ACM LEVel Up Now Accepting Nominations & Applications For 2025 Cohort

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The Academy of Country Music’s LEVel Up: Lifting Every Voice program is currently accepting nominations and applications for its 2025 cohort through Monday, Nov. 11.

Funded wholly by ACM at no cost to participants, the two-year intensive program is designed to elevate the next generation of leaders in the music industry and empower participants to play a pivotal role in expanding the horizons of country music into new audiences that transcend demographics and geography. Throughout the first year, participants will learn more about the music business from some of the industry’s key executives and engage in volunteer opportunities. They will also collaborate as a cohort to devise a proposal to expand the genre’s reach into new and underrepresented audience segments. In the second year, the cohort will works together to implement the plan they formulated during their first year in the program.

Emerging leaders are encouraged to apply here if they have worked in the industry for more than five years and demonstrated a commitment and passion for making country music accessible and welcoming to all. Additionally, peers can nominate candidates here.

“The LEVel Up program has brought some of our industry’s most enthusiastic and hard-working rising leaders together to accomplish some truly incredible work in expanding country music to new and different audiences,” says Vipin Reddy, ACM Lifting Voices Council Chair. “On behalf of the ACM Board of Directors and the Lifting Voices Council, I can’t wait to support the individuals that step up to the plate for the 2025 cohort and help foster the ideas they can formulate together and put into action.”

“The Academy is excited to announce the launch of our fourth cohort in 2025. This program, created by our Lifting Voices Council, has been a true labor of love, with each cohort focused on fostering a more inclusive and dynamic music industry. The progress we’ve made over the years showcases our commitment to building a brighter future for music,” shares Kortney Toney, ACM Manager of Programming & Community Engagement/ACM LEVel Up Head. “Our DEI Task Force has worked diligently to open doors and expand opportunities, and we are eager to continue promoting inclusivity and equity through this program right here in Music City.”

Liza Anderson
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