MUMBAI: Clear Channel today announced the artist line-up for the return of the biggest live concert festival in radio history, the iHeartRadio Music Festival 2012 set for September 21 and 22.  This year's extraordinary line-up includes Taylor Swift, Aerosmith, Rihanna, Usher, Bon Jovi, Lil Wayne, Green Day, Swedish House Mafia, No Doubt, Brad Paisley, Pitbull, deadmau5, Miranda Lambert, Enrique Iglesias, Linkin Park, Jason Aldean, P!nk, Mary J. Blige, Calvin Harris and Shakira with more to be announced in the weeks prior to the event.

For the second year, a diverse array of some of the greatest names in music will appear on one stage over two nights at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas; Ryan Seacrest will kick off the two-day iHeartRadio Music Festival on the evening of Friday, September 21.

The inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival in September 2011 marked the official launch of the New iHeartRadio, Clear Channel's free, industry-leading digital music service, and in 2012, the festival will celebrate its success.  iHeartRadio delivers everything listeners want in one free, fully-integrated service: instant access to more than 1,000 of the nation's most popular live broadcast and digital-only radio stations from 150 cities, plus user-created Custom Stations inspired by favorite artists and songs.

"Music is the lifeblood of so much of what we do at Clear Channel, and our listeners are the reason for everything we do.  We're focused on making the iHeartRadio Music Festival an experience that excites and electrifies music fans nationwide — and with a line-up like this, we believe we'll exceed all of their expectations," said Bob Pittman, CEO of Clear Channel.  "The iHeartRadio Music Festival is an indication of Clear Channel's ongoing commitment to music and artist development — maximizing artists' exposure to fans and audiences nationwide.  With our broadcast brands, live events and the iHeartRadio digital platform, in combination with our relationships with artists, labels and most importantly our listeners, we continue to reinvent the music experience in a way that no other company can."

"The iHeartRadio Music Festival 2011 was such an amazing experience for our listeners, and just like the iHeartRadio digital radio service, really showcased top artists across all genres of music," said John Hogan, Chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.  "The bar was set high this year given the overwhelming success of last year's inaugural event and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to again deliver a diverse, extraordinary line-up of incredible talent to our listeners for year two of the iHeartRadio Music Festival."

Promotion of iHeartRadio Music Festival 2012 kicked off this morning with a simultaneous roadblock announcement by all 850 Clear Channel radio stations nationwide, their websites and iHeartRadio.  In addition, throughout a summer-long on-air and online "Road To Vegas" promotion, hundreds of Clear Channel station listeners across the country will win dream trips to Las Vegas where they will converge with thousands of other music fans to experience iHeartRadio Music Festival 2012 at the legendary MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"The iHeartRadio Music Festival is the ultimate celebration of what's hot in all genres of music, from rock, pop and country to electronic dance music, R&B and hip hop," said Tom Poleman, President of Clear Channel National Programming and Executive Producer of the Festival.  "For the first time, fans from across the country will get to see today's megastars like Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Usher on the same stage as legends like Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige and Bon Jovi.  I'm sure we'll have hundreds of memorable moments throughout the festival.  It's the concert line-up of the year for both fans and artists."

"The iHeartRadio Music Festival is a unique celebration of music — it's the biggest names in the industry coming together for an impressive weekend of live entertainment," said Ryan Seacrest.  "The momentum, energy and music experience around the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival was incredible, and I'm excited to be a part of this must-see event."

iHeartRadio reached 10 million registered users this past May, a milestone reached in only eight months — faster than all other popular entertainment and communication platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Spotify and Instagram.  Registered users are only a percentage of iHeartRadio's overall listeners, since registration is only required for the Custom Station feature.  The digital platform continues to bring incremental listening to Clear Channel's 237 million monthly listeners, the largest audience of any media outlet in the U.S.  Today, iHeartRadio is available as a free application across multiple platforms including web, mobile, tablets, automotive, television and gaming devices.  iHeartRadio's Facebook page has grown more than 4 million fans in less than a year with the announcement of the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival.

Clear Channel also continues to be one of the most popular digital music destinations, with the 100 million listening hours a month, more than 45 million monthly digital uniques, more than 85 million downloads of iHeartRadio mobile apps, and more than a 15 million fan reach through its station and radio personality Facebook pages.