CMT ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER FEMALE-FUELED "NEXT WOMEN OF COUNTRY" TOUR WITH JANA KRAMER AND KELSEA BALLERINI

Tickets On-Sale April 10 For Girl-Powered 10-City Tour Kicking Off This Spring

NASHVILLE - April 9, 2015 - CMT today announced it's leaving the guys at home and hitting the road this spring for its inaugural CMT "Next Women of Country" Tour headlined by platinum artist Jana Kramer and hit-singer/songwriter Kelsea Ballerini. The network's first-ever ladies-only tour will make 10 stops across the country this spring. Both Kramer and Ballerini are rapidly climbing at country radio with their respective current singles, "I Got The Boy" and "Love Me Like You Mean It." In its first week out, Kramer's single "I Got The Boy" from her forthcoming sophomore album was the most-added female at country radio. Ballerini co-wrote her debut single, "Love Me Like You Mean It" and this week it broke the Top 20 at #19. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 10 at participating venues.

"I am beyond excited to be a part of the first Next Women of Country tour," Kramer noted. "I'm a big advocate for us girls sticking together and encouraging each other. I can't wait to see everyone on the road!"

"My first summer in Nashville, I was 15 and didn't have a driver's license yet," said Ballerini. "So I spent it at home, writing songs and watching music videos on CMT. That was a way I knew I could learn and feel like I was growing. Since then it's always been a dream of mine to have a music video on CMT. To now have that and for me to be part of the CMT "Next Women of Country" Tour is a huge honor."

The tour is the latest extension of CMT's "Next Women" campaign, which launched in 2013 as a way to give more attention and airplay to emerging female country artists across all screens. Several Next Women alumnae - Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, Cassadee Pope and Ashley Monroe included - found success ranging from commercial and critical acclaim. CMT also has a long history of launching artists on the road, having recently capped off year 13 of its CMT On Tour with Kip Moore.

"The Next Women of Country campaign seamlessly connects music fans with the rising generation of female country artists," said Leslie Fram, Senior Vice President of Music Strategy for CMT. "With the tour, we're now able to create zero-distancing between fan and artist and deliver an amazing night of discovery."

The CMT Next Women of Country Tour is scheduled to hit the following cities:

· April 30, 2015 - Grand Rapids, MI (The Intersection)

· May 1, 2015 - Cincinnati, OH (Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill - Cincinnati, OH)

· May 7, 2015 - Cleveland, OH (House of Blues)

· May 8, 2015 - Chicago, IL (Joe's Sports Bar)

· May 10, 2015 - St. Louis, MO (The Pageant)

· May 12, 2015 - Nashville, TN (3rd and Lindsley)**

· May 14, 2015 - Orlando, FL (Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill - Orlando, FL)

· May 15, 2015 - Fort Walton Beach, FL (The Swamp)

· May 17, 2015 - Charlotte, NC (The Fillmore Charlotte)

· May 28, 2015 - Myrtle Beach, SC (House of Blues)

**Kelsea Ballerini only, featuring Special Guests from CMT Next Women of Country

ABOUT JANA KRAMER:

Singer-songwriter Jana Kramer's newest single "I Got The Boy" is impacting radio now and will be featured on her forthcoming album produced by Scott Hendricks and due later this year. Named one of this year's Next Women of Country by CMT, Kramer co-wrote over half of the new tracks on her upcoming album. Kramer released her self-titled debut album to much critical praise, earning her the title of ACM's 2012 New Female Vocalist of the Year, as well, the title of most played debut artist at Country Radio for 2012. As one of the fastest rising debut artists of 2012, Kramer has impressively sold over 1.8 million tracks from her debut album. For more, follow Kramer on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or visit janakramer.com.

ABOUT KELSEA BALLERINI:

Newly named one of CMT's Next Women of Country, Kelsea Ballerini's self-titled EP is digitally available now. Kelsea's debut single "Love Me Like You Mean It," currently at #19, is the leading single off of her forthcoming debut album The First Time set for a May 19 release on Black River Entertainment. Billboard magazine featured the single co-penned by Ballerini in the "Future Hits" section of their October 11th issue touting "Love Me Like You Mean It" as an "...Uptempo, take-charge anthem... ." Hailing from Knoxville, Tenn., singer/songwriter Kelsea Ballerini moved to Nashville at age 15 to chase the dream of becoming a songwriter. At age 19, Kelsea signed a publishing deal with Black River Publishing in 2013 and later that year signed a record deal with Black River Entertainment. For additional tour dates and info on Kelsea Ballerini please visit Kelsea.com, and reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT App, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.