Country Music Association Awards
| Country Music Association Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
 50th anniversary logo | |
| Awarded for | Achievements in country music |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Country Music Association |
| First awarded | 1967 |
| Website | www.cmaawards.com |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network |
NBC (1968–1971) CBS (1972–2005) ABC (2006–present) |
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry.[1][2] The televised annual presentation ceremony features performances and award presentations by popular country music artists, with occasional appearances from pop and rock artists.[1]
The CMA Awards were first presented in 1967, and televised for the first time the following year. The 51st annual ceremony will be held on November 14, 2018 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee and broadcast by ABC.
History
The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in 1967; the Entertainer of the Year award that night went to Eddy Arnold. The second annual CMA awards were presented in October 1968; NBC taped the ceremony and televised it a few weeks later. Since then, the awards have been televised live, usually in October or November, by NBC from 1969 through 1971, by CBS from 1972 through 2005, and by ABC beginning in 2006. Starting in 1968 they were held at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry (initially at Ryman Auditorium, and from 1974 through 2004 at the new Grand Ole Opry House).
In 2005, the awards show was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Since 2006, they have been held at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.[3]
The awards are generally held on the first Wednesday in November, but the 2017 ceremony was held on November 8 (the second Wednesday), rescheduled to avoid a potential conflict with game seven of the 2017 World Series, a game that turned out to be inevitable (as it was with the previous Series).
Eligibility and voting
Albums and songs released between July 1 of the previous calendar year and June 30 of the award show's year are eligible for consideration.[4] More than 7,300 individuals from the Country Music Association trade group vote for the nominees and winners through three rounds of balloting.[4]
Awards
Annual awards are given in the following twelve categories: Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, New Artist (previously known as the Horizon Award until 2008), Vocal Group, Vocal Duo (introduced in 1970), Single, Album, Song, Musical Event (split off from the Vocal Duo award in 1988 as Vocal Event), Music Video (introduced in 1985), and Musician.[1] The distinction between the Duo and Event awards is that the former is presented to two artists who normally perform together, while the latter was specifically created to honor one-off collaborations. Nine awards are also given to radio broadcasters for Station of the Year and Personality of the Year (divided into four categories each, based on market size), as well as National Personality of the Year to the host of a nationally syndicated show.[1] Since 2012, the ceremony features a Lifetime Achievement Award.[5]
Major awards
CMA Awards hosts
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood have co-hosted the ceremonies together since 2008. Vince Gill has been the longest consecutive host from 1992 to 2003, co-hosting with Reba McEntire in 1992 and Clint Black in 1993. The first ceremony in 1967 was co-hosted by Sonny James and Bobbie Gentry, but that ceremony was not televised.
See also
- Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame
- Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year
- Country Music Association Award for Male Vocalist of the Year
- Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year
- Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year
- CMA Music Festival, a CMA-produced summer event which is part of the CMA broadcast contract with ABC
References
- 1 2 3 4 Country dj. "Country Music Association Awards". Retrieved November 14, 2013.
- ↑ CMA Awards. "Country Music's Biggest Night". Retrieved November 14, 2013.
- ↑ "CMT : CMA Awards : Archive : 2005 : Country Music Association". www.cmt.com. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- 1 2 "It's Balloting Season at CMA!". CMA World. Country Music Association. May 5, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Kenny Rogers Presented With the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award". CMA World. Country Music Association. November 8, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2014.