Kimberly Morlino of Virginia Beach was chosen as the Grand Prize Winner in the nationwide Flatts Fest 2011 Karaoke Challenge contest, whose initial rounds were held in amphitheater venues during the Rascal Flatts 2011 summer tour. Hundreds performed, but only twenty-five made the cut for the national contest, which was decided by votes on Facebook over the course of November. Ms. Morlino wins the chance to open for Rascal Flatts on a select date in 2012, and will record a professionally-produced album and video.

Seymour, TN -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/16/2011 -- Kimberly Morlino, a 28-year-old military wife and mother, has been selected by an adoring public as the winner of Rascal Flatts' Flatts Fest 2011 Karaoke Challenge, sponsored by Starkey and powered by Chartbuster Karaoke and Roland. Her video performance of "Black Velvet," recorded on June 19 at Farm Bureau Live in Virginia Beach, Va., just before Rascal Flatts would strum the opening chords of their concert and take the main stage, garnered nearly 15% of the 35,000-plus votes cast in an online poll held on Facebook throughout November. Kimberly's grand prize win will grant her the opportunity to perform live on stage during a select date on Rascal Flatts' 2012 tour.

"The karaoke challenge was one of the highlights of our 'Flatts Fest' tour this summer. We enjoyed watching the performers and seeing their videos and we welcome Kimberly to open one of our shows next year!" said Gary LeVox, lead singer for Rascal Flatts.

"On behalf of everyone who worked so hard on the Flatts Fest 2011 Karaoke Challenge, I'd like to thank each and every person who so willingly gave their time, effort and support to their candidates during the Facebook voting period," said Norbert Stovall, CEO of Big Mama Digital Entertainment, Inc. "It was your tireless energy that made the contest such a smashing success, and will help our contestants reach higher and farther than they ever have before

Contest winner Morlino admitted shyly in a phone interview before she learned of her winning entry that she's "been a nervous wreck" in the days leading up to the announcement. "I'm wearing a brace on my wrist," she said, referring to the amount of time she's spent on her computer, making certain she was getting her video entry in front of as many people as possible, and sending thank-you notes to her supporters.

A long-time fan of Rascal Flatts, she said that the summer evening she attended the concert and recorded her video, which won her a preliminary entry into the contest, "…was the best night of my life. It was so amazing getting to meet the band, and getting our lawn seat tickets upgraded so we could watch from up close." The better vantage point allowed her and three-year-old son Michael an outstanding view of her video performance, which played to the entire crowd on the big-screen display before Rascal Flatts took the stage.

Her love of Rascal Flatts even extends to her relationship with her husband, who serves with the US military. "'God Bless The Broken Road' is our song," she said. They talk as often as they can, but she sometimes struggles with the demanding life of a military wife and mother. "Being a part of the contest has helped me not miss him quite as much."

This contest is not her first brush with greatness – as a teenager in high school Morlino won a chance to perform as a backing vocalist for Shania Twain at a local concert. She credits that performance with helping her to control her nerves when she performs onstage.

"The whole experience has been amazing," she said of her journey, which will find her opening for Rascal Flatts on a select date in 2012, as well as recording her own album featuring two original songs, at Big Mama Recording Studios, nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

Morlino, whose ringback tone for her cell phone is Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", is hopeful that the contest will help spur her talent on to bigger things. "This may give me a chance to really work on my own dreams," she said. "I believe everything happens for a reason."

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Contestants performed over the summer at Rascal Flatts’ Flatts Fest amphitheater dates.

Seymour, TN -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/01/2011 -- Competitors in the Rascal Flatts Flatts Fest 2011 Karaoke Challenge, sponsored by Starkey and powered by Chartbuster Karaoke and Roland, are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the National Grand Prize Contest as voting is scheduled to close at the end of November.

"It's crunch time," said Norbert Stovall, CEO of Big Mama Digital Entertainment. "It's going to come down to those final few votes to determine the winner of the Grand Prize."

Each singer submitted a video entry of their singing talent, recorded over the summer at select Rascal Flatts amphitheater dates across the country, in hopes of being selected by Rascal Flatts fans as the winning performer for a Grand Prize package that includes the opportunity to open for Rascal Flatts at a select date in 2012, a studio session at Big Mama Recording Studios in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, their own CD with two original tunes and eight covers, custom artwork for the CD, two single releases on iTunes, a photo session, a guitar autographed by the group, and a Roland karaoke player.

Tens of thousands of votes have already been cast in the national contest, being held on a special Facebook page for public voting. Video performances can be shared, liked and posted to fan's own pages. In addition, Chartbuster Karaoke is giving away a free one-year subscription to their 24/7 Karaoke Streaming service to one lucky voter each week. Fans can find links to the voting page at RascalFlatts.com, BigMachineRecords.com, and ChartbusterKaraoke.com.

Hundreds competed in daily contests during the summer, with twenty-four winners advancing to the final round. Daily winners got a chance to meet the band backstage, had their video played on the big screen during the concert, received upgraded tickets and a one-year subscription to Chartbuster Karaoke's 24/7 streaming service. One additional competitor was selected as a "wild-card" winner to compete nationally, based on online votes for the video of their performance.

About Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts debuted their first album on Big Machine Records, Nothing Like This, last November at #1 on the country album sales chart and became one of only four country acts to debut six consecutive studio albums at #1. Since their musical debut in 2000, the band has sold 20 million albums and 25 million digital downloads and delivered 13 #1 singles to the top of the chart. Rascal Flatts is the most awarded country group of the past decade with over forty awards from the American Country Awards, Academy of Country Music, American Music Awards, Country Music Association, People's Choice Awards and more. Since their touring career began, they have sold over 6 million concert tickets.

About Chartbuster Karaoke
Established in 1989 with a vision of offering the world the most accurate karaoke tracks possible, the Chartbuster Karaoke label is synonymous with the highest quality. Featuring a huge library of licensed, re-recorded versions of the best songs ever made, Chartbuster Karaoke offers tracks on iTunes, standard CD+G and customized media types, as well as streaming and direct downloads, all at ChartbusterKaraoke.com. In addition to offering licensed song recreations to the music, film, television and gaming industries, Chartbuster Karaoke's parent corporation, Big Mama Digital Entertainment, Inc., owns and operates Big Mama Recording Studios in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

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Contestants performed over the summer at Rascal Flatts’ Flatts Fest amphitheater dates.

Seymour, TN -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/31/2011 -- Rascal Flatts fans are waiting anxiously for the Flatts Fest 2011 Karaoke Challenge, sponsored by Starkey and powered by Chartbuster Karaoke and Roland, as November and the start of voting approaches.

Hundreds competed in daily contests during the summer at select Rascal Flatts amphitheater dates across the country, with twenty-four winners advancing to the final round. Daily winners got a chance to meet the band backstage, had their video played on the big screen during the concert, received upgraded tickets and a one-year subscription to Chartbuster Karaoke's 24/7 streaming service.

One additional competitor was selected as a "wild-card" winner to compete nationally, based on online votes for the video of their performance. Each of them will vie for the opportunity to open for Rascal Flatts at a select date in 2012, a studio session at Big Mama Recording Studios in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, their own CD with two original tunes and eight covers, custom artwork for the CD, two single releases on iTunes, a photo session, a guitar autographed by the band, and a Roland karaoke player.

"We're so excited to be a part of Flatts Fest Karaoke Challenge 2011," said Norbert Stovall, CEO of Big Mama Digital Entertainment. "Being able to present two dozen outstanding singers with the chance to win such an unprecedented prize is a dream come true for us, as it will be for the winner."

Each performer's video will be posted to a special page on Facebook for public voting. Video performances can be shared, liked and posted to fan's own pages. In addition, Chartbuster Karaoke will give away a free one-year subscription to their 24/7 Karaoke Streaming service to one lucky voter each week. Fans can find links to the voting page at RascalFlatts.com, BigMachineRecords.com, and ChartbusterKaraoke.com.

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Seymour, TN -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/01/2010 -- Big Mama Digital Entertainment, Inc., the producers of Chartbuster Karaoke, and Invicion, Inc., publisher of CompuHost software, have announced a strategic partnership between the two enterprises.

"In today's world, it is increasingly important that we examine every opportunity for digital delivery of our top-quality karaoke tracks," said Norbert Stovall, CEO of Chartbuster Karaoke. "By establishing a strategic partnership with the publisher of our industry's leading hosting software, we can explore new and better ways of delivering our content to karaoke hosts."

"After carefully evaluating the market for hosting software, it became apparent to us that Invicion, through their CompuHost product, is delivering the most complete software package to karaoke and music show hosts," Stovall continued. "A picture emerged that Invicion and Chartbuster Karaoke could and should be partners in developing an end-to-end solution."

The arrangement and the associated licensing is thought to be the first of its kind between a karaoke content provider and a publisher of hosting software. CompuHost has also been tapped as the hosting software solution for the Chartbuster Experience mobile road show and at Big Mama's Karaoke Cafe.

"We are excited to be working together with Chartbuster Karaoke in developing a delivery platform that will pair their terrific karaoke tracks with our own top-notch hosting software," said Glen Hughes, CEO of Invicion, Inc. "Through this partnership, both companies will be able to exploit new technologies and enjoy opportunities to reach expanded audiences."

An integral step in the partnership is an arrangement by both companies to offer mutual retail sales of product through their websites. Beginning with the rollout of Chartbuster Karaoke's new website on November 1, CompuHost software will be available for online sales there, and Chartbuster Karaoke tracks will likewise be sold directly through CompuHost's site.

Invicion, Inc. was founded a decade ago by karaoke hosts for karaoke fans, hosts, and enthusiasts, and has gone on to become an innovator and a leader in the karaoke software industry, offering their advanced CompuHost software to the karaoke industry with plans to target the general public.

Big Mama Digital Entertainment is the producer of Chartbuster Karaoke. Chartbuster Karaoke was established in 1989 and quickly became the leader in interactive music content provision, with a library of over 16,000 tracks and an extensive distribution network that now includes retail placement in Wal-Mart stores in North America, iTunes placement, and licensed content on such television shows as The Oprah Winfrey Show, General Hospital, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, games such as Activision's True Crime: Hong Kong, and films such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm