"This year's slate of Dove nominees once again demonstrates that gospel
knows no musical boundaries.com/callingallbands) from more than 4,000 bands across all
musical genres.

artists jazz

* The
five entries receiving the most votes will become finalists; Verizon Wireless
will select the winner who will be announced on MySpace March 29."
Hitchhiker began his music career at age 14, but he describes his musical
education and his nickname starting around age seven when his parents'
separated.myspace.

site arts

Male
Vocalist of the Year nominees are Jeremy Camp, Jason Crabb , Mark Hall, Israel
Houghton and Fernando Ortega. The New Artist of the Year
nominees BarlowGirl , Building 429, Day of Fire, Bethany Dillon and Matthew
West all prove to be strong contenders with multiple nominations in other
categories. The nominees share a common faith, while their
music is expressed in many diverse ways. In
categories where nominations go to the artist and songwriter and/or producer,
the artist may receive two nominations for that category if they are the
artist and songwriter and/or producer for that category.
Songs cost $0.verizonwireless.
* No purchase necessary.

fiorillo female

gospelmusic.
Mullen, Christy Nockels and Joy Williams are nominated in the Female Vocalist
of the Year Category. For more information, visit
http://www.verizonwireless.

press vocalist

Smith leads the Dove nominations with eight individual
nominations.

Hip-Hop 'Hitchhiker' From Capitol Heights MD in the Running to Launch Music by Cell Phone on V CAST Music

The winning band or songwriter will have the opportunity to
have their song, music video, ring tone and ring back tone released on Verizon
Wireless. "I love all kinds of
music -- jazz, reggae, pop, rock, Latin -- everything. The program Verizon Wireless is
running on MySpace helped Verizon Wireless introduce up and coming bands to
the mobile world, further extending the music experience on customers'
communication devices they use most every day -- their wireless phones.com.

show artists

Smith and Switchfoot. The GMA produces the GMA Music Awards program, which recognizes
achievement in all genres of gospel music. He
describes his song "Summer Feeling," as "emotional and passionate; soulful
with a touch of the unpredictable.
Listen to Hitchhiker's music and more and vote for your favorite new
artist at http://www. Headquartered in
Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications
(NYSE: VZVOD ).

list jazz

org .
Awards will be handed out in 44 categories.com/music. To preview and request broadcast -quality
video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log
on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at
http://www.

elisa samples

The Doves will be handed out on
April 13 at the Grand Ole Opry House.

com/multimedia.

female arts

99 if purchased from the PC or $1.verizonwireless . Void outside the U.

f site

Artists up for Group of the Year are Casting Crowns,
The Crabb Family, MercyMe , Selah and Switchfoot.

V CAST Music
V CAST Music from Verizon Wireless lets customers play music from well-
known and independent artists on their wireless phones -- the same devices
they have come to rely on for mobile entertainment, information and
communication.99 if purchased and downloaded
over the air onto a V CAST Music phone.00 monthly access, added to their Verizon Wireless calling
plan to access V CAST Music and music videos on their phones.

mailing pop

Bethany Dillon, Natalie Grant , Nicole C.
Word Records' Artist and American Idol finalist George Huff, leading
nominee Integrity Music's Israel Houghton and Curb Records' Artist and Female
Vocalist of the Year nominee Natalie Grant announced the Dove Award
nominations today at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, site of the GMA Week
Convention, to be held April 9-13, 2005.com/callingallbands. Find more information on the Web at
http://www.

show samples

LAUREL, Md. The winner will also collaborate with Verizon
Wireless and a MySpace Independent Filmmaker to produce a music video that
will be released on V CAST and the Calling all Bands Community on MySpace,
plus a ring tone and ring back tone of the winning song that will be available
for purchase by Verizon Wireless customers.
V CAST Music runs on Verizon Wireless' broadband network, the most robust,
award-winning wireless broadband network in the nation , available to 150
million people from coast to coast.
Customers need a V CAST-enabled phone and a subscription to the V CAST
VPak, which is $15.com.3 million voice and data customers.verizonwireless .com.

arts vocalist

Dove Awards
nominations go to recordings released during the eligibility year November 1,
2003 through October 31, 2004 and are voted on by the members of the GMA., Local Hip Hop band Hitchhiker is one
step closer to being the first unsigned songwriter to launch a musical career
on a wireless phone.

elisa list

Top Nods Go To Michael W.
Switchfoot's nominations totaled five and frontman Jonathan Foreman added
another three of his own; and in the reverse, Israel Houghton earned five Dove
nominations with his group Israel + New Breed receiving two nominations. It's great to see Southern Gospel,
Urban , Rock, Pop and Worship artists all earning recognition through the
nominations and it will make the GMA Music Awards show one amazing night of
music," said John W. I'm trying to relay a
positive message so people can both listen and find something that might help
them to grow.

Female pop and jazz vocalist.

arts music

A complete nominations list is
available at http://www.
MercyMe and Matthew West round out the leading nominee list with five each. The Songwriter of the Year
nominees and winner are announced during the GMA Music Awards.
Hitchhiker is both the nickname and musical brainchild of Antwane Smith of
Capitol Heights, Maryland, a new father who served in the US Army in Bosnia
and Kosovo. The V CAST Music store will contain a million songs by spring
and lets customers browse , preview, download and play high-quality digital
music from their phones or in the Verizon Wireless V CAST Music online store.

official list

The
Crabb Family also nabbed six nominations while the group's patriarch , Gerald
Crabb, earned six nominations for his prolific songwriting. Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association (GMA).myspace.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless
network, serving 51.

biography pop

, Nominations for the 36th Annual
GMA Music Awards were announced today with top-sellers and new artists leading
the field of nominees for the Dove Awards.myspace.

vocalist official

The five artists nominated by GMA members for Artist of the Year are
Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Selah, Michael W. Hitchhiker was selected by Verizon Wireless and MySpace
to be one of the 15 semifinalists in the "Calling All Bands" contest
(http://www.
From March 13 through March 22, the MySpace network of more than 60
million users can listen to Hitchhiker and all the semifinalists and vote
online for their favorite at http://www.

vocalist list

Smith, Crabb Family, Casting Crowns, Switchfoot,
MercyMe and Israel Houghton; New Artists BarlowGirl and Matthew West Also
Emerge As Big Dove Contenders

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Casting Crowns follows with seven nominations and lead
singer/songwriter Mark Hall adds six individual nominations of his own.
Founded in 1964, the 4,500-member Gospel Music Association is dedicated to
exposing , promoting and celebrating the gospel through music.hikervision.
V CAST Music is available through Verizon Wireless' 2,000 Communications
Stores and Circuit City locations and online at
http:/ /www.

artists pop

Michael W.
Artists with four nominations include Steven Curtis Chapman, BarlowGirl,
Selah , Jeremy Camp, Martha Munizzi, Martin Smith, Sanctus Real, J Moss and
Matt Redman. The GMA
represents all styles of gospel music including contemporary pop, rock, urban
gospel, praise + worship, Southern gospel, country and children's gospel
music. He's one of two Hip Hop artists selected as a semifinalist ."
Verizon Wireless will release the "Calling All Bands" winner's song on V
CAST Music -- marking the first time an unsigned band will release its first
single on a wireless phone. Customers
interested in managing their music from their PCs need Windows Media Player
10; a free download of the player is available online in the V CAST Music
store.

pop vocalist

36th Annual GMA Music Award Nominations Announced Today

com/callingallbands.
"All those years of traveling between cities to visit parents and family
exposed me to all kinds of music and influences, and that's where the
universalism in my own music comes from," said Smith. Smith's own website is
http://www.S.