CMA Expands Global Reach With Visits To Australia, New Zealand, Canada

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The CMA is expanding its international reach this month with visits to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The CMA Fest summer TV special is also set to air in multiple territories through the end of September.

The organization kicks off this month with visits to Australia and New Zealand, curating unique events with Kane Brown and Shy Carter, plus Australian artist Melanie Dyer.

While in Australia, CMA will partner with performing rights organization APRA AMCOS for SongHubs Country, a four-day songwriting camp running from Sept. 1-4. CMA Vice President, International Relations and Development Milly Olykan will serve as curator for the event, handpicking 12 participants to work alongside Carter and Dyer to write and produce a commercial hit.

CMA will also have a presence at BigSound, Australia’s leading music industry conference on Sept. 7. Serving as keynote speaker, Olykan will highlight the growth and potential of country music within Australia’s mainstream music culture as part of an interview with Natalie Waller, Chairman of the Australian Recording Industry Association and Head of Music & Events for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In addition, CMA will host a songwriters round at BigSound featuring Carter with local artists James Johnston, Fanny Lumsden and Loren Ryan.

Rounding out the visit, CMA’s Australian Task Force will host a reception on Sept. 23 at the CMA-sponsored Backstage Bar at CMC Rocks, returning this year after a two-year hiatus.

In New Zealand, CMA will partner with Sony Music New Zealand and Frontier Touring to host a pre-show reception with Brown on Sept. 25 leading into his performance at Spark Arena in Auckland. This marks Brown’s first performance in New Zealand, and the country’s first major country event since 2016.

CMA will also have a presence in Canada for the CCMA Country Music Week Conference and Festival and the Canadian Country Music Awards from Sept. 8-12.

“Undertaking new initiatives in Australia, and for the first time in New Zealand, is all the more special now that borders are open and our live business can resume again,” Olykan explains. “We have an incredible network in these markets, and we’re excited to be forging the many new relationships we’ve gathered over Zoom these last two years. CMA is grateful that the various broadcasters we have around the world have continued to carry CMA’s three network shows, giving country music artists mainstream exposure in multiple international territories.”

To date, the 2022 CMA Fest program has also been licensed in five international territories, including Canada and the UK. Upcoming airings are scheduled for Mexico (Sept. 4), Norway (Sept. 16), and Germany (Sept. 28).

Lorie Hollabaugh
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