The CMAs and Grammys Treat Country Music Differently — Why That’s a Good Thing

When the Country Music Association presents the 58th annual CMA Awards on Nov. 20, it will mark the latest date on the calendar that the organization’s trophy event has ever been convened.

The late date set up a precedent when the Recording Academy unveiled the nominees for the 67thannual Grammy Awards on Nov. 8, the earliest announcement date in the history of that show’s cycle. It marks the first time that both the Grammy and CMA contests have simultaneously aligned: Each has announced its final ballot, but neither has revealed any of its winners.

As a result, the differences in the two institutions’ approaches to country are even more glaring than in previous years. Houston native Beyoncè is the clearest example of the dichotomy. Her country-hybrid album, Cowboy Carter, and seven of its tracks amassed 11 Grammy nominations, making her the leading finalist in the entire contest. Her portfolio includes entries in each of the four country-specific categories: best country song (“Texas Hold ’Em”), best country album (Cowboy Carter), best country solo performance (“16 Carriages”) and best country duo/group performance (“II Most Wanted,” featuring Miley Cyrus).

But Beyoncè’s crossover material was entirely absent from the CMA ballot.

Conversely, fellow Texan Cody Johnson tied for second in the CMA hardware royale with five nominations, including slots among the finalists for male vocalist and album of the year (Leather). But his big-voiced traditionalism was left off the Grammy list.

The disparities between the two awards shows were built into their missions. The CMA is a Nashville-based trade organization devoted to promoting the country format, and it counts plenty of marketers, media and executives among its membership. Its origins date back to the late 1950s when Music City’s leaders united out of fear that the emergence of youthful rock’n’roll could destroy country’s very existence.

The Recording Academy is a multigenre institution centered in Santa Monica, Calif., that is primarily focused on the creatives in the business.

The academy and the CMA hold many common values and purposes, which means that they share plenty of nominees. This year, 10 artists appear on the CMA list and in the Grammy country field, including Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wallen, Shaboozey, Jelly Roll and Chris Stapleton.

But the organizations’ history and structures create some specific differences, too, and the ways in which they diverge have the greatest influence on the contrasts in their ballots. CMA voters, who represent a single format with a large bloc of members in the genre’s home city, operate with an air of protectionism.They tend to reward artists and projects that maintain country’s identity, even as they help the genre progress. They’re also prone to honor people they see on a regular basis, meaning the nominees mostly live in Music City or visit and mingle often. As a result, Megan Moroney, Parker McCollum, Lady A, Maddie & Tae, Brooks & Dunn and Old Dominion are all CMA contenders, though they didn’t quite make the Grammy ballot.

Grammy voters, following the dictates of creativity, are more likely to celebrate songs and artists that color outside the lines. The academy tends to champion specific artists for long periods of time, but even those Grammy favorites who have strong traditional roots — such as Willie Nelson and Kacey Musgraves, both of whom appear on the current ballot — arrived as rebel spirits. Likewise, the CMA has often celebrated country acts whose style straddles mainstream commercialism and left-of-center sounds, such as eclectic red-dirt artist Lyle Lovett, folky Mary Chapin Carpenter and honky-tonk firebrand Dwight Yoakam.

Traditional country icons George Strait and Alan Jackson further underscore the differences between the Grammys and the CMAs. They rank third and fourth on the all-time list of CMA winners, with 17 and 16 victories, respectively. But they have won only three Grammys between them. 

Much was made about Beyoncè’s absence from this year’s CMAs, with a number of critics implying the snub was cold-stone racism in action. No doubt that played a role in some votes, but if that was the sole factor, it’s likely that neither Shaboozey -— who’s up for new artist and single of the year, with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — nor vocal duo nominees The War and Treaty would be on the ballot in the Nov. 20 ceremony. 

To be certain, country has made a greater effort to support Black artists and executives in recent years. And many in the space were excited about the prospects of Beyoncè entering the country realm and perhaps expanding the genre’s audience.

But she announced quite pointedly that Cowboy Carter was a “Beyoncè album,” not solely a country release, and to many insiders, it sounds more like an artist playing with the sound than immersing herself in it. Given the choice, CMA voters — with their interest in maintaining country’s identity — were always likely to choose talents who seem like they’re committed to country over an artist dipping their toe in the water for one album. And in the fields where she seemed most likely to have a shot — album, single, song, musical event or female vocalist — it’s not like there’s a dud who doesn’t belong on the ballot.

By contrast, Post Malone spent plenty of face time with country creatives while making F-1 Trillion, investing himself in the culture and snagging four CMA nods in the process.

Ultimately, with CMA and Grammy nominees both waiting for the final results, the awards events’ differing views seem to embody the tug between tradition and progressiveness. The desire to protect the sound of the format is valid, as is the artful interest in pushing its limits and mixing it with other sounds and traditions.

The two awards shows, taken in combination, validate both viewpoints on the genre. Both shows, and both approaches to the music, are necessary. And welcome. 

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