3 Nashville Sites Sweep ACM Awards in “Venue of the Year” Category

3 Nashville Sites Sweep ACM Awards in “Venue of the Year” Category

If the Academy of Country Music’s Industry Awards are any indication, Nashville is living up to its Music City moniker.

The Academy revealed the winners of the ACM Industry and Studio Recording Awards on May 20, and Nashville sites swept the three Venue of the Year categories: Ryman Auditorium (small capacity), Ascend Amphitheater (medium capacity) and Bridgestone Arena (large capacity).

The Nashville venues will be recognized during the 13th annual ACM Honors ceremony, an evening dedicated to the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 54th ACM Awards on August 21 at the Ryman Auditorium.

Below is a complete list of the Industry and Studio Recording Award winners for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards.

Industry Award Winners
Casino of the Year | Small Capacity: Choctaw Casino & Resort | Durant, Ok
Casino of the Year | Large Capacity: Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville, Ct
Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year: Nicole More | Wilson Events, Inc.
Festival of the Year: Faster Horses | Brooklyn, Mi
Nightclub of the Year: Joe’s on Weed St | Chicago, Il
Promoter of the Year: Ed Warm | Joe’s Bar
Venue of the Year | Small Capacity: Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, Tn
Venue of the Year | Medium Capacity: Ascend Amphitheater | Nashville, Tn
Venue of the Year | Large Capacity: Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, Tn

Studio Recording Award Winners
Bass Player of the Year | Glenn Worf
Drummer of the Year | Matt Chamberlain
Guitar Player of the Year | Derek Wells
Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year | Dave Cohen
Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year | Ilya Toshinskiy
Steel Guitar Player of the Year | Mike Johnson
Audio Engineer of the Year | F Reid Shippen
Producer of the Year | Jay Joyce

The Academy of Country Music Industry Awards are voted on by all professional members of the Academy. The Studio Recording Awards are voted on by professional members of the Academy classified in the artist-entertainer/musician-bandleader-instrumentalist categories and the producer-engineer-studio manager sub-category.

photo by NCD

photo by NCD

Blogs

FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2025

Rick Moranis will return to once again play Dark Helmet in “Spaceballs 2”!!!  Bill Pullman will return as the hero Lone Starr, too. And Mel Brooks will be back as Yogurt . . . and, presumably . . . President Skroob.  (He played both characters in the original.) Ted Danson’s wife Mary Steenburgen will play…

THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2025

Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson has died.  His family didn’t announce the exact date or cause of death, but he was diagnosed with dementia and placed in a conservatorship last year.  He was 82. Wilson was plagued by drug addiction and mental illness throughout his life.  By 1964 he had stopped touring with the band.…