Country Music Hall Of Fame Changes Selection Process

The Country Music Association announced category and voting procedural changes for the Country Music Hall of Fame today, effective with the 2010 ballots. These changes were approved by the CMA Board of Directors during the Feb. Board meeting in Orlando, Fla. earlier this week.

Three inductees will continue to be announced as new members of the Country Music Hall of Fame annually, each selected from a different category. Beginning in 2010, the categories will be renamed and defined as follows

Veterans Era - This category will be for professionals that have been in the industry longer than 25 years. It combines the former "Career Achieved National Prominence Between World War II and 1975" (which was voted on annually) and "Career Achieved National Prominence Prior to World War II" (which was voted on every third year in rotation) categories into one.

Modern Era - This category will be for professionals that have been in the industry at least 20 years, but no more than 25 years, and takes the place of the former annual "Career Achieved National Prominence Between 1975-Present" slot.

Rotating Categories - The third slot will continue to be a rotating category, with each group in the spotlight every third year. The Recording and/or Touring Musician and Non Performer slots will remain, joined by a new Songwriter category.

"Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor anyone can receive in the Country Music industry," said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer. "In the past, songwriters and industry executives shared the same category that rotated every three years. With these new changes, the songwriters and non-performers now have their own rotating categories. This allows these talented and influential men and women a more frequent opportunity to join this intimate fraternity."