Lady Antebellum and Eminem lead 2010 American Music Awards nominees

LOS ANGELES, USA - The 2010 American Music Awards nominations have been announced with Eminem and Lady Antebellum leading with 5 each.

Youtube star Justin Bieber is up 4 for nominations, whilst Kesha, Katy Perry and B.o.B have three respectively.

Enrique Iglesias and Shakira are in competition to win the Latin Music category. Glee, Iron Man 2 and The Twilight Saga albums are contending for Best Soundtrack

The nominees of the AMAs were chosen through 'The Ultimate Chart' which ranks artists and songs based on popularity. This included analyzing the combination of music album sales, music video views on the internet, social network activity and traditional radio and TV broadcasting statistics.

As the metrics of success change for the music industry, a more thorough look of online statistics is necessary as traditional media takes a back seat in the 21st century.

Artists such as Justin Bieber have risen to fame thanks to the power of social media and the internet without traditional media, which marks a significant change in the music industry, which must be recognized.

This year's breakthrough artist will be presented by T Mobile. Performances confirmed for the star-studded event include Usher, Pink and Bon Jovi.

The AMAs are a direct competitor to the Grammys, which includes primarily American acts, although international artists do compete due to their popularity around the world. Whilst Grammy voters are solely members of the entertainment industry, the AMAs is seen as a more accurate reflection of what the general public think about artists, as it is people who buy their music that vote.

Audiences will be able to vote for their favourite artists online via amavote.com and the event will be broadcast live at the L.A Nokia Theatre on Sunday November 21st.