THE VOTING PROCESS

Any mention of the CMA Awards elicits the question of how winners are selected. The answer does much to explain why the CMA Awards is the most-highly regarded and coveted award in the Country Music industry.

CMA Awards winners are chosen in three rounds of voting. Votes are cast by industry professional members of the Country Music Association – meaning Awards winners are honored by their peers in the music industry.

Awards criteria, rules of election and balloting procedures are established by CMA’s Board of Directors. Singles, albums, music videos and qualified music products for the musical event must have been first released during the eligibility period.

Three rounds of voting:

Ballot 1: Each CMA member may nominate one act in each category on the first ballot. The top 20 qualified vote recipients in each category become official nominees on the second ballot. In the Entertainer of the Year category the top 15 qualified nominees will advance to the second ballot.

Ballot 2: On the second ballot, CMA members must vote for up to five nominees in each category. The results are tabulated. The top five vote-getters in each category are the final nominees and appear on the third/final ballot.

Ballot 3: On the final ballot, members vote for one nominee in each category to determine the winners.

The entire balloting process is conducted and certified by the international accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP

CMA AWARDS CRITERIA

Have you ever wondered, “What does it take for my favorite artist to be nominated for Entertainer of the Year?” See below for a quick explanation of each category and what it takes to be nominated for Country Music’s Highest Honors.

45th Annual CMA Awards Eligibility Period: July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011

Category 1 – ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

This Award is for the act displaying the greatest competence in all aspects of the entertainment field. Voter should give consideration not only to recorded performance, but also to the in-person performance, staging, public acceptance, attitude, leadership, and overall contribution to the Country Music image. Award to artist.

Category 2 – SINGLE OF THE YEAR

This Award is for individual tracks only. This category will include both digital releases as well as physical releases. The track must have reached the Top 50 of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart, Country Aircheck Chart or Music Row Country Breakout Chart for the first time during the eligibility period. If the single charted in the Top 50 on the above charts and was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest chart position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has previously appeared on a Final Ballot in this category.

Category 3 – ALBUM OF THE YEAR

This Award is for an album as a whole unit. The album should be judged on all aspects including, but not limited to, artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout and liner notes. At least 75% of the product in the album must have first achieved national prominence during the eligibility period. Award to artist and producer.

Category 4 – SONG OF THE YEAR

This Award is for the songwriter(s). Any Country Music song with original words and music is eligible based upon the song’s Country singles chart activity during the eligibility period. In this category, the Second Ballot will contain the eligible nominations from the First Ballot and the top five songs from the combined tabulation of the Country Singles Charts from Billboard’s Hot Country Singles, Country Aircheck Chart and Music Row Country Breakout Chart. Award to songwriter.

Category 5 – FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

This Award is based on individual musical performance on a solo album release. Award to artist.

Category 6 – MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

This Award is based on individual musical performance on a solo album release. Award to artist.

Category 7 – VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

A group is defined as an act, composed of three (3) or more people, all of whom normally perform together and none of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist. This Award is based on the musical performance of the group as a unit on an album. The Award is to the group.

Category 8 – VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

A duo is defined as an act composed of two people, both of whom normally perform together and neither of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist. This Award is based on the musical performance of the duo as a unit on an album. The Award is to the duo.

Category 9 – MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

An event is defined as a collaboration of two or more people either or all of whom are known primarily as individual artists. They must have performed together, as a unit, on a single or album released domestically within the eligibility period with each artist prominently featured. Live performance events are not eligible. Award to each artist.

Cateogry 10 – MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

This Award is for a musician known primarily as an instrumental performer. In order to qualify, a musician must have played on at least one album or single that has appeared in the Top 10 of the Country album or singles charts from Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart, Music Row Country Breakout Chart or Country Aircheck Chart during the eligibility period. Award to the musician.

Category 11 – MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

This Award is for an original music video not more than ten (10) minutes in length featuring the performance of not more than one (1) song or medley. The video must have been first nationally broadcast in its entirety during the eligibility period. The video should be judged on all audio and video elements including, but not limited to, the artist’s performance, video concept and production. Award to artist and director.

Category 12 – NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

This Award is to the artist, whether individual or a group, who is known primarily as a Country artist, who has for the first time demonstrated the most significant creative growth and development in overall chart or sales activity (of a debut or sophomore album), live performance, professionalism and/or national media recognition related to the launch of their career. Any artist who has previously won a CMA Award (except Song of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Video of the Year) or who has twice been a final nominee for the Horizon Award or New Artist of the Year Award is ineligible for nomination. Award to artist.