CMA Announces Changes for Country Music Hall of Fame Balloting
Country Music Association®
April 02, 2009
By Scott Stem
Beginning with the 2010 ballots, new categories and procedures will be in effect for election to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Approved by the CMA Board during its February meetings in Orlando, Fla., these changes begin with new names and criteria for the three categories through which new members are nominated and elected.
Modern Era Artists become eligible for induction in this category 20 years after they first achieve national prominence. They will remain eligible for this category for the next 25 years. This replaces the former "Career Achieved National Prominence Between 1975 and the Present" category.
Veterans Era Artists become eligible for induction in this category 45 years after they first achieve national prominence. This combines the former categories "Career Achieved National Prominence Between World War II and 1975" (which was voted on annually) and "Career Achieved National Prominence Prior to World War II" (which was voted on every third year in rotation) into one.
Rotating Categories The third slot will continue to be a rotating category, with each group in the spotlight every third year. The Recording and/or Touring Musician and Non Performer slots will remain, joined by a new Songwriter category.
"Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor anyone can receive in the Country Music industry," said Tammy Genovese, CMA CEO. "In the past, songwriters and industry executives shared the same category that rotated every three years. With these new changes, the songwriters and non-performers now have their own rotating categories. This allows these talented and influential men and women a more frequent opportunity to join this intimate fraternity."
For the first time, voting in the Veterans Era and Modern Era categories will be conducted by separate Nominating Committees, each composed of 12 industry leaders who serve three-year terms. The Modern Era Nominating Committee will also oversee nominations for the Rotating Categories. Each committee will meet twice per year, first to present and discuss candidates for nomination to the Hall of Fame and then again to finalize their list of nominees, which will contain no less than 10 and no more than 20 names.
Members will be chosen from these lists by two separate Panels of Electors, each made up of historians and industry professionals who have a historical perspective on Country Music. One Panel will vote in both the Modern Era and Rotating Categories, with the second assigned to the Veterans Era list. Appointed annually by CMA's Awards and Recognition Committee, Panel members will serve anonymously. And there is no restriction against any one individual servicing simultaneously on both Panels.
Final voting for Hall of Fame nominees will take place in two rounds. The first ballot will contain the 10 to 20 candidates chosen by the Nominating Committees, with Panel members required to vote for five of them. The second ballot will contain the five nominees who garnered the greatest number of votes from the first ballot, with each Panel member limited to one vote.
"We constantly monitor the voting procedures and update them as necessary," said Genovese. "We believe these changes will further protect the integrity of the nominating and balloting process."
CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to the format with Country Music's highest honor.
2009 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
Beginning with the 2010 ballots, new categories and procedures will be in effect for election to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Approved by the CMA Board during its February meetings in Orlando, Fla., these changes begin with new names and criteria for the three categories through which new members are nominated and elected.
Modern Era Artists become eligible for induction in this category 20 years after they first achieve national prominence. They will remain eligible for this category for the next 25 years. This replaces the former "Career Achieved National Prominence Between 1975 and the Present" category.
Veterans Era Artists become eligible for induction in this category 45 years after they first achieve national prominence. This combines the former categories "Career Achieved National Prominence Between World War II and 1975" (which was voted on annually) and "Career Achieved National Prominence Prior to World War II" (which was voted on every third year in rotation) into one.
Rotating Categories The third slot will continue to be a rotating category, with each group in the spotlight every third year. The Recording and/or Touring Musician and Non Performer slots will remain, joined by a new Songwriter category.
"Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor anyone can receive in the Country Music industry," said Tammy Genovese, CMA CEO. "In the past, songwriters and industry executives shared the same category that rotated every three years. With these new changes, the songwriters and non-performers now have their own rotating categories. This allows these talented and influential men and women a more frequent opportunity to join this intimate fraternity."
For the first time, voting in the Veterans Era and Modern Era categories will be conducted by separate Nominating Committees, each composed of 12 industry leaders who serve three-year terms. The Modern Era Nominating Committee will also oversee nominations for the Rotating Categories. Each committee will meet twice per year, first to present and discuss candidates for nomination to the Hall of Fame and then again to finalize their list of nominees, which will contain no less than 10 and no more than 20 names.
Members will be chosen from these lists by two separate Panels of Electors, each made up of historians and industry professionals who have a historical perspective on Country Music. One Panel will vote in both the Modern Era and Rotating Categories, with the second assigned to the Veterans Era list. Appointed annually by CMA's Awards and Recognition Committee, Panel members will serve anonymously. And there is no restriction against any one individual servicing simultaneously on both Panels.
Final voting for Hall of Fame nominees will take place in two rounds. The first ballot will contain the 10 to 20 candidates chosen by the Nominating Committees, with Panel members required to vote for five of them. The second ballot will contain the five nominees who garnered the greatest number of votes from the first ballot, with each Panel member limited to one vote.
"We constantly monitor the voting procedures and update them as necessary," said Genovese. "We believe these changes will further protect the integrity of the nominating and balloting process."
CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to the format with Country Music's highest honor.
2009 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
Print
Email
