Country music fans are distraught after news that the 2025 CMT Music Awards will be canceled. Paramount has caused the annual country music celebration and a number of other major events that go along with it.
The president of Paramount Music, Bruce Gillmer, sent a memo to employees that confirmed the event lineup was being scaled back by the company. This will impact the CMT Music Awards along with the MTV Europe Music Awards, Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards in Mexico, and the MTV MIAWs.
Gillmer wrote: “We are pausing a few events for 2025 as we look to reimagine and optimize our events slate going forward.” He also said that Paramount is committed to providing ‘unforgettable performances and moments that drive pop culture.’
A number of events have been impacted by this decision from Paramount but people seem to be up in arms about the CMT music awards more than any other. Fans were quick to begin commenting on social media about their frustrations and questioning whether changes in country music recently are responsible.
Many people were furious because they were looking forward to the event occurring and some called out Beyoncé as a possible reason why the event was canceled.
In fact, Beyoncé was part of a lot of speculation, saying that once she won the big Country Album of the Year award at the Grammys, they decided to cancel the event. Others were simply saying that country music wasn’t as good as it was a few decades ago.
Others felt that it was because country music had strayed too far from where it was originally. This has caused many country music fans to throw up their hands in disgust because the industry has changed so much.
Still, others were glad that it was canceled and again, they blamed Beyoncé for winning the Grammy for country artists.
Then again, there were some who didn’t blame Beyoncé for what had taken place. They just wanted the event to move forward.
Looking back on the 2024 event that was held in Austin on April 7, it was an event well worth considering. Country music greats were honored during the event and many incredible performances were delivered.
This included tribute being paid to Toby Keith by Sammy Hagar, Brooks & Dunn, and Lainey Wilson. Performances from other country music greats were also included, such as Little Big Town, Jason Aldean, Trisha Yearwood, Keith Urban, Little Big Town and Sugarland, and Cody Johnson.
Let’s hope that they bring it back for 2026.
