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On June 11-14 2009, over 200,000 people will be attending the Country Music Association’s Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee.  For the first time in the history of the Music Festival, Microsoft is will have a significant presence at the event.  The CMA is interested in aligning technology and country music cultures so the CMA and Microsoft have embarked on a number of initiatives designed to drive buzz and excitement around the digital lifestyle and country music and Microsoft will be showcasing technology such as Silverlight with Deep Zoom technology and Microsoft Tag.

Here’s a rundown on what you can find if you’re fixin’ to be at the CMA Festival next week:

“Be this Close” Silverlight Deep zoom online game

  • Interactive search, on CMA site and radio partner web sites (see list below)
  • Ex. “Find the picture of Blake Shelton kissing a fan with a orange hat at the 2007 CMA Music Fest”

“Where Am I” – Microsoft Tag

  • Microsoft Tag will be featured in a number of ways throughout the Music Festival experience.  Attendees will be able to scan signs located throughout the venues to learn more about the physical environment and what’s happening around them.  Their location will also be mapped via Windows Live Search Maps making the task of navigating the enormous number of venues easy and convenient for festival attendees.  Tag will also be featured in an event wide contest called “Tag Hunter” which will be distributed event wide by a legion CMA “Fun Squad” members. To check out Tag for your phone, get it here, http://gettag.mobi/

Cell Journalists Online Photo Shared Experience” – Windows Mobile

  • Attendees can participate in the event by acting as cell journalists.  Using Windows mobile or other cell phone cameras, pictures taken from the event are automatically uploaded to a shared server hosted by ASP.NET and displayed throughout the event – including the Jumbotron.  Windows Mobile users will have a customized, high-end experience.

Microsoft Booth and E-Mail Kiosk Featuring Internet Explorer 8 and Microsoft Surface and Meet Some Stars!

  • Attendees will be able to test drive our latest and greatest browser to learn about the tremendous innovations Microsoft is delivering in making the web a safer and more productive environment.  In addition to IE, attendees will be able to experience not one, but two, Microsoft Surface stations.  Microsoft Partner Interknowlogy will be showcasing a Surface based Jukebox application featuring country music and visits by country music celebrities.  Winchester ammunition will be showcase their award winning ballistic simulator built on Surface.  Zune and Xbox will also be in the house showcasing. And if you want to rub elbows with a few Country Music Stars these ones will be hanging out at the Microsoft Booth (#334) here below:
  • Thursday 6/11/2009
    • 9:00 AM James Otto
    • 11:00 AM Love and Theft
    • 1:30 PM Randy Rodgers Band
    • 2:00 PM Bucky Covington
  • Friday 6/12/2009
    • 9:00 AM Whitney Duncan
    • 11:00 AM Point of Grace
  • Saturday 6/13/2009
    • 11:00 AM Lee Brice
  • Sunday 6/14/2009
    • Jessica Harp

And if you’re not planning to be there because the Sheriff won’t let you leave your county or because your Maa said “no” then you can check it out online.