Like other award shows this year, the 2020 CMA Awards will take place without an audience, the Country Music Association announced this week. The news was shared in a letter to CMA members from CEO Sarah Trahern on Tuesday morning, who wrote that capacity will be limited to essential personnel only and tickets will not be available for this year’s show.
“We understand this news is disappointing, but know the adjustment is necessary in order to provide the safest possible environment for all involved,” she wrote. “We are so proud to broadcast the event, not only domestically but internationally, allowing us to expand the growth of Country Music worldwide.” The CMA Awards are typically held inside Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, but it is unclear where the 2020 show will take place.
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In 2019, the CMA Awards were hosted by Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, and before that, Underwood and Brad Paisley hosted the show together for 11 consecutive years. Two new hosts will be announced for this year’s show in the upcoming weeks. The 2020 CMA Awards will air Wednesday, Nov. 11 on ABC. Miranda Lambert is now the most-nominated female artist in CMA Awards history with 55 nominations, surpassing McEntire, who earned her 51st nomination this year.
This year’s nominees were announced on Tuesday and were led by Lambert, who has seven nominations this year. Luke Combs has six, Maren Morris has five, Dan + Shay and Carly Pearce have four and Ashley McBryde, Keith Urban and Justin Bieber have three nominations apiece, the latter earning his first CMA nods for his appearance on Dan + Shay’s “10,000 Hours.”
The CMA Awards will take place two months after this year’s ACM Awards, which were postponed to September from April due to the pandemic. The ACMs will be broadcast from three iconic music venues in Nashville — the Ryman Auditorium, The Bluebird Cafe and the Grand Ole Opry — and will also be without an audience. “Due to COVID-19 safety guidelines, and for the safety of our artists and crew, the 55th ACM Awards in Nashville will not have a live audience,” the ACM recently told one fan via ABC News Radio, adding that the ceremony will be “the first-ever totally virtual” show.
