BMI, ASCAP and Songwriters Hall Set Awards Dates

Nashville’s annual country music awards season is beginning to take shape with BMI, ASCAP and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announcing dates for their annual awards events.

BMI announced today (7/21) that the 58th annual BMI Country Awards will take place Tuesday, November 9 at the company’s Music Row offices in Nashville. The black-tie, invitation-only gala is the oldest awards ceremony saluting country music’s top songwriters.

Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant, along with Nashville Writer/Publisher Vice President Jody Williams and Assistant Vice President Clay Bradley, the BMI Country Awards will salute the songwriters and publishers of the top BMI country songs played on American radio and television during the previous year. The organization will also bestow prestigious honors on the genre’s Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and most-performed Song of the Year, also known as the Robert J. Burton Award.

The evening will culminate with the presentation of the BMI Icon award to a country legend who has rendered “a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” The Icon recipient will be announced in the coming months.

With more details to be announced in the next couple of weeks,  ASCAP has announced a date and venue change for their annual ASCAP Country Awards. This year’s event will take place on September 14 at the War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame 40th Anniversary Dinner & Induction Ceremony, presented by AT&T, will be held Sunday, Oct. 17, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Sponsored by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, the event will feature special performances of inductees’ songs, as well as the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s annual awards for “The 10 Songs I Wish I’d Written,” as selected by the organization’s Pro Songwriters Division. Reservations will go on sale in late August and will be available by contacting event director Mark Ford at hoftix@nashvillesongwriters.com or 615-256-3354. More details will be announced in the weeks ahead.