The CMA Music Festival is a four-day music festival centered around country music hosted each June by the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee. Begun in 1972 as Fan Fair, the event now draws over 400 artists and celebrities who hold autograph sessions and perform in one of the many concerts offered throughout the festival. Over 374,120 people attended from 41 different nations, and all 50 states. This attendance record was 8.3% higher than that of 2007. The CMA Music Festival, hosted by the Country Music Association, encompasses four days of country music concerts and musician and fan interactions. Over 400 artists attend the event each year to hold up to 30 hours of autograph sessions and "meet-and-greet" sessions with their fans at the Nashville Convention Center. Many artist fan clubs also hold gatherings in the area during the festival.
During the festival, attendees can choose from over 150 hours of concerts that are offered on stages at Riverfront Park and LP Field. Until 2001, the evening concerts were organized by record labels, with each label choosing which of their artists would be able to perform, and for how long. Beginning with Fan Fair 2001, these main concerts were grouped instead by record distribution group. This allowed for four main concerts, for Sony, WEA/EMI, UNI, and BMG. Artists are held to very strict timeframes for their performances, with Martina McBride noting in 2007 that she was expected to be on stage for exactly 34 minutes, "not 30, not 35, but 34." The artists are not paid to attend the festival or for their performances during the festival.
Through 2000, the CMA Music Festival was considered a sell-out if 25,000 people attended. Attendees span all ages, from infants to the elderly and come from 41 different countries, including France, Australia, Germany, The United Kingdom, China, Japan, and Russia. After moving to its new, larger and air-conditioned home in 2001, attendance numbers soared, with the 2002 festival drawing 126,000 fans. Attendance slipped slightly the following year, partially because many of the more renowned country music stars declined to appear at the festival. However, in 2003, attendance was down only 1.7% over the year before, compared to a 25% decline in overall U.S. tourist travel for the same period. The attendance slippage was not permanent; in 2007, a record-breaking crowd of 191,000 people attended the festival.
Line Up for 2012 includes:
Thursday 7 June
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Nashville School of Arts Choir
Lauren Alaina
Jason Aldean
Glen Campbell
David Nail
Kellie Pickler
Zac Brown Band
Friday 8 June
Blake Shelton
Carrie Underwood
Oak Ridge Boys
The Band Perry
Brantley Gilbert
Randy Houser
Ronnie Milsap
Jake Owen
Gwen Sebastian
Saturday 9 June
Faith Hill
Julie Roberts
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Hunter Hayes
Little Big Town
Love and Theft
Kip Moore
Kenny Rogers
Sunday 10 June
Sarah Darling
Bill Anderson
Dierks Bentley
Alan Jackson
The Mavericks
Martina McBride
Scotty McCreery
Rascal Flatts
Steel Magnolia
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