To clarify those issues and shed a little light on why certain artists make the nominations and some do not, here are the official rules of the ACM Award voting and category criteria.
Disputes as to voting procedure shall be resolved by a majority vote of the Board. Ballots will be tabulated by an independent accounting firm. ACM members will vote via the Internet. The voting eligibility period is November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014 for all awards, with the exception of the ACM Radio Awards where the voting eligibility period is January 1, 2014 to December 8,2014.
NOMINATION ROUND
The professional membership will submit one nomination in each of the following categories:
Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Duo of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year. The professional membership will submit two nominations in the following
category: New Artist of the Year. The Top 20 vote getters will go before a review committee to ensure the entry meets all eligibility criteria. The Top 20 vote getters must also have achieved a minimum of 2% or more of the vote within the respective category.
SECOND ROUND
In the second round, up to two (2) votes may be cast in each category for the category to be counted. The five (5) nominees receiving the most votes in each category will be placed on the third ballot, with the exception of New Artist of the Year where the top eight (8) vote getters from the nomination round will compete via the Great American County (GAC) fan vote (online), combined with the ACM professional membership vote, to determine the final three (3) nominees. In the case of a tie, the additional nominees will be included on the third and final ballot.
FINAL ROUND
In the final round, only one (1) vote will be cast in each category. The nominee receiving the most votes in each category will be deemed the winner. In the case of a tie, all winners will receive an award.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to the individual, duo or group who showed the most overall success in the country music industry during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to success at radio, sales of pre-recorded music, success of music videos, vocal performances, live concert ticket sales, artistic merit, appearances on television, appearances in films, songwriting, success in digital media, and contributions to the country music industry. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The final nominees are voted on by the ACM professional membership with the winner being determined by a combination of votes from the
professional membership of the ACM and fan voting (online and/or text).
MALE / FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to an outstanding individual male/female vocalist in the country music industry during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, sales of pre-recorded music, success in digital media, live concert ticket sales and vocal performances. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
This award is presented to an outstanding group featuring at least one vocalist in the country music industry during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, sales of pre-recorded music, success in digital media, live concert ticket sales and vocal performances. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership. In the event that the Board of Directors determines that there are not enough nominees in this category in any particular year, this category may be merged with the Vocal Duo by the Board, and shall be called Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Board of Directors may elect to give out this award from time to time, in lieu of, or in addition to, the New Male Vocalist, New Female Vocalist and New Vocal Duo or Group, or New Solo Vocalist and New Vocal Duo or New Vocal Group by a majority vote of 3 the Board of Directors. For the 2015 awards show, the Board of Directors elected to give an overall New Artist of the Year award in lieu of New Male Vocalist, New Female Vocalist and New Vocal Duo or Group.
This award is presented to an outstanding male vocalist, female vocalist, vocal duo or vocal group in the country music industry who gains either initial fame or significantly greater recognition, through efforts surrounding the promotion of a debut or sophomore album, during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The artist(s) must have success in digital media; in addition to having charted a single record in the Top 40 on Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts; and/or selling 100,000 album units reflected in Nielsen SoundScan during the eligibility period. (Any albums self released by an artist through an independent label that the artist owns and operates may not be counted as a debut or sophomore album, unless it produces a Top 40 single record reported by Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts; and/or sells 100,000 album units reflected in Nielsen SoundScan during the eligibility period.) The top eight (8) vote getters determined by a nomination ballot, subject to the approval of the Board, will be considered semi-finalists, with the final three (3) nominees being determined by a combination of votes from the ACM professional membership and fan voting (online).
The winner is determined by a combination of votes from the ACM professional membership and fan voting (online). Any artist(s) that previously served (or currently serving) as lead vocalists for, or otherwise fronted duos or groups that have sold 500,000 copies of previously released albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan, are not eligible for the this category. Additionally, any artist(s) who gained initial fame as a solo vocalist, vocal duo or vocal group in another genre selling 500,000 copies of previously released albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan, are not eligible in this category.
An artist may be a nominee two times in a three-year period. Once an artist releases the lead single from a third studio album, they will no longer be eligible in this category. If an artist is a winner in the New Male Vocalist, New Female Vocalist, New Solo Vocalist, New Vocal Duo, New Vocal Group or New Vocal Duo or Group categories, their first year on a ballot, they will not be eligible in any New categories again. Any artist who has previously won the award for Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, Vocal Duo or Vocal Group of the Year is ineligible for a New Artist nomination.
This award is presented to the primary artist(s), producer(s) and record company of an outstanding country music album released during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. An album is defined as a unified released body of work with a minimum of either seven (7) full-length musical works and/or thirty (30) minutes in length. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership. An album is considered released on the first available date that the material can be possessed by a consumer via a purchase in its entirety and/or streamed legally in its entirety by a royalty-generating service. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods, but achieved its largest annual sales during the eligibility period according to SoundScan, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category. To be eligible, a minimum of 51% of the standard edition of the album must contain songs that have not been previously released by the artist prior to thirty (30) days from the album’s release date. “Best Of” and “Greatest Hits” albums are ineligible. Only the standard edition of an album may be submitted for eligibility, as determined by the record company. Once an album is nominated in the final round, it may not be nominated in alternate configurations for future voting.
This award is presented to the artist(s), producer(s) and record company of an outstanding country music single record during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, record sales, success in digital media and impact of the single record on consumers and the country music industry. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership. Any single record released and achieving a Top 20 charted position on Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts during the eligibility period is eligible. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its highest Top 20 charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category.
This award is presented to the songwriter(s), publisher(s), and artist(s) of an outstanding country music song during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, record sales, success in digital media and impact of the song on consumers and the country music industry with emphasis on the creative integrity of the song. A Professional Panel of one (1) representative from each Membership Class, one (1) representative from each Performing Rights Organization (PRO), and three (3) established songwriters will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
Any song released reaching its highest charted position on Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts during the eligibility period is eligible. If the song was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category.
This award is presented to an individual known predominately as a songwriter, selected by a Professional Panel of judges composed of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization (PRO) representatives. The Panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not
limited to, a commercially released single crediting the songwriter that charted on Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible, unless it appeared on a final ACM ballot. The winner shall be determined by a vote of ACM members classified in the following categories; Artist-Entertainer/Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist, Composer, Music Publisher/PRO, Record Company, and the Producer-Engineer-Studio Manager subcategory [contained within the Affiliated category].
This award is presented to the producer(s), director(s) and artist(s) performing in an outstanding country music video during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. Emphasis shall be placed on creativity, production, visual appeal and impact on consumers and the country music industry. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional
membership.
Source: ACMCountry.com
VOTING PROCEDURES
The voting procedure shall comply with all legal requirements and any requirements of any network airing the awards show.Disputes as to voting procedure shall be resolved by a majority vote of the Board. Ballots will be tabulated by an independent accounting firm. ACM members will vote via the Internet. The voting eligibility period is November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014 for all awards, with the exception of the ACM Radio Awards where the voting eligibility period is January 1, 2014 to December 8,2014.
NOMINATION ROUND
The professional membership will submit one nomination in each of the following categories:
Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Duo of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year. The professional membership will submit two nominations in the following
category: New Artist of the Year. The Top 20 vote getters will go before a review committee to ensure the entry meets all eligibility criteria. The Top 20 vote getters must also have achieved a minimum of 2% or more of the vote within the respective category.
SECOND ROUND
In the second round, up to two (2) votes may be cast in each category for the category to be counted. The five (5) nominees receiving the most votes in each category will be placed on the third ballot, with the exception of New Artist of the Year where the top eight (8) vote getters from the nomination round will compete via the Great American County (GAC) fan vote (online), combined with the ACM professional membership vote, to determine the final three (3) nominees. In the case of a tie, the additional nominees will be included on the third and final ballot.
FINAL ROUND
In the final round, only one (1) vote will be cast in each category. The nominee receiving the most votes in each category will be deemed the winner. In the case of a tie, all winners will receive an award.
REQUIRED MAJOR CATEGORY CRITERIA
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to the individual, duo or group who showed the most overall success in the country music industry during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to success at radio, sales of pre-recorded music, success of music videos, vocal performances, live concert ticket sales, artistic merit, appearances on television, appearances in films, songwriting, success in digital media, and contributions to the country music industry. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The final nominees are voted on by the ACM professional membership with the winner being determined by a combination of votes from the
professional membership of the ACM and fan voting (online and/or text).
MALE / FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to an outstanding individual male/female vocalist in the country music industry during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, sales of pre-recorded music, success in digital media, live concert ticket sales and vocal performances. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to an outstanding duo featuring at least one vocalist in the country music industry during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, sales of pre-recorded music, success in digital media, live concert ticket sales and vocal performances. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership. In the event that the Board of Directors determines that there are not enough nominees in this category in any particular year, this category may be merged with the Vocal Group by the Board, and shall be called Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to an outstanding group featuring at least one vocalist in the country music industry during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, sales of pre-recorded music, success in digital media, live concert ticket sales and vocal performances. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership. In the event that the Board of Directors determines that there are not enough nominees in this category in any particular year, this category may be merged with the Vocal Duo by the Board, and shall be called Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Board of Directors may elect to give out this award from time to time, in lieu of, or in addition to, the New Male Vocalist, New Female Vocalist and New Vocal Duo or Group, or New Solo Vocalist and New Vocal Duo or New Vocal Group by a majority vote of 3 the Board of Directors. For the 2015 awards show, the Board of Directors elected to give an overall New Artist of the Year award in lieu of New Male Vocalist, New Female Vocalist and New Vocal Duo or Group.
This award is presented to an outstanding male vocalist, female vocalist, vocal duo or vocal group in the country music industry who gains either initial fame or significantly greater recognition, through efforts surrounding the promotion of a debut or sophomore album, during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The artist(s) must have success in digital media; in addition to having charted a single record in the Top 40 on Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts; and/or selling 100,000 album units reflected in Nielsen SoundScan during the eligibility period. (Any albums self released by an artist through an independent label that the artist owns and operates may not be counted as a debut or sophomore album, unless it produces a Top 40 single record reported by Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts; and/or sells 100,000 album units reflected in Nielsen SoundScan during the eligibility period.) The top eight (8) vote getters determined by a nomination ballot, subject to the approval of the Board, will be considered semi-finalists, with the final three (3) nominees being determined by a combination of votes from the ACM professional membership and fan voting (online).
The winner is determined by a combination of votes from the ACM professional membership and fan voting (online). Any artist(s) that previously served (or currently serving) as lead vocalists for, or otherwise fronted duos or groups that have sold 500,000 copies of previously released albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan, are not eligible for the this category. Additionally, any artist(s) who gained initial fame as a solo vocalist, vocal duo or vocal group in another genre selling 500,000 copies of previously released albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan, are not eligible in this category.
An artist may be a nominee two times in a three-year period. Once an artist releases the lead single from a third studio album, they will no longer be eligible in this category. If an artist is a winner in the New Male Vocalist, New Female Vocalist, New Solo Vocalist, New Vocal Duo, New Vocal Group or New Vocal Duo or Group categories, their first year on a ballot, they will not be eligible in any New categories again. Any artist who has previously won the award for Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, Vocal Duo or Vocal Group of the Year is ineligible for a New Artist nomination.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR
SONG OF THE YEAR
Any song released reaching its highest charted position on Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts during the eligibility period is eligible. If the song was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category.
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
limited to, a commercially released single crediting the songwriter that charted on Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible, unless it appeared on a final ACM ballot. The winner shall be determined by a vote of ACM members classified in the following categories; Artist-Entertainer/Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist, Composer, Music Publisher/PRO, Record Company, and the Producer-Engineer-Studio Manager subcategory [contained within the Affiliated category].
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
membership.
A Professional Panel from the video/production industry whose members are approved by the ACM officers will submit the final nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The Panel will choose the final nominees from a pool of eligible videos submitted by record labels, as well as any other country music video that the panel deems worthy for consideration based on its artistic merit. If the video was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its biggest impact during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category.
This award is presented to the artist(s), producer(s) and record company of an outstanding country music vocal event single record during the prior calendar year of November 28, 2013 to November 26, 2014. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, record sales, success in digital media, video exposure and artistic merit of the single. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership. Any vocal event single record released and achieving a Top 50 charted position in Billboard’s Country Airplay (BDS) or Country
Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts during the eligibility period is eligible. If the vocal event single record was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its highest Top 50 charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category. To be eligible, the vocal event must be a collaboration between two or more artists who do not normally perform together and are all credited on the album track listing. In the event that the Board of Directors determines that there are not enough nominees in this category in any particular year, this category may not be awarded.
VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts during the eligibility period is eligible. If the vocal event single record was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its highest Top 50 charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category. To be eligible, the vocal event must be a collaboration between two or more artists who do not normally perform together and are all credited on the album track listing. In the event that the Board of Directors determines that there are not enough nominees in this category in any particular year, this category may not be awarded.
For the entire list of rules - http://acmcountrycom.s3.amazonaws.com/2015AwardsVotingCriteria.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment