GETTING PRIMED
FOR THE ACMs

The Academy of Country Music Awards returns to Texas for the first time since 2015, with Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks hosting. This year’s event will once again be livestreamed on Prime Video, which last year became the first streaming service to present a major awards show.

“The Academy is proud to extend our relationship with Amazon to once again deliver the ACM Awards live to a global audience on Prime Video,” said ACM CEO Damon Whiteside. “The March 2022 show was a defining moment for the ACM and a huge step forward for country music, allowing audiences around the world to see their favorite artists perform live and be recognized for their excellence. We can’t wait to take the show to a new level for fans with an exciting new venue and integrated partnership with the Dallas Cowboys.”

“Country is a cornerstone of Amazon Music,” said VP of Music Industry Ryan Redington. “Last year’s event paved the way for an incredibly powerful, cross-Amazon collaboration for one of the biggest country-music moments of the year, and we look forward to expanding to new heights in celebration of the 2023 nominees.”

The 58th ACM Awards will go down at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on 5/11. Yes, that’s the Cowboys team headquarters— and loquacious owner Jerry Jones was delighted to provide a quote for the occasion, intoning in his familiar drawl, “The last time we hosted the ACMs, in 2015 at AT&T Stadium, we saw the incredible energy that comes from such great fans of country music in our region. We built The Star in Frisco to attract big events like the ACMs, and I know our partners locally and our friends in country music will provide incredible entertainment.”

The rollout to the big night tees off 5/10, when ACM Lifting Lives, the ACM's philanthropic partner, hosts the "Topgolf Tee-Off and Rock On Fundraiser" at Topgolf The Colony in Colony, Texas.

The celebrity golf tournament will be followed by "ACM Lifting Lives LIVE: Morgan Wallen & Friends," an all-star concert on the Topgolf green. Reigning ACM Album of the Year winner Wallen will be joined by current ACM Songwriter of the Year HARDY, presiding ACM New Female Artist and Song of the Year winner Lainey Wilson, ERNEST, Bailey Zimmerman and DJ 13lackbeard.

“ACM Lifting Lives does great work providing aid in times of need to folks inside and outside the music industry," offered Wallen. "My band and I are excited to help them raise funds to continue doing this amazing work.”

“The support of country music artists and the industry as a whole is what makes the impactful work of ACM Lifting Lives possible,” reads the quote from ACM Lifting Lives Executive Director Lyndsay Cruz. “We know music fans in Texas will be blown away by this all-star lineup.”

In addition to distributing more than $4m to date through its COVID Relief Fund, ACM Lifting Lives provides critical support through the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, significant annual commitments to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Music Health Alliance and the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and individual grants to organizations that serve communities across the U.S.

Second-round voting for the ACMs, which runs through 4/3, can be accessed here. Our ACM Preview special issue arrives 4/17 to coincide with final-round voting. Mark your calendars.