CMA Awards Coming Up November 19 with Updated Voting Rules Including Coastal Music Companies

The Country Music Association (CMA) has officially confirmed that the 59th annual CMA Awards will take place on Nov. 19 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. The show will air live on ABC and Disney+, with Hulu offering next-day streaming. This year's date keeps the late November slot adopted in 2024, which CMA CEO Sarah Trahern says was prompted by strong ratings and the need to avoid scheduling conflicts with the general election and the World Series.

Nominees for this year's awards will be announced in late summer, with the eligibility window set from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The first nomination ballot will open on July 7.

The CMA Awards, dubbed Country Music's Biggest Night™, continue to honor the top talent and achievements across the genre. Reflecting the evolving landscape of country music, the CMA has introduced significant voting changes and new outreach efforts. Trahern stated, “One of the things that we've really spent the last year on culminated in some membership category changes to impact this year's voting. It has to do with broadening the reach of some of the categories and being able to make folks [at] the coastal labels eligible to vote because more people are actually in the country music space.”

The CMA has also launched a new Member Ambassador Program to support recruitment and peer-led education for current and prospective members. “There is going to be no better way to educate and inform potential members and or current members than by their peers,” explained CMA Senior VP Tiffany Kerns. “I think for us, we wanted to identify individuals that are eager, ready, comfortable, and confident to essentially be extensions of the CMA staff.”

Kerns also noted that talks about involving industry professionals from New York and Los Angeles in the voting process began years ago, paralleling the rise of influential artists from those regions. The host for the 2025 ceremony has not been revealed, though previous emcees Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning, and Lainey Wilson remain possible contenders.