iHeart Fest returns

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR iHEARTRADIO: The iHeartRadio machine is in overdrive. With its first-ever Music Awards coming on 5/1, Clear Channel's multi-platform brand is announcing the fourth annual iHeartRadio Music Festival, slated to light up the MGM Grand in Vegas on 9/19-20. While a lineup hasn't yet been unveiled, the fest has renewed its pact with Macy's for the Rising Star competition, which puts aspiring artists (like last year's winner, The Summer Set) onstage alongside festival superstars. Listeners will be able to check out the 25 contestants on the Macy's iHeart channel mystyleradio and vote (via "thumbs up") at the Rising Star page from 5/5-6/22. The channel will also play in the department chain's 700 stores. Said Clear Channel programming honcho Tom Poleman, "Every year the iHeartRadio Music Festival features the biggest names in music together on one stage as well as historic collaborations you can't see anywhere else," adding, "Being able to bring such a diverse array of popular artists together, while having the opportunity to introduce listeners to new music and artists through programs like Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star, is what Clear Channel is all about. And for those Macy's customers who've been asking me, lingerie is on the sixth floor." (4/28a)