Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.
Last week Billboard.com released the list of finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, scheduled to air on May 22nd at 8p ET/PT on ABC.
The Billboard Music Awards take a holistic look at artist performance based on key fan interactions with music — finalists and winners are determined by chart performance and social and streaming activity as chronicled in Billboard magazine and on Billboard.com during the eligibility period of Feb, 28, 2010 and Mar. 1, 2011.
The 46 award categories are based on measures provided by Billboard’s data partners including sales data shared by Nielsen SoundScan, radio airplay monitored by Nielsen BDS, streaming data measured by Tubemogul and Nielsen BDS, social media consumption gauged by Next Big Sound and tour grosses tracked by Billboard Boxscore.
Here’s a look at some of the key categories and finalists country fans will be most interested in:
Top Country Artist
Top Country Album
- Jason Aldean – My Kinda Party
- Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
- Sugarland – The Incredible Machine
- Taylor Swift – Speak Now
- Zac Brown Band – The Foundation
Top Country Song
- The Band Perry – “If I Die Young”
- Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
- Miranda Lambert – “The House That Built Me”
- Sugarland – “Stuck Like Glue”
- Taylor Swift – “Mine”
Top Artist
- Justin Bieber
- Eminen
- Lady Gaga
- Rihanna
- Taylor Swift
Top Billboard 200 Artist
- Justin Bieber
- Susan Boyle
- Eminen
- Lady Gaga
- Taylor Swift
Top Billboard 200 Album
- Justin Bieber – My World 2.0
- Susan Boyle – The Gift
- Eminem – Recovery
- Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
- Taylor Swift – Speak Now
Top Female Artist
- Ke$ha
- Lady Gaga
- Katy Perry
- Rihanna
- Taylor Swift
Top Duo or Group
- The Black Eyed Peas
- Bon Jovi
- Lady Antebellum
- Linkin Park
- U2
Top Streaming Song
- Taio Cruz – “Dynamite”
- Eminem feat. Rihanna – “Love The Way You Lie”
- Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
- Bruno Mars – “Just The Way You Are”
- Nelly – “Just A Dream”
