The Americana Music Association

What The Americana Music Association does

The Americana Music Association is a private 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization founded in 1999 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, that advocates for and promotes American Roots Music. Its core products are AMERICANAFEST, an annual five-day festival and conference in Nashville featuring 170+ showcasing artists across 12-15 nightly venues and daytime educational programming; the Americana Honors & Awards, an annual member-voted ceremony held at the Ryman Auditorium since 2005; and the Americana Radio Airplay Charts, weekly song and album rankings monitored via the third-party CDX TRACTION audio fingerprinting system across reporting radio stations. The organization monetizes through a diversified mix: tiered individual memberships ($35-$75/year across Artist/Musician/Songwriter, Industry, and Donor tiers totaling 3,700+ members globally), tiered festival wristband sales ($150 Festival, $350-$505 Silver, $1,349 Gold Circle), special event listing fees ($1,150-$1,900 per event), and corporate sponsorship from labels, publishers, radio stations, tourism boards, and media outlets. Ticketing and membership are operated through a Flicket storefront and a NeonCRM-powered member portal.

The association runs an affiliated 501(c)(3) charitable entity — the Americana Music Foundation, established in 2020 — which administers the Salt Lick Incubator travel grants (each valued at $1,750) and runs educational programs including the NYU Steinhardt Americana Artist-In-Residence (launched 2021) and the Smithsonian "Roots To Pop" series (launched 2023). Governance rests with a Board of Directors spanning labels, agencies, and artists, and the organization is led by Executive Director Jed Hilly. Day-to-day operations are supported by a small 1-10 employee staff handling festival production, ticketing, radio development, marketing, and conference programming. Distribution is anchored in physical events at Nashville venues (Ryman Auditorium, Embassy Suites Downtown, and 12-15 festival venues) supplemented by digital channels including a weekly newsletter, iOS and Android mobile apps, X/Twitter and Threads social accounts, and partner publication advertising in outlets such as No Depression, Nashville Scene, and partner radio stations WSM, WMOT, and Lightning 100.

Name

The Americana Music Association

Legal name

Americana Music Association®

Website

https://americanamusic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Americana Music Association is a Nashville-based 501(c)(6) trade organization founded in 1999 that advocates for American Roots Music through the annual AMERICANAFEST festival, the Americana Honors & Awards at the Ryman Auditorium, and weekly radio airplay charts, serving a global membership of 3,700+ artists, industry professionals, and fans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Music trade association
• Roots music advocacy
• Music industry events
• Music festival promotion
• Industry awards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Festival Wristbands and Passes: Revenue from selling Festival Wristbands ($150), Silver Wristbands ($350-$505), and Gold Circle Packages ($1,349). Includes member discounts for early bird pricing.
2. Membership Fees: Individual memberships: Artist/Musician/Songwriter ($35/year), Industry ($75/year), Donor ($50/year). Includes discounted festival access, member portal, directory access, and voting privileges.
3. Special Event Listings: Event listing fees for hosting official events at AMERICANAFEST: $1,150-$1,900 depending on event duration. Includes Silver Wristband and social media promotion.
4. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships from music industry companies, labels, publishers, radio stations, media outlets. Includes brand placement at festival and association events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Americana Music Association is a 501(c)(6) professional trade association that promotes and advocates for American Roots Music. It produces the annual AMERICANAFEST festival and conference in Nashville, the Americana Honors & Awards at the Ryman Auditorium, and weekly Americana Radio Airplay Charts powered by CDX TRACTION. The organization also runs a tiered individual membership program, special event listings during the festival, and the charitable Americana Music Foundation.

Product overview

The Americana Music Association operates a platform-and-event model centered around the advocacy and promotion of American Roots Music. The core products are AMERICANAFEST (an annual five-day festival and conference in Nashville featuring hundreds of showcasing artists, daytime panels, and special events), the Americana Honors & Awards (an annual ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium celebrating artists with lifetime achievement and member-voted awards), and the Americana Radio Airplay Charts (weekly song and album airplay rankings powered by CDX TRACTION). These are supplemented by membership programs offering tiered access (Festival, Silver, Gold Circle wristbands), a weekly newsletter, educational resources (How-To Guides, Tour Blueprint), and the Americana Music Foundation's grant programs and educational partnerships with NYU and the Smithsonian. The Association also publishes annual showcase and panel submission portals and sells special event listing packages. All offerings collectively serve to advocate for the authentic voice of American Roots Music around the world.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AMERICANAFEST Annual five-day music festival and conference held in Nashville featuring hundreds of showcasing artists across 12-15 venues nightly, daytime educational panels and workshops, special events, and networking opportunities for the Americana music community. 26th annual event scheduled September 15-19, 2026.
• Americana Honors & Awards Annual award ceremony held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville celebrating Americana music's artists with member-voted awards for Album, Artist, Duo/Group, Emerging Act, Song, and Instrumentalist of the Year, plus Lifetime Achievement, Legacy, and Spirit of Americana honors.
• Americana Radio Airplay Charts

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,700+ members from around the world in the membership directory
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Smithsonian National Museum of American HistorymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Roots To Pop series partnership begun in 2023, connecting contemporary music to genres at its root through conversations with renowned Americana artists. Videos feature Taj Mahal with Allison Russell, Flaco Jimenez, Rhiannon Giddens, and Blind Boys of Alabama with Ruthie Foster.
• NYU SteinhardtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership with NYU Steinhardt for the Americana Artist-In-Residence program, launched in 2021. Program educates next generation of artists, producers, and songwriters through lectures, interviews, workshops, and performances. Previous participants include Rosanne Cash (2021), Taj Mahal with Leyla McCalla (2022), Brandy Clark (2023), Allison Russell (2023), John Oates (2024), and Rodney Crowell (2025).
• Country Music Hall of Fame and MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnership producing events during AMERICANAFEST including artist conversations, songwriter sessions, panels, and performances. Located in Nashville, the museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting country music history.
• National Museum of African American MusicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the National Museum of African American Music for preservation and appreciation of American Roots music through collaborative programming.
• Grammy MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Grammy Museum for educational and archival programming related to Americana music preservation.
• Salt Lick IncubatormajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministers grants for artists to attend AMERICANAFEST covering up to $1,000 in travel expenses plus Silver Pass and Honors & Awards ticket. Each grant valued at $1,750. Americana Music Foundation provides matching funds.
• MusiCaresmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMERICANAFEST Pre-GRAMMY Salute to Neil Young at the Troubadour served as benefit for MusiCares and the Americana Music Association.
• Looking Out FoundationminorOthersFounded by Brandi and Catherine Carlile, contributed matching funds for Salt Lick Incubator grants for AMERICANAFEST artist attendance.
• Thirty TigersminorOthersCo-founded by David Macias, contributed matching funds for Salt Lick Incubator grants for AMERICANAFEST artist attendance.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• No Depression: Long-running roots/Americana music publication and AMA media partner. Thematically aligned media outlet that supports the same Americana community through editorial coverage and event partnerships.

Direct peers

• Folk Alliance International: Membership-based organization advocating for folk music globally and hosting an annual international conference. Directly comparable as a genre-specific music trade body running a member-driven annual conference.
• Gospel Music Association: Trade organization for gospel/Christian music, host of the GMA Dove Awards and GMA Week. Analogous as a faith/genre-specific music trade body with annual awards, conference programming, and member tiers.
• Country Music Association: Trade organization for the country music industry that runs the CMA Awards and CMA Fest. Most direct analog as a Nashville-based music trade association hosting flagship annual events and serving a defined genre community.
• Blues Foundation: Memphis-based non-profit dedicated to preserving and promoting the blues, running the Blues Music Awards and member programs. Comparable as a small-staff roots music trade association with annual awards and convention.

Broad incumbents

• Music Business Association: Trade organization for the broader music business, running Music Biz Conference and awards. Comparable as a music industry membership and conference organization, though broader in genre scope.
• South by Southwest (SXSW): Austin-based multi-track festival and conference where AMA held its first Americana Night in 2000. Comparable as a major music industry conference, but operates at much broader scale across multiple genres.
• Recording Academy (GRAMMYs): The largest U.S. music trade organization, hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards and MusiCares. Overlaps as the broadest music recognition body whose MusiCares arm has co-benefited with AMA's AMERICANAFEST events.

Regional players

• Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI): Nashville-based songwriters' trade organization running workshops, advocacy, and events. Regionally and functionally adjacent as a Nashville-rooted music creator advocacy body with membership tiers.

Emerging players

• Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame: Genre-specific hall of fame housed at the Worcester Cultural Center, focused on honoring roots and Americana artists. Emerging adjacent institution in Americana recognition that intersects with AMA's awards role.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AmericanaFest
• Instagramthreads.net/@americanafest
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmericanaMusicAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/americana-music-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Americana Music Association