According to the ACM front page at the time of this writing, there are 6 days, 20 hours, & minutes along with seconds that are being counted down at a rapid pace to the 47th Annual ACM Awards on April 1st at the MGM in Las Vegas. This year the show is once again hosted by Reba & Blake...an unlikely duo I thought at first last year; but seemed to pair up rather nicely. The date of the show being April Fool's Day can leave anyone's imagination running wild.
(Photo courtesy of ACM)
In my view this country award show is one of the most prestigious of them all. Maybe it is the Vegas glitz and glam atmosphere, the long weekend of activities abound, such as the free concerts on Freemont Street headlined by Luke Bryan on Friday and Eric Church on Saturday, or just the way the show and awards processed is determind; I cannot pin it on one thing. This year with the addition of the new ACM weekend experience starting Friday, held at Mandalay Bay, brings more to the fans by way of free concerts, food, some shopping and rounding it all out with the Fan Jam hosted this year by Zak Brown Band. The show is held during the Awards show itself and one never knows what surprises can be in store or who will show up.
The criteria for a nomination is based on radio charts, album sales, and downloads. The Academy’s members are from all different parts of the industry, radio is just a percentage of the vote. Record companies, television and print media, and even the business end of the industry are considered. This is run from the calender year from December 1st - November 30th. I will say this regarding the criteria for Entertainer of the Year; I disagree with it being fan voted. It should remain in the hands of the members and held to the same standards and merits as before. (Just my thought) All the details on the categories can be found here: https://acmcountrycom.s3.amazonaws.com/ACM_12153.pdf
I had a chance to chat with Jackie Stevens, the young Executive Producer of the syndicated nightly Country radio show, 'The Big Time with Whitney Allen', to get her insight on some questions and thoughts I had regarding the ACM's.
Q: Do you still feel radio continues to have a big impact or is the internet really taking over?
"I personally think its just another resource for radio. Instead of being concerned with it, we’ve had to learn to use it WITH what we do on the air. Social networking alone has forced us to think outside of the box. Its made us rethink how we connect people near computers and not radios. Everything happens INSTANTLY on the internet, and its forced us to keep up and be better. The album industry is adjusting to this also, many won’t produce CD’s in stores anymore, online only albums are going to be the way to go. It’s a tool…not our enemy."
Q: How can an artist be considered in the new artist category when they have had a career already with numerous hits? Example: Jack Ingram when he won for new Male Artist.
"Most artists have the 10 year “overnight success.” Very few are quick to super star status. But because of fans, local stations, the internet, and all kinds of resources, many new artists already have established some kind of career already…so “new” may not be the right word for them, but it is to the huge year they had."
Q: What do you think keeps drawing the fans back to ACM weekend every year? Is it the show itself? The off chance one will see their favorite artist etc.? And in the past few years do you think the economy has impacted the weekend? I know many would love to attend the All Star after party but the ticket prices have increased each year & makes it tough.
"Well the economy has impacted EVERYTHING! =) But it hasn’t seem to slow things down in Vegas. Country music is the ONLY genre that gets, and stays, this close to its fans. If you’ve been to ACM weekend, you hear the stories of shooting craps with Brooks & Dunn, playing Blackjack with Rascal Flatts, or seeing Tim McGraw in an elevator. That definitely makes people want to be a part of it. There are free concerts a couple of nights, concerts all over the city the night before, and then the show. If you love country music, of course you’d want to be there."
Q: This show seems to have more prestige then any other country music award show; why is that & do you agree?
"Both the ACM’s and the CMA’s are prestigious. Its hard to say one more than the other…the ACM’s are very fan friendly in Vegas. Being voted on by industry folk, and letting the big award be picked by fans. I think that’s a great mix to have. That…and Reba’s been hosting or co-hosting for awhile…SHE brings prestige everywhere she goes!!"
Q: Do you feel that the Awards will ever leave Vegas for Texas which has been rumored for a few years?
"I think there is a good chance they will. The ACM’s really do focus on the fans. In Texas, the stadium is HUGE, they can get more people in the show. In Vegas, they’re taking up 2 venues to get the same amount of people in. It was a risk 10 years ago to move the show from LA to Vegas, and that worked out well for them. Gotta keep growing and getting better…I think if they do move, its because they’re planning something bigger and better."
For any further information regarding the ACM weekend: http://www.acmcountry.com/welcome.html Also when you get the chance check out 'The Big Time with Whitney Allen': http://www.thebigtimeonline.com/
I love this weekend in Vegas; my best by far. I go in with such anticipation and come home with so much to share, along with very tired feet, lack of sleep, low volume on my voice, and a mess to unpack, and after all is said and done I would not have missed it for the world.
