Austin, TX — The Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) is right around the corner, and Blastro.com is running a contest in which one lucky winner will win two VIP tickets, valued at $1800, to the event. With The Mars Volta, Manu Chao, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Beck and the Foo Fighters headlining the festival, music fans everywhere will most certainly swarm to the music mecca to see these bands and scores of others performing at the three-day event from September 26 – 28, 2008.

Offering such creature comforts as air-conditioned bathrooms, free food and drink, shaded lounge areas and mini-spa treatments, VIP is definitely the best way for fans to get their groove on in heat-stricken Austin. Entering the contest is easy, only requiring registration on Blastro.com and a compelling reason as to why one should win. The winner will be chosen at least one week prior to ACL.

To enter the contest, follow this link: http://www.blastro.com/contests/acl2008.html.

About Blastro Networks

Blastro Networks owns and operates the Internet’s most popular destinations for discovering, watching and sharing music videos by today’s hottest unsigned, indie and major-label artists. Catering to niche audiences, Blastro Networks runs three all-inclusive and genre-specific music entertainment sites. Blastro (www.blastro.com), voted “Best of the Web 2007″ by Business Week, is an urban-centric site for Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, Latin and Dance music enthusiasts. Roxwel (www.roxwel.com) is an alternative fusion of Rock, Metal and Indie entertainment, and Yallwire (www.yallwire.com) features Country, Bluegrass and Christian artists.

Streaming over 10 million videos each month, Blastro Networks has a catalog of over 10,000 licensed music videos and 100 hours of culture- and genre-relevant original shows, which include music, gossip, automotive, movie and gaming channels. Content from all three sites has wide distribution across social networks and blogs, as well as Verizon FiOS TV and Windows Media Guide.

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The Roots Music Association is proud to announce the World United Music Festival & Radio/Membership Conference is to be held in San Marcos, Texas on Nov 14-15-16 2008.

The RMA is also proud to announce its newly formed production partnership with The United States Entertainment Force. In conjuction with RMA, the USEF, a highly acclaimed Production Corporation, will handle the Executive Producer responsibilities of the Music Festival on our 300+ acre Venue for The World United Music Festival & Radio/Membership Conference.

The United States Entertainment Force, www.theusef.org, has graciously come on board to produce the event in support of the RMA, and to help their goals to raise awareness & funds to support those serving in our Military today and their families, those who have served, the Children and our Nations Future.

The City of San Marcos and the new Embassy Suites Convention Center have also given their support to the RMA and will supply the venue for the convention. With an additional 300 acres adjacent to the Convention Center for staging the Music Festival & Roots Music Awards portion of the event with over 150 showcasing artists and 8 stages.

This years Music Festival, Radio/Membership Conference and Roots Music Awards Show is sure to be a major success with thousands of fans expected to attend from around the globe.

For more detailed info on this first annual event please visit www.worldunitedmusicfestival.com.

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Nashville, Tenn. — The Americana genre houses a mighty share of music’s most provocative new artists, and each year, the Americana Music Association delivers due recognition to these auspicious newcomers with nominations in the New/Emerging Artist category. All four of this year’s nominees will perform live at the Americana Honors & Awards ceremony September 18, during which the winner shall also be named. The New/Emerging class of 2008 features a nomadic storyteller, a vintage-inspired original, a virtuosic dream team, and a soul-saving singer’s singer.

Autobiographical tales stemming from wistful wandering propelled troubadour Ryan Bingham’s gritty swagger to new heights on his 2007 debut for Lost Highway, Mescalito; American Songwriter praised the album, calling it “compelling listening to the highest sense,” while Texas Music Magazine compared the 26 year-old storyteller to Tom Waits.
www.myspace.com/ryanbingham

Justin Townes Earle faced high expectations seemingly without breaking a sweat: The son of roots rock royalty Steve Earle and the namesake of legend Townes Van Zandt, the younger Earle’s 2008 release The Good Life introduces a disarmingly sincere songwriter whose vintage-inspired honky tonk prompted praise from Pitchfork, The New York Times and more.
www.myspace.com/justintownesearle

Individually, the members of The SteelDrivers have garnered Grammy nominations and penned country chart-toppers, but together, the soul-dipped bluegrassers form one of the most inspiring roots music troupes to emerge in years; their debut album released in early 2008 helped word spread, clearing a path for cross-country touring and a gig on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. www.myspace.com/thesteeldrivers

The buzz surrounding gospel/soul synergist Mike Farris may now officially be dubbed a deafening roar: The former frontman of the Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies, Farris’ 2007 release Salvation In Lights and Stax-inspired live throw-downs prompted widespread endorsements from trusted sources including: Buddy Miller, who proclaimed, “Mike Farris has enough heart, soul, and power to light up a city.” www.myspace.com/mikefarrismusic

The 9th Annual Americana Festival and Conference will offer seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center by day, while each evening brings stacked Americana showcases. Legend Levon Helm will officially jump start the festivities Wednesday, September 17 with his Ramble at the Ryman, and the capstone of the festival will take the form of the annual Americana Music Association Honors and Awards, scheduled for September 18 at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Hosted by Jim Lauderdale and featuring a band led by Buddy Miller, the ceremony will toast winners in six member-voted categories and also bestow Lifetime Achievement Awards on John Hiatt, Jason and the Scorchers and longtime Austin City Limits producer Terry Lickona in the categories of Songwriting, Performance and Executive, respectively. The AMA will also present the unique “Spirit of Americana”
Free Speech award to Joan Baez.

Tickets are now available for the Levon Helm Ramble at the Ryman and the Americana Honors & Awards show at Ticketmaster and the Ryman box office for $65 or $45 and $45, respectively.

Showcase wristbands granting admission to all four evenings of live music showcases are also available for only $35 via www.americanamusic.org and Grimey’s New and Preloved Music (1604 8th Ave. South, Nashville). Registration for the Americana Music Festival & Conference is $350 for AMA members and $450 for non-members until August 13. Fees will increase after that date.

For the latest additions to showcase lineups, ticket purchasing and more information about the Americana Music Festival and Conference, please visit www.americanamusic.org.

About the Americana Music Association

The Americana Music Association is a professional trade organization whose mission is to provide a forum for the advocacy of Americana music and to promote public awareness of the genre to support the creative and economic viability of professionals in this field. Dedicated to building and promoting the Americana genre and the individuals who participate in that industry, the Americana Music Association works closely with artists, labels, radio stations, retailers, print media, festivals, agents, publishers and more to help organize and build the infrastructure necessary for the Americana genre to achieve success both creatively and financially.

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