ACM or CMA: Which Country Music Award Show Reigns Supreme?

When it comes to country music, two award shows rule: the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards. They’re like the Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean of country awards: both successful, full of Southern charm and twang, but with very different vibes. While both celebrate the best in country music, these two institutions have their own histories, criteria, and fan loyalties.   

As we approach the 2025 CMA Awards ceremony, which will take place on November 19, we ask ourselves: Which award truly reigns?

The ACM and CMA are a tale of two coasts, with the CMA established in 1958 in Nashville with 233 members headed by president Connie B. Gay, while the ACM was founded in Los Angeles in 1964 by Tommy Wiggins, Eddie Miller, Mickey Christensen, Chris Christensen, and other music industry professionals. The ACM Awards started in 1966; the CMA Awards followed the next year.   

The two awards shows not only have a major difference in geographical location, but this also influenced their approaches. CMA, established in Nashville, is more traditional, while the ACM, being on the West Coast, is more diverse and contemporary. Both organizations are now major industry forces, with CMA having more than 6,000 industry professional members, while as of December 2023, ACM has 5,000 members.   

Sure, both shows and organizations serve the same purpose: recognizing outstanding achievements in country music; however, they each feature unique categories. ACM features Artist-Songwriter of the Year, a category that recognizes the artist’s contribution as a singer and songwriter, as well as Music Event of the Year, while CMA has more categories overall.

Both have categories for Male/Female Vocalist, Group of the Year, New Artist, Album, and Single awards, but have different criteria in selecting the winners.   

Both organizations ensure winners are selected fairly. Awards are determined by members who are music industry professionals. Before, ACM implemented fan voting and industry votes, but has now adopted industry-only voting due to claims of unfairness. Industry voting is more unbiased since it considers artistic merit compared to fan voting, which can be swayed depending on the artist’s popularity.   

However, industry-only voting is not without its flaws. Recently, country band Parmalee publicly called out the CMA nomination process, alleging “insider trading” and “politics.” The band, despite having five No. 1 songs, did not receive any nominations or recognition from the award-giving body.   

The prestige and career impact of winning each award differ. The CMA Awards ceremony is known as “the biggest night in country music,” especially since it's held in country music's headquarters: Nashville. However, the ACM Awards are considered the longest-running country music awards show.  

Viewership also differs: The 2023 CMA Awards averaged 6.6 million viewers while the 2023 ACM Awards reported 7.7 million viewers (still significantly less compared to the GRAMMYs, which in 2024 pulled in 16.9 million viewers).   

Winning the CMA or ACM impacts artists’ careers as well. It affects ticket sales, streaming numbers, and earns the respect and recognition of peers and fans.   

There’s really no award show that reigns supreme since both shows have different values and roles in country music. One appeals to traditional country music fans and Nashville industry insiders, while the other highlights the genre’s evolution by including contemporary and modern elements. Rather than competing, both shows complement each other by showing country music’s diversity. 

Watch the 59th Annual CMA Awards November 19, live on ABC.