CMA Expands Its International Reach With September Visits To Australia, New Zealand And Canada

The Country Music Association continues to expand its international reach in territories around the globe, further driving its mission of supporting the on-going growth of Country Music worldwide. With visits to Australia, New Zealand and Canada, CMA will build new relationships while strengthening its pillar of serving the Country Music community globally. Additionally, the association’s summer broadcast offering, “CMA Fest,” is set to air in multiple territories through the end of September.

“Undertaking new initiatives in Australia, and for the first time in New Zealand, is all the more special now that borders are open and our live business can resume again,” says Milly Olykan, Vice President, International Relations and Development. “We have an incredible network in these markets, and we’re excited to be forging the many new relationships we’ve gathered over Zoom these last two years. CMA is grateful that the various broadcasters we have around the world have continued to carry CMA’s three network shows, giving Country Music artists mainstream exposure in multiple international territories.”

CMA kicks off September with visits to Australia and New Zealand, curating unique events with country artists Kane Brown and Shy Carter, plus Australian artist Melanie Dyer. While in Australia, CMA will partner with performing rights organization APRA AMCOS for SongHubs Country, an intensive four-day songwriting camp taking place Thursday through Sunday, September 1–4. Olykan will serve as curator for the event, handpicking 12 participants out of more than 75 submissions to work alongside Carter and Dyer to write and produce a commercial hit.

Following SongHubs Country, CMA will also have a presence at BigSound, Australia’s leading music industry conference on Wednesday, September 7. Serving as keynote speaker, Olykan will highlight the growth and potential of Country Music within Australia’s mainstream music culture as part of an interview with Natalie Waller, Chairman of the Australian Recording Industry Association and Head of Music & Events for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In addition, CMA will host a quintessentially-Nashville songwriters round at BigSound featuring Carter with local artists James Johnston, Fanny Lumsden and Loren Ryan.

Rounding out the Australia visit, CMA’s Australian Task Force will host a reception on Friday, September 23 at the CMA-sponsored Backstage Bar at CMC Rocks, Australia’s biggest international Country Music festival, returning this year after a two-year hiatus.

In New Zealand, CMA will partner with Sony Music New Zealand and Frontier Touring to host a pre-show reception with Country Music superstar Brown on Sunday, September 25, leading into his performance at Spark Arena in Auckland. This marks Brown’s first performance in New Zealand, and New Zealand’s first major Country Music event since 2016.

CMA will also have a presence in Canada for the CCMA Country Music Week Conference and Festival and the Canadian Country Music Awards Thursday through Monday, September 8 – 12.

To date, the 2022 “CMA Fest” program has been licensed in five international territories, including Canada on CTV and the U.K. on BBC iPlayer. Upcoming airings are scheduled for Mexico on Canal 6 on Sunday, September 4, Norway on NRK on Friday, September 16, and Germany on RTL on Wednesday, September. 28. For more information on how to watch “CMA Fest” in these territories, visit CMAfest.com/how-to-watch/international.