Pictured: Carrie Underwood accepting The Country Artist of 2022 award on stage during the 2022 People’s Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on Dec. 6, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. Photo by Rich Polk/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images
This article also appears in the 2023 MusicRow Awards Issue, published earlier this month.
NBCUniversal is bringing a new party to Nashville with the premiere of the People’s Choice Country Awards. Airing live on NBC and Peacock from the Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday, Sept. 28, this expansion of the People’s Choice Awards brand will be one of country music’s only fan-voted awards shows.
The original People’s Choice Awards program launched in 1975 with producer and creator Bob Stivers at the helm. The program aired annually on CBS with a ceremony in January to celebrate the previous year of pop culture. In the early years, Gallup polling determined the results of the categories. Prior to 1982’s Country/Western Musical Performer award, the Awards did not have an accolade specifically for country music.
For the 31st Awards in 2005, the franchise moved to an online voting system, allowing fans to cast 25 votes per day per category. Then, in 2018, the NBCUniversal-owned E! Entertainment Network became the new home for the 44th Awards ceremony, and the annual date moved to November in celebration of pop culture from each current year.
As the annual categories continued to evolve, they awarded wins for Favorite Country Performer, Favorite Male and Female Country Artist, and, most recently, Country Artist of the Year. Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift are multi-award winners across the country-specific categories, as well as the general music categories such as Favorite Male or Favorite Female Musical Performer.
The 47th annual ceremony in 2021 aired live simultaneously on E! and NBC, ushering in a new era and shifting towards a December slot. With the 49th People’s Choice Awards already scheduled, NBCUniversal turns their eyes to expanding in a new direction—country music.
Pictured: Cassandra Tryon. Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal
Cassandra Tryon, the Senior Vice President of Entertainment Live Events, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, led a team in revamping the People’s Choice Awards, and expanding the franchise to launch the upcoming People’s Choice Country Awards.
“The People’s Choice Awards [awarded] in movies, TV, social media categories, comedy, sports, etc. and music is just one component, but it is always the most voted—and country [is represented] through that,” she says. “We’ve had an overwhelming response. That gave us the first hint that this was a good extension for us.”
Tryon shares with MusicRow that after NBCUniversal acquired the rights to the People’s Choice Awards back in 2017 and aired their first show on E! in 2018, its evolution has been a journey of
transformation.
“We really tore it down to the studs and rebuilt it. It’s an awards show that’s been around since the ‘70s and was ready for a refresh, in our minds,” Tryon shares. “At the heart of it was ‘how do we best represent the voice of the fans?’
“[The People’s Choice Country Awards are] really a celebration of music with country at its heart,” she explains about the new special, adding that the team took a fan-focused approach as they created the show, from the crafting of the lineup to the voting procedures to the event itself.
“It’s about reflecting on the biggest moments in country music of the year. So, so many artists have had such incredible years, tours, songs and albums, so it’s really about ‘what is the best celebration of that music and how many performances can we pick?”
To get to the heart of one of the most anticipated new events in country music this year, the People’s Choice Country Awards narrows in on various sources throughout the media landscape. To keep the nominees as recent and relevant as possible, the PCCAs limits its eligibility year to each calendar year.
“We have a proprietary system that ingests data from sources like Spotify and Billboard, and all the usual sources like social media, etc., so when we announce the nominees, we know they’re truly reflective of what the fans are consuming and talking about in country music.”
Previously, NBCUniversal announced that the Grammy Award-winning group, Little Big Town, will be hosts for the inaugural show as well as featured performers leading the impressive lineup. They will present the night’s honors to the first class of People’s Choice Country Awards winners.
“The lineup is about the best celebration, and what the fans want to see as they celebrate the year in country music,” Tryon notes. While careful not to give away any more details about the performers for the evening, she was able to provide more insight into the award categories slated for celebration.
“Our big fan-voted category is the People’s Artist. That is the ultimate fan-voted award that covers every category. We have the Male Artist, Female Artist, the New Artist, the Duo/Group, the Song, the Album, the Collaboration Song, the Crossover Song, the Music Video, the Concert/Tour and the Social Country Star [of 2023 awards].”
She adds, “I would say Social Country Star and Crossover Song are probably the most unique and different categories than we’re used to from some of the other award shows out there. It’s really trying to celebrate the best in country music, including new artists and up-and-comers.”
The Social Country Star category is a new nod to the rising trend of artists using their social media platforms to actively engage with fans. This category will reflect the country stars that not only have the biggest followings, but also have high fan engagement rates.
Given the growing popularity of country artists collaborating with musicians from various genres, two categories reflect the trend and specifically highlight those efforts. “We feel like this is a great opportunity to showcase the genre-blending collaborations that are out there,” Tryon says.
“We have a category that is Collaboration Song, which is two country artists coming together, but the Crossover Song is a country artist collaborating with an artist from another genre. Even in our categories, we’re really trying to be not just your traditional country awards show.”
Beyond the named categories, the People’s Choice Country Awards will also extend honors to a chosen few of the genre’s leaders through special award recognition.
“The Country Icon is Toby Keith. Blake Shelton will be presenting him with that award, as well as a Country Champion, [Wynonna].”
While these categories are set for this first show, the future list of categories is flexible. Tryon says evolution is natural for an awards show—changes occur often to reflect the industry landscape and cater to the fans.
“We always tweak the categories every year or two. We want to keep everything as relevant as possible.”
In the same vein as the Social Country Star award, this new show is leaning into the elevated levels of social media interaction with fans and viewers in anticipation of the show. Given that this program will air on NBC network television, with streaming on their OTT platform Peacock, Tryon understands that other segments of the audience may tune in elsewhere.
Using the past tactics from the People’s Choice Awards and the shift to engage more with online communities in the past years, the People’s Choice Country Awards is adopting a multi-platform approach from the onset.
“Over the years, we’ve really tried to make it a full, 360 experience for our fans, whether they’re tuning into a livestream on Peacock or one of our social networks, or they’re viewing clips of performances and acceptance speeches,” Tryon says.
Fans’ online engagement with their favorite nominees fuels the social media success for this Awards show. Now that the PCCAs have announced this year’s nominees in all categories, they welcome and encourage artists to promote voting to their audiences.
Tryon says, “So many of the artists that [we nominate] have such big fandoms and are in great touch with their fans. There’s a steady drumbeat of social activity that really starts with voting and goes all the way through the night of the show and beyond.”
The shimmering night of the event will spotlight an elegant red-carpet walk-in for all the evening’s biggest stars. The People’s Choice Country Awards will use their social media platforms to cover the on carpet interviews, an exclusive pre-show and the ceremony with peeks at the stars behind-the-scenes.
The new Awards launched its first voting window on Aug. 16 with another change from the original show. Where past People’s Choice Awards ballots have allotted voters 25 votes per category per day, new changes going forward reflect a recent increase in fan voting.
“We have such an overwhelming response to voting that we just [do not] need it anymore. We’ve moved to one vote per category per day.” Tryon assures that this will be more than enough, as she notes the previous 25-vote limit became unwieldy.
People’s Choice Country Awards will still retain the Turbo Voting day where each vote cast will count twice towards the nominee. The races may be close until the very end of voting, especially in this inaugural selection.
“Anything can happen with the People’s Choice Country Awards. With the voting, there’s always surprises. It’s truly all about the fans. I think it’s going to be quite a rabid voting fanbase.
“We have such a great fandom of country fans across NBC with our The Voice audience and with Sunday Night Football,” Tryon explains. This vibrancy in viewership led them to program the Awards for a slot in late September.
“We wanted to put this one in a place where it could live for a long time. We thought September, in the landscape of other country music awards that are out there, was good timing. And also, on our own air because it aligns with [NBCUniversal’s] fall premiere week and premiere schedule, as well as Sunday Night Football.”
She adds, “This also gives us the premiere of primetime shows. The Voice—with Reba [as a coach]—is a big country tie-in. [There are] lots of great opportunities there within our network and keeping it [before] the big holiday window that kicks in for us in the November timeframe.”
With Carrie Underwood kicking off another year of Sunday Night Football, Blake Shelton’s longstanding run that ended this year as a coach on The Voice and now with Reba McEntire and Dan + Shay slated to coach upcoming seasons, country music fans consistently tune into NBC programming during the fall.
“We felt like it would give it the biggest marketing platform and align with a lot of great, related programming that’s out on our networks,” Tryon shares. “We wanted to give it the biggest push we could and secure that home for it now, and for the future as well.”
This fan-focused event also brings business benefits as it highlights a new partnership. The inaugural show marks a major iteration of the investment partnership between Atairos, NBCUniversal and the OEG Attractions Holdings LLC, which owns the assets that comprise Opry Entertainment Group under Ryman Hospitality Properties. Going forward, the goal is to strengthen fans’ connection to the music and become a major player in the country lifestyle, live entertainment and media content fields.
“It’s a partnership that actually goes beyond live events and specials, across our whole portfolio of brands. This is really the ideal show to kick it off—it’s a long-term investment.”
Tyron adds, “The Opry is the heart and soul of country, and such an iconic venue, so we couldn’t be prouder to be partnering and hosting the show there. We do plan to make it the venue—country artists have such reverence for being at the Opry. We very much want to make it a part of our show.”
On Sept. 28, as the artists gather to receive new awards and glamorously celebrate a wonderful year of country music, fans are welcome to join the night’s fun at the Grand Ole Opry.
“We want this show to really be inclusive, like a fun party in Nashville,” says Tryon. The inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards invites country music’s biggest fans to celebrate the stars they helped create.
Lillian Hepler Signs With The Hard Working Record Company
/by Lorie HollabaughPhoto: Courtesy of The Hard Working Record Company
Pop singer-songwriter Lillian Hepler has signed with The Hard Working Record Company.
Hepler is the second artist signed to The Hard Working Record Company, which launched in May as a Nashville-based, pop-focused imprint from the Big Machine Label Group (BMLG) and Hard 8 Working Group (H8WG). Her debut single for the label, “Call Me Yours,” is set to arrive on Oct. 20.
Born and raised in Utah, the Los Angeles-based artist knew she wanted to be a singer at a young age. She began uploading covers at 13 and writing original songs at 15, accumulating millions of streams with singles like “Nightmare” and “Easy” and garnering over two million followers on TikTok. Hepler’s new single, “Call Me Yours,” is a song about choosing self-worth over a lukewarm love, and her forthcoming new material is written in a stream-of-consciousness style, as if the tracks were lifted straight from her diary.
“Simply stated, Lillian has all the right stuff,” explains Scott Borchetta, BMLG President/CEO/Founder. “She’s an incredibly talented singer and songwriter with a massive online following who uniquely connects with her peer group.”
“Lillian is an absolutely gifted songwriter, singer and performer,” adds Dirk Hemsath, H8WG’s Co-CEO & Co-Founder. “She’s the kind of artist that gives you chills when she sings, not just because her voice is so stunning, but because the words and melodies that she delivers with that voice are equally impactful. I’m honored to be expanding our relationship, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear what she’s been creating.”
“I’m so grateful to Scott and Big Machine for giving me the opportunity to work alongside them in building this next chapter of my career,” Hepler states. “I’m super excited to be with a team that shares my anticipation of what the future holds and supports me and my vision.”
Madame Tussauds Nashville Welcomes New Kacey Musgraves Wax Figure
/by Lorie HollabaughKacey Musgraves with her wax figure at Madame Tussauds Nashville
Kacey Musgraves has a unveiled her new wax figure at Madame Tussauds Nashville.
Mirroring her outfit from the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Musgraves’ figure is dressed in a white lace jumpsuit and styled with a nose stud, gold rings, hoop earrings and heels. In an interactive experience, guests can perform a duet with Musgraves’ figure as they sing along to her most popular songs from her albums Same Trailer Different Park (2013), Pageant Material (2015), Golden Hour (2018) and Star-Crossed (2021).
The new figure took approximately six months to create by a team of 20 London-based artists. Madame Tussauds studio artists worked closely with Musgraves and her team of makeup artists and hairstylists to capture her exact measurements, hair color, eye color, skin tone and complexion.
“What an honor, I never even knew I wanted this to be a bucket list moment. You all did an amazing job,” expressed Musgraves to the Madame Tussauds team.
“As a country music icon, there is no better artist we’d like to welcome to the Madame Tussauds Nashville family than Kacey Musgraves,” says Monica Jackson, Marketing Manager, Madame Tussauds. “She is one of country music’s most beloved stars and we’re honored for guests to welcome and sing with her at our attraction.”
Madame Tussauds Nashville is celebrating the new figure at a special reveal VIP party tonight (Sept. 28) from 4-7 p.m., and fans can come check it out starting tomorrow (Sept. 29).
‘People’s Choice Country Awards’ Announces Presenters
/by Caela GriffinNBC and Peacock have revealed a superstar lineup of presenters for the first-ever People’s Choice County Awards which will air Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. CT. Wynonna will receive the Country Champion Award, presented by Brothers Osborne. As previously announced, Blake Shelton will present the Country Icon Award to Toby Keith.
Additional presenters including Adam Doleac, Carly Pearce, Chris Young, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Hunter Hayes, Jessie James Decker, Josh Ross, Kameron Marlowe, Kristin Cavallari, Lady A, Lauren Alaina, Leanne Morgan, Mickey Guyton, Nikki Garcia, Scotty McCreery and The War And Treaty will take the Grand Ole Opry House stage throughout the night to honor country music’s biggest stars.
The inaugural show will also feature exciting performances from Shelton, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay, Hardy, Jelly Roll, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Keith and Wynonna.
Hosted by Little Big Town, the People’s Choice Country Awards will air on NBC and Peacock and will extend across platforms with Backstage Live: People’s Choice Country Awards bringing red carpet arrivals, backstage chats and everything behind-the-scenes to fans at home.
People’s Choice Country Awards is produced by Den of Thieves. Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager, Barb Bialkowski and RAC Clark will serve as Executive Producers, with Clark working as Showrunner as well.
These projects are an example of collaboration resulting from NBCUniversal’s equity investment in Opry Entertainment Group alongside Atairos, which was finalized last year.
Warner Chappell Signs David Ray Stevens & Philip Mosley
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R): BJ Hill (WCM), David Ray Stevens, Philip Mosley, Jeremy Brook (Attorney), Alexa Morris (WCM)
Warner Chappell Music has signed a global publishing deal with writing and artist development partners, David Ray Stevens and Philip Mosley.
As a co-writer on his No. 1 hits “Son of a Sinner” and “Dead Man Walking,” Stevens works closely with Jelly Roll. He is a Nashville native has written multiple chart-topping songs including Jelly Roll’s “Bottle and Mary Jane” and “Save Me” with Lainey Wilson, which is nominated for Collaboration of the Year at tonight’s People’s Country Music Awards.
Working simultaneously from Nashville and Texas, Mosley is a songwriter and producer who has collaborated with a variety of artists including Chris Colston, Kolby Cooper, Blacktop Mojo and Dylan Wheeler.
BJ Hill, VP of A&R at Warner Chappell Music Nashville, shares, “D-Ray and Phil are incredible talents on their own, but together they are an unstoppable team. We’re looking forward to working on a lot of inspiring and successful projects with them.”
Luke Bryan Wraps 14th Successful ‘Farm Tour’
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Chayce Beckham, Dallas Davidson, Luke Bryan, Kameron Marlowe, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip and DJ Rock. Photo: Eder Acevedo
Luke Bryan wrapped his 14th annual “Farm Tour” last weekend, playing the final show Friday night (Sept. 22) after Saturday’s concert was cancelled due to inclement weather and concern for fans’ safety.
Kameron Marlowe, Chayce Beckham, The Peach Pickers and DJ Rock were this year’s special guests on the annual tour, which sets up stages in the fields of local farmers to bring the show to small towns across the country.
Thousands of fans have attended the tour each year since its inception in 2009, and Bryan continues to give back to the farmers by awarding college scholarships to students from farming families who are attending local colleges or universities near the tour stops. To date, 83 college scholarships have been granted.
Through a partnership that began in 2015, Bayer serves as Presenting Sponsor of the tour and teamed up with Bryan for their annual “Here’s To The Farmer” initiative benefitting Feeding America. The campaign celebrates America’s hard-working farmers who help to provide people in the U.S. and around the world access to critical health and nutrition, and encourages fans to share #HeresToTheFarmer on their social media channels now through Nov. 30. In support, Bayer will help provide one million meals to people experiencing hunger through the Feeding America network of food banks. With this year’s contribution, more than seven million meals have been donated since the inception of the partnership.
New this year, #HeresToTheFarmer is a part of Bayer’s larger “Take Care, Now” campaign, which brings together Bayer, Kroger and Bryan to remind rural America to “Take Care, Now,” and helps alleviate care deserts or areas significantly impacted by both food insecurity and limited access to healthcare.
Additionally, Bryan joined “Farm Tour” sponsor Fendt in creating the Luke Bryan’s Boldly Grown Peanuts, a limited-edition packaged snack. When the limited supply sold-out, Fendt donated $50,000 to the National FFA Organization, the youth organization that prepares members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. Bryan also rewarded fans who made the donation possible with a fourth “surprise” flavor, Backroads Bourbon.
Two More Willie Nelson Catalog Classics Get The Vinyl Treatment
/by Lorie HollabaughWillie Nelson. Photo: by Pamela Springsteen
Two additional Willie Nelson titles are being released on vinyl from the legend’s UMG catalog: 2001’s Rainbow Connection and It Always Will Be, in celebration of Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration this year.
Nelson’s classic children’s album Rainbow Connection will be released on vinyl for the first time ever on Nov. 10, and It Always Will Be, previously released as a double LP in 2004, will be reissued on vinyl as a single LP.
Both records will be available on 180-gram black vinyl as well as a special limited edition color variant, with Rainbow Connection on 140-gram translucent orange vinyl and It Always Will Be on translucent ruby vinyl.
The stripped-back 1996 album Spirit will bow on Oct. 20, just ahead of the American icon’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 3. The Great Divide and Milk Cow Blues join Rainbow Connection in making their vinyl debuts while Teatro and Spirit return to vinyl due to popular demand, after being available in limited capacity but now long out-of-print.
All albums are available on 180-gram black vinyl in addition to a limited edition color variant on 140-gram vinyl, exclusively available at uDiscover Music and WillieNelson.com. Th
Josh Thompson Extends Publishing Deal With MV2 Entertainment
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): MV2 Entertainment’s Tony Harrell, Josh Thompson, MV2 Entertainment’s Ben Strain and Nicole Sherrill. Photo: Lindsey Parrish
Josh Thompson has extended his exclusive publishing deal with MV2 Entertainment.
Arriving in Music City in 2005, Thompson is a two-time CMA Triple Play recipient and Billboard top 10 country writer. He has penned multiple No.1s, achieved three top 10 hits and collaborated with numerous artists including Jordan Davis, Luke Combs and more. Thompson’s list of hits includes “Any Ol’ Barstool” by Jason Aldean, “I’ll Name The Dogs” by Blake Shelton, “One Margarita” by Luke Bryan, “Wasted On You” by Morgan Wallen, “Stars Like Confetti” by Dustin Lynch, which is currently in the top 10 on the charts, and “Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings)” by Thomas Rhett, which recently went No. 1, among others.
“Josh Thompson’s songwriting is a force to be reckoned with,” expresses Tony Harrell, General Manager, MV2 Entertainment. “His ability to capture raw emotion and translate it into captivating melodies is truly exceptional. We’re excited to continue this musical journey together and look forward to the incredible music that lies ahead.”
“Josh’s presence is a testament to the power of authenticity in art,” says Ben Strain, Senior Creative Director, MV2 Entertainment. “His lyrics don’t just narrate stories; they paint the human experience with depth that goes beyond notes and chords.”
“The journey with MV2 has been a new source of inspiration not only for the songwriting but the importance of enjoying the people you’re surrounded by,” shares Thompson. “I genuinely look forward to continuing this partnership.”
Chris Tomlin Celebrates Unprecedented Career Milestone Of Chart-Topper ‘Holy Forever’
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Anthony Piedmonte, Piedmonte & Co., Hudson Plachy, Co-President Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG), Brad O’Donnell, Co-President (CCMG), Chris Tomlin, David Sylvester, SVP of Operations (CCMG), Kenny Rodgers, VP of National Promotion (CCMG), Makayla Symmonds, Piedmonte & Co.. Photo: Scott Parker
Chris Tomlin celebrated a monumental benchmark with industry members, family and friends recently as his six-week No. 1 “Holy Forever” marked the achievement of holding the top position on a radio chart for over three years, totaling 157+ weeks.
The celebration of the worship leader, songwriter and artist took an unexpected turn as Tomlin himself presented a plaque to his label Capitol Christian Music Group for the unprecedented historical accomplishment. During the celebration the Grammy-winner was also presented with four new Gold and Platinum RIAA certifications.
“I have had the great honor of receiving many awards and accolades, commemorating different achievements throughout my career… but today is different,” shared Tomlin. “As we sit here celebrating this remarkable milestone it is not lost on me that to have this kind of longevity and impact is directly attributed to a long term partnership with the same record label, Capitol Christian Music Group. So while today was intended to celebrate 21 No. 1 songs … I wanted to take the moment and put the spotlight on this 20+ year partnership with Capitol, the entire team, and each person who has made all this possible.”
Prior to “Holy Forever” hitting the radio charts, there was an undeniable movement as worship leaders across the country discovered the song and began adding it to their church services. That attention, and the remarkable run at radio, has triggered a global response to the song, which was written by Tomlin, Jenn Johnson and Brian Johnson of Bethel Music, Phil Wickham and Jason Ingram. Off the continued success, Tomlin partnered with Miel San Marcos to release a Spanish version of the song, out now, and this Friday, a Portuguese adaptation will be available as well as Tomlin teams up with Gabriel Guedes de Almeida.
Country Music Gets A New Awards Show: A Look At The ‘People’s Choice Country Awards’
/by Caela GriffinPictured: Carrie Underwood accepting The Country Artist of 2022 award on stage during the 2022 People’s Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on Dec. 6, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. Photo by Rich Polk/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images
This article also appears in the 2023 MusicRow Awards Issue, published earlier this month.
NBCUniversal is bringing a new party to Nashville with the premiere of the People’s Choice Country Awards. Airing live on NBC and Peacock from the Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday, Sept. 28, this expansion of the People’s Choice Awards brand will be one of country music’s only fan-voted awards shows.
The original People’s Choice Awards program launched in 1975 with producer and creator Bob Stivers at the helm. The program aired annually on CBS with a ceremony in January to celebrate the previous year of pop culture. In the early years, Gallup polling determined the results of the categories. Prior to 1982’s Country/Western Musical Performer award, the Awards did not have an accolade specifically for country music.
For the 31st Awards in 2005, the franchise moved to an online voting system, allowing fans to cast 25 votes per day per category. Then, in 2018, the NBCUniversal-owned E! Entertainment Network became the new home for the 44th Awards ceremony, and the annual date moved to November in celebration of pop culture from each current year.
As the annual categories continued to evolve, they awarded wins for Favorite Country Performer, Favorite Male and Female Country Artist, and, most recently, Country Artist of the Year. Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift are multi-award winners across the country-specific categories, as well as the general music categories such as Favorite Male or Favorite Female Musical Performer.
The 47th annual ceremony in 2021 aired live simultaneously on E! and NBC, ushering in a new era and shifting towards a December slot. With the 49th People’s Choice Awards already scheduled, NBCUniversal turns their eyes to expanding in a new direction—country music.
Pictured: Cassandra Tryon. Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal
Cassandra Tryon, the Senior Vice President of Entertainment Live Events, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, led a team in revamping the People’s Choice Awards, and expanding the franchise to launch the upcoming People’s Choice Country Awards.
“The People’s Choice Awards [awarded] in movies, TV, social media categories, comedy, sports, etc. and music is just one component, but it is always the most voted—and country [is represented] through that,” she says. “We’ve had an overwhelming response. That gave us the first hint that this was a good extension for us.”
Tryon shares with MusicRow that after NBCUniversal acquired the rights to the People’s Choice Awards back in 2017 and aired their first show on E! in 2018, its evolution has been a journey of
transformation.
“We really tore it down to the studs and rebuilt it. It’s an awards show that’s been around since the ‘70s and was ready for a refresh, in our minds,” Tryon shares. “At the heart of it was ‘how do we best represent the voice of the fans?’
“[The People’s Choice Country Awards are] really a celebration of music with country at its heart,” she explains about the new special, adding that the team took a fan-focused approach as they created the show, from the crafting of the lineup to the voting procedures to the event itself.
“It’s about reflecting on the biggest moments in country music of the year. So, so many artists have had such incredible years, tours, songs and albums, so it’s really about ‘what is the best celebration of that music and how many performances can we pick?”
To get to the heart of one of the most anticipated new events in country music this year, the People’s Choice Country Awards narrows in on various sources throughout the media landscape. To keep the nominees as recent and relevant as possible, the PCCAs limits its eligibility year to each calendar year.
“We have a proprietary system that ingests data from sources like Spotify and Billboard, and all the usual sources like social media, etc., so when we announce the nominees, we know they’re truly reflective of what the fans are consuming and talking about in country music.”
Previously, NBCUniversal announced that the Grammy Award-winning group, Little Big Town, will be hosts for the inaugural show as well as featured performers leading the impressive lineup. They will present the night’s honors to the first class of People’s Choice Country Awards winners.
“The lineup is about the best celebration, and what the fans want to see as they celebrate the year in country music,” Tryon notes. While careful not to give away any more details about the performers for the evening, she was able to provide more insight into the award categories slated for celebration.
“Our big fan-voted category is the People’s Artist. That is the ultimate fan-voted award that covers every category. We have the Male Artist, Female Artist, the New Artist, the Duo/Group, the Song, the Album, the Collaboration Song, the Crossover Song, the Music Video, the Concert/Tour and the Social Country Star [of 2023 awards].”
She adds, “I would say Social Country Star and Crossover Song are probably the most unique and different categories than we’re used to from some of the other award shows out there. It’s really trying to celebrate the best in country music, including new artists and up-and-comers.”
The Social Country Star category is a new nod to the rising trend of artists using their social media platforms to actively engage with fans. This category will reflect the country stars that not only have the biggest followings, but also have high fan engagement rates.
Given the growing popularity of country artists collaborating with musicians from various genres, two categories reflect the trend and specifically highlight those efforts. “We feel like this is a great opportunity to showcase the genre-blending collaborations that are out there,” Tryon says.
“We have a category that is Collaboration Song, which is two country artists coming together, but the Crossover Song is a country artist collaborating with an artist from another genre. Even in our categories, we’re really trying to be not just your traditional country awards show.”
Beyond the named categories, the People’s Choice Country Awards will also extend honors to a chosen few of the genre’s leaders through special award recognition.
“The Country Icon is Toby Keith. Blake Shelton will be presenting him with that award, as well as a Country Champion, [Wynonna].”
While these categories are set for this first show, the future list of categories is flexible. Tryon says evolution is natural for an awards show—changes occur often to reflect the industry landscape and cater to the fans.
“We always tweak the categories every year or two. We want to keep everything as relevant as possible.”
In the same vein as the Social Country Star award, this new show is leaning into the elevated levels of social media interaction with fans and viewers in anticipation of the show. Given that this program will air on NBC network television, with streaming on their OTT platform Peacock, Tryon understands that other segments of the audience may tune in elsewhere.
Using the past tactics from the People’s Choice Awards and the shift to engage more with online communities in the past years, the People’s Choice Country Awards is adopting a multi-platform approach from the onset.
“Over the years, we’ve really tried to make it a full, 360 experience for our fans, whether they’re tuning into a livestream on Peacock or one of our social networks, or they’re viewing clips of performances and acceptance speeches,” Tryon says.
Fans’ online engagement with their favorite nominees fuels the social media success for this Awards show. Now that the PCCAs have announced this year’s nominees in all categories, they welcome and encourage artists to promote voting to their audiences.
Tryon says, “So many of the artists that [we nominate] have such big fandoms and are in great touch with their fans. There’s a steady drumbeat of social activity that really starts with voting and goes all the way through the night of the show and beyond.”
The shimmering night of the event will spotlight an elegant red-carpet walk-in for all the evening’s biggest stars. The People’s Choice Country Awards will use their social media platforms to cover the on carpet interviews, an exclusive pre-show and the ceremony with peeks at the stars behind-the-scenes.
The new Awards launched its first voting window on Aug. 16 with another change from the original show. Where past People’s Choice Awards ballots have allotted voters 25 votes per category per day, new changes going forward reflect a recent increase in fan voting.
“We have such an overwhelming response to voting that we just [do not] need it anymore. We’ve moved to one vote per category per day.” Tryon assures that this will be more than enough, as she notes the previous 25-vote limit became unwieldy.
People’s Choice Country Awards will still retain the Turbo Voting day where each vote cast will count twice towards the nominee. The races may be close until the very end of voting, especially in this inaugural selection.
“Anything can happen with the People’s Choice Country Awards. With the voting, there’s always surprises. It’s truly all about the fans. I think it’s going to be quite a rabid voting fanbase.
“We have such a great fandom of country fans across NBC with our The Voice audience and with Sunday Night Football,” Tryon explains. This vibrancy in viewership led them to program the Awards for a slot in late September.
“We wanted to put this one in a place where it could live for a long time. We thought September, in the landscape of other country music awards that are out there, was good timing. And also, on our own air because it aligns with [NBCUniversal’s] fall premiere week and premiere schedule, as well as Sunday Night Football.”
She adds, “This also gives us the premiere of primetime shows. The Voice—with Reba [as a coach]—is a big country tie-in. [There are] lots of great opportunities there within our network and keeping it [before] the big holiday window that kicks in for us in the November timeframe.”
With Carrie Underwood kicking off another year of Sunday Night Football, Blake Shelton’s longstanding run that ended this year as a coach on The Voice and now with Reba McEntire and Dan + Shay slated to coach upcoming seasons, country music fans consistently tune into NBC programming during the fall.
“We felt like it would give it the biggest marketing platform and align with a lot of great, related programming that’s out on our networks,” Tryon shares. “We wanted to give it the biggest push we could and secure that home for it now, and for the future as well.”
This fan-focused event also brings business benefits as it highlights a new partnership. The inaugural show marks a major iteration of the investment partnership between Atairos, NBCUniversal and the OEG Attractions Holdings LLC, which owns the assets that comprise Opry Entertainment Group under Ryman Hospitality Properties. Going forward, the goal is to strengthen fans’ connection to the music and become a major player in the country lifestyle, live entertainment and media content fields.
“It’s a partnership that actually goes beyond live events and specials, across our whole portfolio of brands. This is really the ideal show to kick it off—it’s a long-term investment.”
Tyron adds, “The Opry is the heart and soul of country, and such an iconic venue, so we couldn’t be prouder to be partnering and hosting the show there. We do plan to make it the venue—country artists have such reverence for being at the Opry. We very much want to make it a part of our show.”
On Sept. 28, as the artists gather to receive new awards and glamorously celebrate a wonderful year of country music, fans are welcome to join the night’s fun at the Grand Ole Opry.
“We want this show to really be inclusive, like a fun party in Nashville,” says Tryon. The inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards invites country music’s biggest fans to celebrate the stars they helped create.
Darius Rucker To Perform As Part Of The ‘Recorded Live At Analog’ Series
/by Steven BoeroAward-winning artist Darius Rucker is set to perform at Analog at the Hutton Hotel ahead of the release of his first solo project in six years, Carolyn’s Boy, on Oct. 6.
Named for his late mother as an “homage to the greatest woman [he’s] ever known,” Carolyn’s Boy features Rucker as a cowriter on 11 of the 14 tracks, with recent release “Southern Comfort” joining current single “Fires Don’t Start Themselves” as well as No. 1 hit “Beers And Sunshine” and recent release “Have A Good Time.”
“I’m so excited to finally share this album with our fans after working on it for so long,” says Rucker. “It’s a really joyful album that celebrates the most joyful woman; the woman who was always in my corner and is the reason I am where I am today. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than this special show right here in Nashville.”
The songwriter-style event will be recorded as part of the “Recorded Live at Analog” series supported by Heaven’s Door and debuting on PBS in early 2024. Limited tickets are available. For more information, click here.
“Recorded Live at Analog” is produced by iMaggination, Inc. and also features the recently-recorded “Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska: Celebrating A Rough Masterpiece,” which included performances by Emmylou Harris, Noah Kahan, Lyle Lovett, The Lumineers, Lucinda Williams and surprise guest Eric Church, with additional shows in the series to be announced soon.
In addition, Rucker has been sharing full-band performances of the new music with fans across the country all summer on his “Starting Fires Tour,” which wraps its stateside run on Oct. 14 at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, and will take his hits across the pond with a run of European dates in early 2024.
He will also celebrate the album’s release during the second year of his personally-curated Riverfront Revival Music Festival set for Oct. 7-8 in his hometown of Charleston, SC. In addition to Rucker himself, fans will be treated to performances by Turnpike Troubadours, Lainey Wilson, Band of Horses and more.