(Nashville, TN – Aug. 26, 2010)  Nashville-based marketing and promotions firm, The AristoMedia Group, is continuing its run of successful DownCast campaigns with recent projects from superstar Taylor Swift and the nationally televised flood benefit concert, Nashville Rising.

A video content distribution service created jointly by The AristoMedia Group and Travis Television Productions, DownCast is a media delivery platform that provides high-quality entertainment news content to online, print, radio and television-based media outlets.  Since 2009, DownCast has distributed new release campaigns for a number of Country music artists, including Jamey Johnson, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Sugarland, Josh Turner and others.  In recent months, the service has distributed exclusive content for Taylor Swift’s single, “Mine,” and behind-the-scenes footage from the nationally televised Nashville Rising benefit concert and fundraising event held in Nashville.

“The beauty of the DownCast service is that media outlets get free access to a set of downloadable, high-quality files that can be used as-is for broadcast television use, streaming purposes, or any number of different formats,” says AristoMedia President Jeff Walker.  “We’re just now starting to see the uses DownCast has beyond music industry applications, as well.  It’s exciting when you consider the possibilities out there.”

The AristoMedia Group and Travis Television Productions launched the DownCast service in July 2009 as a comprehensive tool to distribute free, broadcast-quality video content, audio clips and press materials to thousands of media outlets around the world.  The system allows outlets on-demand access to the files on a secure, password-protected server.  The DownCast service expanded its capabilities in 2010 to include distribution of promotional materials for print media, such as author Andy Andrews’ best-selling release, “The Heart Mender.”

For more information about the DownCast service, visit: www.AristoWorks.com/DownCast. To sign-up and receive DownCast campaign notifications, email Christy Watkins at Christy@AristoMedia.com.

About DownCast:
DownCast is a video content distribution service created by The AristoMedia Group and Travis Television Productions in 2009.  The service provides thousands of media outlets with free access to broadcast-quality video files, audio clips, press materials and more.  Artists including Jamey Johnson, Joe Nichols, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Sugarland, Josh Turner and best-selling author Andy Andrews have used DownCast to create customized campaigns and promote new release projects.

About The AristoMedia Group:
Nashville-based media, marketing and promotions firm, The AristoMedia Group, is comprised of several distinct departments: AristoVideo (Video Promotion), Aristo P.R. (Publicity), AristoWorks (New Media), AristoVision (Christian Video Promotion), Marco Promotions (Secondary Radio Promotion) and Marco Club Connection (Dance Venue Marketing).  The company celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2010.  Visit www.AristoMedia.com for more information.

About Travis Television:
Travis Television (TTV) is a Nashville-based television production company that specializes in the field of entertainment, producing stories and segments for major television shows such as Entertainment Tonight, the BBC, GAC & Access Hollywood and many others.  TTV provides camera crews and production services to most major television networks, including the Disney Channel, CBS, VH-1, MTV, Comedy Central and more.  TTV also produces many music-related, promotional projects in-house.  For more information, visit www.ttvonline.com.

Video format maintains overall growth, rapid placement in ever-changing variety of destinations

(Nashville, TN – August 5, 2010)  The AristoMedia Group  has released its official 2010 Video Outlet Status Reports for data compiled over the last year in the Country and Christian music formats.

The annual Video Outlet Status Reports include a detailed look into the trends and opportunities available at national, regional, syndicated, pool/closed-circuit and online video outlets.  Both reports reveal an overall increase in demand for video content and rapidly expanding placement at nearly every outlet level.

“While the destinations consumers are finding video content are continually changing, the demand for that content just keeps growing,” says AristoMedia Senior VP of Marketing and Promotion Craig Bann.  “With that demand comes an increase in outlets, whether it be online, television, retail or mobile.  Video is as vital as ever, but its role seems to be shifting from just a three-minute music video on television to a platform that can connect with the consumer in a seemingly endless variety of locations.”

The 2010 reports can be viewed in detail at www.AristoMedia.com.  An upgrade to this year’s Country report is the option to view embedded video clips of actual outlet programming from the regional, multi-regional, syndicated, specialty and closed-circuit levels.  Readers can now view samples of multi-regional shows like The Country Vibe with Chuck and Becca, regional programming such as Country Hit Videos and Big Time Country and closed-circuit video providers like Promo Only.

AristoVideo and AristoVision, the two video promotion branches of Nashville-based entertainment marketing and promotion firm, The AristoMedia Group, produce the reports each year as a free service and update of the Country and Christian music video industry.

Selected trends from the 2010 Video Outlet Status Reports:

* In March 2009, Americans watched 14.5 billion videos online.  That number rose to 31.2 billion in March 2010, or an increase of 115 percent, according to ComScore Video Metrix Service.

* Digital tier expansion and the subsequent creation of digital subchannels are providing new programming opportunities for outlets at every level, including local, regional and national shows.  Newly created shows include The Country Network, Cool TV Network and regional programming like KLPD TV28 in Denver, Colo., WKRP in Cincinnati, Ohio, and KGNG in Las Vegas, Nev.

* Mobile video continues to thrive, with 17.6 million people watching streaming video on handheld devices in the fourth quarter of 2009, up 57 percent from the same quarter in 2008.

* The Christian video audience continues to grow, with several Christian outlets expanding to international status in the last year, including The Merge and On Solid Rock.  Total Christian outlets have seen a year-over-year growth of 5.7 percent.

* Christian crossover appeal remains strong, with acts like Deas Vail securing online premieres on Yahoo and rotation on MTVU, as well as artists John Reuben and Abandon Kansas.

To view The AristoMedia Group’s full 2010 Country and Christian Outlet Status Reports, visit www.AristoMedia.com.  For more information about AristoVideo, visit www.AristoVideoPromo.com, or for more information about AristoVision, visit www.AristoVision.com.

About AristoVideo:
A division of The AristoMedia Group, AristoVideo has built a twenty-five year history of marketing artists through visual mediums, including music videos, EPKs, liners and interview features serviced to television, closed-circuit and Internet partners across the globe.

About AristoVision:
In addition to its distribution and tracking services, AristoVision provides unique exposure opportunities on regional and national levels. With 20 years of experience in Christian music video promotion, AristoVision continues to forge new ground through their relationships with more than 150 Christian outlets, including television, Internet and closed circuit programming.

The June 2010 edition of the Aristo International Report is now available for online viewing or as a downloadable PDF document. This issue recaps one of the most successful Global Events ever at CMA Music Festival, with more than 1,200 Country music fans attending the two showcases on June 7 and 8.

With festival season approaching its busiest months, check out the list of events going on around the globe in July and August. In September, Tim McGraw makes his first appearance in Australia, performing a series of shows in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Townseville. And speaking of the land Down Under, our June newsletter profiles Tim Daley, who programs the 24-hour Country Music Channel in Australia.

Don’t forget the Canadian Country Music Association Awards, which take place September 12 this year in Edmonton, Alberta. The awards are the crowning jewel of Country Music Week, which begins September 8 and culminates with the nationally televised awards on Sunday night.

And finally, this edition includes a link to some very unique video footage from Nashville Rising, the benefit concert held here in Nashville for victims of the floods that hit Music City on May 1-2. The clips are free and provide great content for your website, news program, blog, etc. Visit www.downcastserver.com/rising.php to access the files.

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to submit your news items to us at global@aristomedia.com!

Company’s longevity built through diversity of services, recent expansion

(Nashville, TN – April 26, 2010)  When Jeff Walker started The AristoMedia Group in 1980, the compact disc was still in development, the World Wide Web was a decade away and the digital download hadn’t revolutionized the music industry yet.

“No one could have predicted our industry would be where we are today when I started this company thirty years ago,” says Walker.  “I’ve witnessed so many changes over the last three decades – I’ve seen the industry turn completely upside down, in fact – that change seems to be part of the norm, now.  Digital technology has permanently altered our business, and a lot of that change is positive, but it sure has made things interesting these last few years!”

Walker started Nashville-based The AristoMedia Group in April of 1980 as a singular PR firm, but over three decades the company has developed into a multi-faceted media, marketing and promotion company that houses a half-dozen specialized departments.  These divisions include Aristo P.R. (publicity and PR) AristoVideo (video promotion and marketing), AristoWorks (new media), AristoVision (Christian video promotion), Marco Promotions (secondary radio promotion) and Marco Club Connection (dance venue marketing).

Walker also operates a domestic and international consulting business, Jeff Walker & Associates, founded a digital label, GMV Nashville, in 2007 and most recently, established a video content and EPK distribution service called DownCast in 2009.

“The last five or six years have been particularly challenging, but the positive result of that has been another period of expansion within the company.  Our club department, Club Connection, has really grown with many recent Country chart-toppers featuring more dance-friendly material, and our digital label has filled a niche for a number of artists where a traditional label doesn’t suit their needs.  DownCast is our most recent addition, and we’ve just expanded that service to include distribution for book new release materials ,” says Walker.

Senior VP of Promotion and Marketing, Craig Bann, has witnessed many changes in the industry as well during his more than 20 years with AristoMedia.

“Now more than ever, it’s a time to be proactive in the music industry,” Bann says.  “The digital landscape continues to even out the playing field between established and emerging artists, and as a result, many new media and marketing opportunities have been created.”

Walker’s efforts to promote international Country artists in the U.S. have facilitated the company’s expansion as well.  Born in Australia, Walker has tirelessly advocated the globalization of Nashville-based music.  AristoMedia has hosted its own annual global showcase in conjunction with the CMA’s Global Artist Party for the past several years as a prelude to the CMA Music Fest in June each year.  The company also publishes a digital, quarterly international newsletter that is distributed to more than 7,500 recipients worldwide.

As The AristoMedia Group celebrates its 30th birthday in the music business this month, Walker remains characteristically upbeat.

“When times are tough, sometimes being opportunistic is the best thing you can be,” Walker says.

The AristoMedia Group is located at 1620 16th Ave. S., Nashville, TN, 37211.  Contact the company at 615.269.7071 or visit www.AristoMedia.com for more information.

About The AristoMedia Group:
Nashville-based media, marketing and promotions firm, The AristoMedia Group, is comprised of several distinct departments: AristoVideo (Video Promotion), Aristo P.R. (Publicity), AristoWorks (New Media), AristoVision (Christian Video Promotion), Marco Promotions (Secondary Radio Promotion) and Marco Club Connection (Dance Venue Marketing).  The company celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2010.  Visit www.AristoMedia.com for more information.

(NASHVILLE, TN – May 11, 2009)  Sixteen prominent international Country artists will convene in Music City next month to participate in a series of global Country Music events, beginning June 8 in downtown Nashville, Tenn.

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The CMA Global Artist Party (presented by CMA and sponsored by NiteTrain Coaches) unofficially marks the beginning of the 2009 CMA Music Festival with its annual showcase on Monday, June 8.  The event, hosted by Country artist Jace Everett, will feature a total of eight artists from Australia, Ireland, U.K., Canada and New Zealand, including Australia’s “Telstra Road to Tamworth” winner, Peter McWhirter.  The showcase begins at 6:15 p.m. at The Stage on Broadway.

CMA Global Artist Party Performers: Kirsty Lee Akers (Australia), Colm Kirwan (Ireland), Lucie Silvas Plaguers move (U.K.), Alex J. Robinson (Canada), Peter McWhirter (Australia), Ashley Cooper (New Zealand), The McClymonts (Australia) and George Canyon (Canada).

The annual AristoMedia Global Showcase (presented by AristoMedia and sponsored by CMA, NiteTrain Coaches and Digital Rodeo) will be held Tuesday, June 9 at 3 p.m. at The Second Fiddle.  International artists from France, U.K., Norway, Switzerland, Australia and Canada will perform, including the “Telstra Road to Tamworth” Songwriter’s Award winner Corey Colum.  Former Mavericks bassist and Digital Rodeo Director of Industry Relations Robert Reynolds will host the event.

AristoMedia Global Showcase Performers: Pierre Lorry (France), Brianie (U.K.), Tore Andersen (Norway), Rolf Fritschi (Switzerland), Dianna Corcoran (Australia), Codie Prevost (Canada), Corey Colum (Australia) and David Bradley (U.K.).

Waking the Dead movie download “Both of these events are certainly a highlight for the global Country Music community each year,” says AristoMedia President Jeff Walker.  “Music City is regarded as the heart of Country Music and the CMA Music Festival is one of the best live events in the world.  The chance for these artists to travel and perform here is not only an exciting opportunity for the artists, but for the city of Nashville and the entire international Country Music movement as well.”

Previous performers at the annual Global Events include: Troy Cassar-Daley, Jasmine Rae, Adam Gregory, Johnny Reid, Doc Walker, the Road Hammers and Lisa Brokop, among others.

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2009 CMA Music Festival is held Thursday-Sunday, June 11-14, in Downtown Nashville. For ticket information, event schedule, and more, visit www.CMAfest.com.

For interview requests or more information about these events, please contact AristoMedia at 615.269.7071 or publicity@aristomedia.com.

To attend these events, please RSVP at rsvp@aristomedia.com or call 615-269-7122.

Charlie Daniels Receives Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award From MTSU

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(Nashville, TN – April 13, 2009) Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) officials presented legendary musician Charlie Daniels with the Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award, an honor presented to a businessperson who has demonstrated the best of the spirit of America through significant contributions in government, education, and/or civic and charitable organizations. MTSU’s Executives-in-Residence program presented the award at an invitation-only luncheon held on campus Wednesday, April 8, in the Tennessee Room of the school’s James Union Building.

“Charlie is a successful businessman with more than 50 years in the music business and a working ranch,” MTSU Dean of Business Jim Burton said. “He has dedicated considerable time and talent to entertaining and building the morale of American servicemen and women, and he never fails to honor their service and dedication. He is a most worthy recipient of the Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award.”

For more information on Charlie Daniels, please visit www.charliedaniels.com.

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Andy Heidt, MTSU Photo Services