Most Played Country Album of 2007.”

Carrie Underwood was thrilled to receive such an award, noting, “What an unexpected honor. Thanks to my fans for wanting to hear more music!”

As the recipient of the first ever Rhapsody’s Most Listened to Country Album of the Year, Ms. Underwood will receive a Sonos multi-room digital music system and a full subscription to the Rhapsody Unlimited service. The combination of Sonos plus Rhapsody lets music fans enjoy millions of songs from every type of music throughout their home.

Rhapsody www.rhapsody.com delivers five million songs a day to music lovers through more consumer touch points than any other service. Through partnerships with industry leaders like TiVo, Philips, SanDisk, Logitech and Sonos, Rhapsody has created a complete digital music experience on the PC, throughout the home and on the go. Rhapsody offers consumers unlimited access to millions of songs, professionally programmed music channels and exclusive content from MTV Networks’ premier MTV, VH1 and CMT music brands.

DON’T MISS CARRIE’S PERFORMANCE ON THE 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS TONIGHT!

The 2008 CMT Music Awards airs this Monday, April 14, at 8 PM ET, on CMT and CMT.com. A four-time CMT Award winner and double-nominee this year, Carrie is up for Video of the Year (for “Wasted”) and Female Video of the Year (for “So Small”). Check your local listings for channels and show times!

Carrie’s Some Hearts and Carnival Ride Are Both Top 10 Country Albums, as Singles “Last Name” and “All-American Girl” Are Both Top 20

Good Things Come in Pairs as Carrie Holds the #1 & #2 Videos at GAC and Scores Two New RIAA Digital Single Certifications

Idol Gives Back Appearance Airs Wednesday, CMT Music Awards on Monday

Nashville, TN – Three-time GRAMMY winner and reigning ACM and CMA Female Vocalist Carrie Underwood continues to rock on all cylinders this week, with both of her albums inside the country Top 10 and a host of chart stats and certifications underscoring the continued success of her 7x-Platinum 2005 debut disc, Some Hearts, as well as her Double-Platinum current release, Carnival Ride.

This week, Carrie accomplishes the impressive feat of scoring two singles inside the country airplay Top 20, with Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart showing her new single, “Last Name,” jumping to #17, while “All-American Girl” is now #12, after a previous two-week stint at #1.

“All-American Girl” is also going strong at Radio Disney, where it moves to #15 on this week’s Top 30 Countdown. The video, meanwhile, is currently #1 on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown, where Carrie also holds the #2 spot with “How Great Thou Art,” which she recorded for the GAC-televised concert special and like-titled album, How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites Live from the Grand Ole Opry.

Separately, in addition to the current Top 10 country sales of both of Carrie’s albums, two of her #1 singles – “Wasted” (from Some Hearts) and “So Small” (from Carnival Ride) – have both recently been RIAA certified as Gold Digital Singles, recognizing 500,000 purchased downloads.

As Carrie looks ahead to her May 10 induction into the Grand Ole Opry, she’s busy on the road, co-headlining with Keith Urban, as well as headlining her own “Carnival Ride Tour,” which has played to sellout crowds at every show since its launch on February 18.

In addition to appearing on the cover of People’s Style Watch issue (on sale now), fans can also look for Carrie as she performs on American Idol: Idol Gives Back, airing this Wednesday, April 9, at 7:30 PM ET, on FOX.

The 2008 CMT Music Awards will also welcome Carrie for a performance as the show airs this Monday, April 14, at 8 PM ET, on CMT and CMT.com. A four-time CMT Award winner and double-nominee this year, Carrie is up for Video of the Year (for “Wasted”) and Female Video of the Year (for “So Small”). Fans can vote for their favorites online at CMT.com through April 11, with additional voting for the final Video of the Year nominees taking place during the telecast.

Carrie’s newest hit, “Last Name,” is her third co-written smash from Carnival Ride, along with the #1 singles, “So Small” and “All-American Girl.”

CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S “CARNIVAL RIDE TOUR” CONTINUES WITH MORE DATES ADDED IN JUNE!

June Shows Will Feature Opening Act Jason Michael Carroll.

NASHVILLE – (April 3, 2008) – Carrie Underwood’s headline tour, the “Carnival Ride Tour,” will continue with an additional run of shows in the month of June and will feature opening act Jason Michael Carroll. The tour launched February 18 and all shows to date have been sell-outs.

Underwood wraps her co-headline dates with Keith Urban April 26 in Lexington, KY on the “Love, Pain, & The whole crazy Carnival Ride Tour” while Josh Turner, special guest on the “Carnival Ride Tour,” closes out his run of shows May 28.

Underwood’s current album Carnival Ride, which contains her #1 co-written smash hits “So Small” and “All-American Girl,” was certified double-platinum within 2 months of its release. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was recently certified 7x-Platinum, becoming the best-selling solo female country debut in RIAA history. With this certification, Some Hearts now also surpasses all other releases as the all-time U.S. top-selling album by any American Idol contestant

Billboard’s Top New Country Artist of 2007, Arista Nashville recording artist Jason Michael Carroll exploded onto the scene with the release of his first album, Waitin’ in the Country, which debuted at #1 in its first week on the country album chart. Having drawn praise from such outlets as USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and many more, Carroll kicked off 2008 with his debut performance on Good Morning America. With back-to-back Top 5 singles to his credit (“Alyssa Lies” and “Livin’ Our Love Song”), Carroll is currently Top-40-and-climbing with his latest hit, “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead.”

Go to the Tour section for a current list of “Carnival Ride Tour dates.

Watch it here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLbuJHi-cE

Formal Induction to Take Place May 10, 2008

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (March 15, 2008) – ACM and CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carrie Underwood was invited to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry this evening during a sold out show. Underwood will be formally inducted into the Opry family on Saturday, May 10.

During Opry Live on GAC (Great American Country), Underwood sang “I Told You So,” a cut from her latest album, Carnival Ride, originally written and recorded by Opry member Randy Travis. As Underwood accepted a standing ovation from the crowd, Travis, himself, surprised her on stage. Hugging a shocked and emotional Underwood, Travis said, “That’s a better performance than I will ever do of that song. Thank you. I’m honored.”

Travis went on to congratulate the artist who is on top of the charts this week with her single “All-American Girl” on having celebrated her 25th birthday earlier in the week. “To end your birthday week, I was asked by the management here at the Grand Ole Opry to come out here and ask you if you would like to be their next member,” he said.

“Let me think about it,” Underwood playfully smiled before immediately responding “yes!” wiping tears from her eyes. After regaining her composure, Underwood said to the crowd before launching into her song “Crazy Dreams,” “This is one of the best nights of my life, and it’s certainly something I’ll never forget. And I’m glad each and every one of you were here to share it with me. This has been absolutely amazing!”

Underwood made her Grand Ole Opry performance debut on June 10, 2005, just two weeks after winning American Idol. Her love for the Opry started as a child as she grew up watching and listening to the show, dreaming of one day performing there and even becoming a member herself.

“It is with great excitement that we invite Carrie to become the Opry’s newest member,” said Pete Fisher, Opry vice president and general manager. “Since her debut nearly three years ago, Carrie has not only created many memorable Opry moments with her numerous appearances and extraordinary talents, but she has also shown us that she shares a heartfelt connection and a commitment to country music and its rich legacy. We look forward to May 10 when she will be formally welcomed as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.”

Underwood’s debut CD, Some Hearts, released in 2005, is the best-selling solo female country debut album in RIAA history, with sales of seven million copies and five #1 singles including “Jesus, Take The Wheel” and “Before He Cheats,” which won Grammys as Best Country Song in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Some Hearts also surpasses all other releases as the all-time U.S. top-selling album by any American Idol contestant. At the close of 2007, Billboard ranked Some Hearts as the Top Country Album for the second consecutive year, making Underwood the first female artist in Billboard history to earn back-to-back honors for Top Country Album. Her follow up CD, Carnival Ride, released in 2007, has currently sold over two million copies and contains #1 hits “So Small” and “All-American Girl,” which became her first co-written songs released as singles.

Underwood has garnered three Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, five ACM’s, four CMA’s, four CMT Awards, four American Music Awards, and two People’s Choice Awards, among many others.

Fans can see Underwood’s on stage invitation at opry.com.

The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store®. Opry performances are held every weekend of the year, and the Tuesday Night Opry continues through Dec. 16. To plan an Opry visit, call (800) SEE-OPRY or log on to opry.com.

“All-American Girl” a Top-Seller at iTunes; Video Is CMT’s Fastest #1 in History and Ties Her Own Record at GAC

Upcoming TV Appearances Include Opry Live and Idol Gives Back Special

Nashville, TN – Three-time GRAMMY winner, ACM Top Female Vocalist, and back-to-back CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carrie Underwood earned her sixth consecutive #1 on the country airplay charts this week with “All-American Girl,” which also became her second consecutive co-written single to hit #1, following the success of “So Small,” both from her Double-Platinum album, Carnival Ride.

With the achievement, Underwood extends the most auspicious career launch of any solo female country artist in history, with the GRAMMY-winning “Jesus, Take the Wheel” beginning a string of six smash singles (including four from her 7x-Platinum debut album, Some Hearts), all of which topped the BDS or Mediabase country airplay charts.

On the sales front, “All-American Girl” currently ranks as the #1-selling Country Top Music Video, as well as the #1 Country Top Song at iTunes, where it was also a recent #1 on the all-genre Top Music Videos chart.

On CMT’s Top 20 Countdown, “All-American Girl” set a record as the network’s all-time fastest rising video, reaching #1 in just two weeks and re-claiming the top spot again this week. Jay Frank, CMT senior vice president of music strategy, praised, “Carrie Underwood continues to make songs and videos that connect with CMT viewers immediately. No wonder she had such a meteoric rise to the pole position of our Top 20 Countdown.”

In addition, the video was #1 on CMT.com in the week of its online premiere, streaming nearly 400,000 times in less than a month, according to CMT’s internal tracking.

Viewers at GAC have also responded enthusiastically, where the all-fan-voted Top 20 Country Countdown ranked “All-American Girl” #1 throughout its first three weeks on the chart. Sarah Trahern, GAC senior vice president of programming, observed, “Carrie’s ‘All-American Girl’ video became a fan favorite on GAC right away. It is a true reflection of the many different lifestyles represented by our audience, and it lives up to the high creative standards set by all of her videos.” Remarkably, Carrie is the only artist in GAC history to debut a video at #1 on the countdown, a feat she first accomplished with “Before He Cheats” and repeated with “All-American Girl.”

Fans who’ve been enjoying Carrie’s video can also watch for her on the small screen in upcoming weeks as she performs on GAC’s Opry Live (March 15) as well as American Idol’s second Idol Gives Back charity special, airing April 9, from 8-10 PM ET on FOX. Earlier this week, Carrie appeared on CBS’ The Early Show with Brad Paisley to announce the final nominations for the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, where she’s nominated for Top Female Vocalist.

Carrie has been nominated in the following categories:

Video Of The Year: “Wasted” (Director: Roman White)
Female Video Of The Year: “So Small”

Also, congratulations to Roman White for his nomination for Director of the Year (“Wasted) and to Christian Kane (from “So Small”) for his nomination for Supporting Character of the Year.

Carrie’s fans can VOTE here: https://www.cmt.com/cmt-music-awards

Voting runs thru Friday, April 11. The final nominees for VIDEO OF THE YEAR will be announced at the beginning of the show, and fans can vote at CMT.com, as well as via mobile phone, throughout the live broadcast (ET/CT only) to determine the night’s big winner.

The 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS will air live from Nashville’s Curb Event Center at Belmont University on Monday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT* on CMT and CMT.com.

Congratulations to Carrie on her nomination for Top Female Vocalist for the 2008 ACM Awards!
Winners will be announced during the ACM Awards LIVE on CBS Sunday, May 18th.

Mark your calendars and tune in to Opry Live on GAC at 8 p.m. ET on March 15. Carrie Underwood will be there along with Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum.

Planning to be in Nashville? Come see the show that made country music famous in person. You can order tickets online at opry.com or call 1-800-SEE-OPRY. Plus, as a special fan of Carrie, you can take advantage of a $3 off discount! Just mention code WEBFAN when ordering your tickets.