Event was slated for April 5th
The 55th Academy of Country Music Awards scheduled to air live on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, April 5th from Las Vegas is postponed and will be rescheduled to air on CBS in September, at a date, time and venue to be determined. The health and safety of artists, fans, industry, staff and their partners is the Academy’s number one priority.
“The ACM Awards is a tentpole event for our Country Music industry, and the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark Productions went to great lengths to find a safe solution for the show to go on so that we can honor our artist community. This decision involved many partners, stakeholders and the industry who we have been in constant conversations with over the past several days as the situation has developed. We look forward to identifying a future date that we can celebrate with our Country community safely,” states Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music.
Refunds will be issued for tickets purchased for the ACM Awards and ACM Party for a Cause events, including ACM Lifting Lives Topgolf Tee-Off and ACM Beach Bash. Fans can monitor the ACM website and social accounts for information on how to claim their refund.
Last week, the organization was planning to keep the show for April 5th as they were monitoring the situation closely.
Keith Urban is slated to host the all-star spectacular for the first time ever. Last week, Urban, Miranda Lambert, Lindsay Ell, Caylee Hammack, Elle King, Ashley McBryde and Tenille Townes were all announced as first round performers.
The news follows the majority of the entertainment industry suspending productions through at least March 31st due to the coronavirus pandemic. Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, has suspended all domestic and international touring through at least the end of March. Billboard reports that the company has instructed tours to return home in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak worldwide. The company will re-evaluate the outbreak in hopes to resume touring in May or June.
A slew of artists and festivals were either canceled or postponed due to the worldwide pandemic in the past week. Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton, The Who, Pearl Jam, Dan + Shay, Sammy Hagar, Santana, Sons of Apollo, Zac Brown Band, Slipknot and others, have canceled or postponed spring shows due to the outbreak.
Major festivals and events have also been canceled including the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to shutting down 11 days early because of public health concerns, SXSW in Austin and the Ultra Festival in Miami. Promoters Goldenvoice Entertainment announced earlier this week that Coachella and Stagecoach have been pushed back six months to October 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in Nashville has also been rescheduled “in light of the tornado this week as well as growing health concerns over the coronavirus.”
The C2C: Country to Country Festival in London, Dublin and Glasgow and the iHeartCountry Festival slated for May 2nd in Austin, TX have also been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The 35th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony set for May 2nd has also been indefinitely postponed. No new date has been set as of this writing. The Hall of Fame itself later announced a temporary closure through March 27th.
The Country Music Hall of Fame has postponed all programming events for the next two weeks, including Hatch Show Print Block parties. They also later announced the closure of the Hall of Fame through March 31st.
CMA Music Fest organizers are also closely watching the outbreak as they prep for the June event in Nashville.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus a worldwide pandemic. More than 156,000 cases have been reported in 110 countries with nearly 6,000 deaths. Over 75k people have contracted and survived the virus that was discovered last year.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a 30 day travel ban to European countries, where the coronavirus has shut down Italy and France. He shares, “I am confident by counting and continuing to take these measures we will significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we will ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus,” per Fox News. The virus is spreading at a rapid pace, forcing schools and businesses to close throughout the nation.