CMT Artist of The Year Award 2011

CMT honors Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift as the top artists of the year in the new 90-minute special, CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR which brings the honorees together with their peers, as well as celebrities from across the entertainment spectrum for a glamorous evening of star-studded performances from the country world and beyond, all in celebration of the successes of the past year.

Hosted by Rob Lowe, CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR was taped at the Bridgestone Arena with celebrity performances and appearances by The All-American Rejects, The Avett Brothers, Ellen DeGeneres, Gavin DeGraw, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, Miranda Lambert, Matthew McConaughey, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, Lionel Richie, Joe Walsh of the Eagles and Hank Williams Jr.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR honorees are chosen by ranking the top five artists based on the following criteria: sales (physical albums, digital albums, and single downloads); country radio airplay based on spins; concert grosses as a headliner or co-headliner; and activity on CMT.com (video streams, searches, and artist page views). The rankings are then compiled to identify the leading performers across the four categories cumulatively.