The CMA Music Festival, a celebration of country music and it's fan community, takes place each year in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The event brings together hundreds of artists and thousands of fans to share four days of country music, and a unique aspect of the festival is it's focus upon promoting opportunities for artists to meet with fans for autograph sessions, photo opportunities, and a bit of conversation.

Fans who wish to bring along a camera should review the FAQ at cmafest.com before heading out for a show or other festival event. For shows at LP Field and Riverfront Park, professional quality cameras are not allowed (and this this generally means cameras with removable lenses are taboo). The same restriction applies for events at Greased Lightning Fan Fair Hall and the Durango Acoustic Corner concerts. The official site also states that audio and video recording--even on non-professional quality digital cameras and cell phones--is forbidden at all concert events. http://www.cmafest.com/info/faqs.aspx#allowed-prohibited-items

The CMA does not sell video or audio recordings of it's festival performances due to contractual agreements with participating artists. There are some dvd's circulating that appear to be officially issued compilations from last year's fest; however, they are actually bootlegs of a 2009 ABC television special entitled "CMA Music Festival 2009: Country's Night To Rock." http://www.cmamusicfeststore.com/product/CMA_DVD/CMA-DVD--CD.html http://www.ioffer.com/i/CMA-Music-Festival-Concert-2009-DVD-121724571

For a nice selection of CMA Music Festival videos, a great place to go is the Country Music Association's official YouTube account (www.youtube.com/user/CountryMusicAssoc). The most recent additions to the CMA YouTube library include interviews with past and present participating artists ... these "behind the scenes" videos feature the artists sharing their personal reflections on the festival, and speaking directly to fans about their hopes, experiences and expectations for the future of country music. http://www.youtube.com/user/CountryMusicAssoc

Though it's unclear whether Country Music Television's website will field an extensive video blog for this year's festival, it's worth keeping an eye on www.cmt.com for coverage. The video blog from last year's fest is still available on the CMT site, and offers entertaining glimpses into the 2009 festival. http://www.cmt.com/cma-music-festival/videos.jhtml

The Great American Country website is currently hosting a selection of CMA Music Festival videos, and will have representatives attending the event this year. If attending the fest, be sure to check out the GAC booth at Fan Fair Hall for exclusive artist meet-and-greet events and other special promotions. If you can't attend but wish you could be there, bookmark www.gactv.com for ongoing coverage of this year's fest. http://www.gactv.com/gac/pac_ctnt/text/0,,GAC_26058_47389,0.html?videoType=pup&videoID=18721&tab=5

For more helpful resources on this year's CMA Music Festival, please visit our additional Mahalo pages ... see the menu on the righthand sidebar of this page for links.