54th Annual CMA Awards Will Not Have An In-House Audience

This year’s Country Music Association Awards, set for Nov. 11, won’t have a live in-house audience of wall-to-wall fans and music industry members packing Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, as it has in years past.

In a recent letter to CMA members, CMA CEO Sarah Trahern noted that venue capacity for the upcoming 54th annual CMA Awards will be limited to essential personnel only. No tickets will be sold for this year’s CMA Awards, which will air on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 11.

Sony Music Nashville artist Miranda Lambert topped this year’s nominees with seven nominations, and making CMA Awards history in the process, as the first female artist to earn a record-breaking 55 total career nominations, breaking Reba McEntire’s record (McEntire earned her 51st career nomination this year). Lambert’s nominations include Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year (“Bluebird”), Album of the Year (Wildcard), Song of the Year (“Bluebird”), Musical Event of the Year (“Fooled Around And Fell In Love”), and Music Video of the Year (“Bluebird”).

Two more Sony Nashville artists, Luke Combs and Maren Morris also top this year’s nominations, with Combs earning six nominations (including his first for Entertainer of the Year) and Morris earning five nominations, adding to her previous 16 nominations and two wins.