Country music is an American musical genre that originated in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. It’s renowned for its yodeling, twangy guitars and honky tonk rhythms.
Music of this genre often speaks to social issues and appeals to a broad and diverse audience. Its development has been spurred by its struggle to maintain balance between tradition and progress.
CMT Music
CMT Music (formerly CMT Pure Country) is an American television network featuring country music videos. Owned by Paramount Global, a division of Viacom, the channel can be viewed on many cable and satellite television systems throughout America.
In addition to offering a vast selection of country music videos, the network also hosts specials and award shows dedicated exclusively to this genre. These include the annual CMT Music Awards as well as CMT Crossroads – which pairs country artists with musicians from other musical genres.
CMT Music also airs a number of reality TV shows. These include Gone Country, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team and Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge.
CMT Network recently debuted “CMT Defining,” which will spotlight women from country music who discuss their career and personal lives. Carly Pearce will be featured in the first episode, performing and answering questions about her career in interviews.
In other news, CMT has joined forces with The Black Crowes to film a concert event in Austin before hosting the CMT Music Awards on Sunday. Kane Brown, Carrie Underwood and Tyler Hubbard will perform alongside the band.
This event is part of an overall initiative to elevate female country music stars. It will air on the network and online for a week leading up to the awards ceremony.
On Monday night, the CMT Music Awards attracted a record 5.16 million viewers – an increase over last year’s show on CBS which drew 4.8 million.
ABC’s American Idol came in a close second with 5.31 million viewers, slightly down from its previous week rating of 5.35 million, but still managed to outpace it among adults 18-49.
Last year, when CMT Music Awards moved from their own cable channel to CBS broadcasting network, viewers witnessed a large growth in viewing numbers. Indeed, early Nielsen data indicated that it was the top-rated show across both networks this season – up nearly 10% from 2017.
CMT Country Classics
CMT Country Classics is a network dedicated to offering fans an array of country music programs. The channel carries original programming, live concert series, as well as exclusive world premiere videos.
The channel also hosts several country music awards shows, such as the CMT Music Awards and CMT Artists of the Year. These shows showcase performances from both renowned country music legends and up-and-coming artists alike.
These shows, broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee, are a must-watch for any country music fan and offer an opportunity to see some of the biggest stars in the industry perform live.
They also present the Triple Crown Award, presented to acts who have won all three major country music awards – Top New Artist, Top Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year – at least once during their career. This feat is rare; only seven artists have achieved it: Merle Haggard, Mickey Gilley, Barbara Mandrell, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean.
In addition to these awards, CMT also hosts a number of other country music-themed programs and events. These include the CMT Music Awards and CMT Music Milestones celebrations.
The CMT Music Awards are one of the most beloved shows on the country music network. They showcase performances from some of country music’s biggest stars and offer viewers a chance to view some of music history’s greatest videos.
Many people think of country music as a genre composed of songwriters sharing songs about their lives, but there are plenty of musicians making music that doesn’t just focus on telling stories. Southern rock is still very much part of country music with artists like Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson and Shooter Jennings reinvigorating it for contemporary listeners.
Country music is an enduringly popular genre, appealing to a range of listeners regardless of musical preference.
CMT Country Edge
CMT Country Edge is the network’s newest music channel. After spending over a year in development, this channel will showcase the best in country music from established stars to up-and-coming acts.
This network will offer content from Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll Johnson, Kelsea Ballerini, Tyler Hubbard and more. Plus it will showcase some of today’s biggest country music stars such as Carrie Underwood and Darius Rucker.
CMT Edge will feature a series called “Country Edge,” where they’ll showcase videos of emerging artists that may not be getting enough recognition from other media outlets. Groups such as Trampled By Turtles have an original approach to covering country music, and CMT Edge gives them an outlet to show off their skills on air.
CMT recently unveiled their “Country Edge” program and Americana radio station that will showcase the roots of country music. Furthermore, they are proud sponsors of the Americana Music Association festival which saw a 45% boost in membership this year and an attendance boost of over 15,000 attendees from last year.
Sarah Fram, CMT’s editor-in-chief, believes that CMT should focus on discovering and nurturing the next generation of musicians through its station. She believes that the surge in popularity of music discovery through video has created more chances for artists to be discovered, giving her great hope that this new network can successfully bring talented up-and-comers into the mainstream.
One major reason CMT is launching this new channel is due to the increasing popularity of Americana music. According to Michelle Aquilato, marketing director for the Americana Music Association, having more outlets that promote and expose this genre is essential for its future growth and success.
She believes CMT is an ideal platform for Americana artists due to their dedication to spreading the music and admiration for the genre. According to her, there has never been a stronger presence of Americana music than now.
CMT Country Music Awards
The CMT Country Music Awards is one of the most beloved television shows in America, boasting live performances, award ceremonies and an array of musical acts for fans to watch their favorite artists perform.
CMT also runs several online concert series in addition to their yearly awards show. Sponsored by Ram trucks, these platforms allow viewers to stream on-demand performances and interviews with a wide variety of country music stars.
Fans can view live performances by Old Dominion and Luke Combs. Additionally, they have access to on-demand interviews with artists such as Jelly Roll and Cody Johnson, in addition to many other stars.
Another effective way the country music network promotes new artists is through CMT Next Women of Country. Each year, a different group of women are selected to represent the industry at this awards show.
These women have made major achievements in the music industry and some even won major awards.
Due to their success, they were able to secure a contract with CMT Country Music Awards and its associated network. This has given them the chance to share the spotlight with other renowned country musicians and their hits.
The annual CMT Country Music Awards show takes place in Nashville, Tennessee each year and offers three hours of live performances by various country stars.
Country fans get to witness their favorite artists perform and honor their hard work over the past year. Additionally, it serves as an opportunity for members of the industry to recognize each other’s successes and honor their hard work.
At the CMT Country Music Awards, some of country music’s biggest names such as Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton and Garth Brooks will be in attendance. Many of these artists are renowned for their charitable endeavors as well.
In 2006, Keith Urban performed at a concert to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims – the first time any country artist had performed with those affected by natural disasters.