Investment Made Possible by the Hundreds of Artists Donating Their Time and the Thousands of Music Fans in Attendance, All to Support Music Education
NASHVILLE – Last June, tens of thousands of music fans from around the globe descended upon Nashville for the 48th annual CMA Fest, which featured over 300 artists performing on 11 stages throughout the city’s downtown. Each artist donated their time during the four-day music festival in support of the CMA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Country Music Association (CMA).
Thanks to the generosity of not only the artists performing at CMA Fest but the fans in attendance, a portion of net proceeds totaling over $2.2 million has been donated to the CMA Foundation. Since its inception in 2011, the CMA Foundation has invested over $27 million towards their mission of ensuring every child has access to high-quality music education and providing educators the resources they need to create and sustain thriving programs.
“CMA is thrilled to be donating more than $2.2 million this year to the CMA Foundation,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We wouldn’t be able to make this investment without the continued support from our artist community as well as our dedicated fans.”
“The support and generosity from our Country Music community and fans is overwhelming,” says Tiffany Kerns, Executive Director, CMA Foundation. “These funds will help us contribute to our on-going mission of providing high-quality music education and help shape the leaders of our future generations. CMA Fest is our largest fundraiser annually, and it continues to grow every year giving the CMA Foundation the opportunity to invest in more programs for students and educators.”
The 49th annual CMA Fest will take place June 4 – 7, 2020. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased by visiting CMAfest.com.
About CMA Fest
The Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience™ began in 1972 as Fan Fair®, which drew 5,000 fans to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. As CMA Fest approaches its 49th year, the legendary festival has become the city’s signature Country Music event that, in 2019 hosted tens of thousands of fans from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and 37 international countries. This year, CMA Fest featured 11 official stages with hundreds of artists performing—all to benefit music education. CMA Fest is a one-of-a-kind festival with artists donating their time to perform so proceeds can directly benefit high-quality music programs across the country through the CMA Foundation. CMA Fest is filmed for a primetime ABC Television Network special, with 2019 marking the 16th consecutive year the event has been filmed for television, a feat no other music festival has achieved.
About the CMA Foundation
Established in 2011 as the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association (CMA), the CMA Foundation is committed to improving and sustaining high-quality music education programs across the United States, working to ensure every child has the opportunity to participate in music. Through strategic partnerships, professional development and grant distribution, the CMA Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has invested more than $27 million across the national public school system, after school programs, summer camps and community outreach organizations. Guided by the generosity of the Country Music community, proceeds from CMA Fest, the four-day long music festival held annually in Nashville, are used to power the CMA Foundation’s social impact and unique model of giving.
Cover photo:
| Students from Old Hickory, TN’s Andrew Jackson Elementary School Eagle Honor Choir perform Carrie Underwood’s “The Champion” on the Nissan Stadium Stage during CMA Fest 2019. Photo Credit: John Russell/CMA |
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