CMA CEO Sarah Trahern Retirement Ends an Era. Let’s Hope It Starts a New One
Country music is a unique genre in how it boasts strong trade organizations, its own autonomous awards shows, major festivals, and a robust and hallowed Hall of Fame where the greats are remembered, and history is archived. It happens to be that one primary organization also encompass all of these things: the Country Music Association, or CMA.
Along with producing the CMA Awards in November, the CMA puts on CMA Fest every June, manages the Hall of Fame selection process, and has strong ties to the mainstream country radio format. If you think about country music like a governing body, the CMA would be like Congress, and the CEO of the CMA would be like the President. For the past twelve years, that President has been Sarah Trahern. On Wednesday, January 14th, she formally announced her retirement at the end of 2026.
Sarah Trahern’s tenure at the CMA wasn’t really marked with any especially remarkable achievements or catastrophic mistakes. She wasn’t really vilified by purists or lauded by the industry. Instead, she did a good job keeping her nose clean, remaining out of the headlines, steering the ship steadily, including through major calamities like the COVID-19 pandemic, and the racial tension sparked due to Morgan Wallen’s N-word incident, and Lil Nas X’s and Beyoncé’s big “country” moments.
“Unremarkable” might be the best way to succinctly describe Trahern’s tenure. One frustration more independent country fans might have with Trahern and the CMA is that the last 12 years haven’t seen the CMA fully embrace the broadening popularity of the performers beyond the fold of Nashville’s Music Row and radio playlists, even as independent music has dramatically increased its market share.
Then again, The Red Clays Strays just won the CMA Award for Group of the Year in 2025. 2017 saw Jason Isbell’s The Nashville Sound nominated for the CMA’s Album of the Year, and Isbell was also named artist-in-residence at the Hall of Fame. That was a moment maybe the mainstream could’ve embraced Americana. But Isbell eroded that good will in 2020 after fairly criticizing the CMAs for the lack of an extensive In Memoriam segment on the CMA Awards honoring John Prine and others. Isbell ultimately turned in his CMA membership card.
The lack of In Memoriam segments at the CMA Awards is one fair criticism that emerged under Sarah Trahern’s leadership. There was also some controversy in 2017 when in the wake of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, reporters on the CMA’s red carpet were asked to refrain from asking questions about the shooting or political topics surrounding it. It was blown up as a speech issue, but was just as much about not triggering survivors of the shooting. That request was later lifted.
2017 was also the year that Sturgill Simpson famously stood outside the CMA Awards in Nashville and busked with his Grammy Award for A Sailor’s Guide to Earth sitting in his guitar case, once again illustrating the outside nature of country music’s independent stars.
It’s also worth pointing out that even though Trahern’s tenure in part was marked by a lack of success for women in country music, for the past twelve years, it’s been a woman at the helm of the CMA. Similar to things opening up for independent artists at the end of Sarah’s tenure though, you’re seeing a similar spring for the women of country, with Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” completely rewriting the possibilities of a single from a solo woman, and Lainey Wilson reigning as CMA Entertainer of the Year, even if the honor feels a little forced.
But now that the Sarah Trahern era is coming to a close, what could or should we look forward to whenever a new CEO is named?
The first thing we would love to see is a more open embrace of country music’s more independent side, especially when it comes to the topmost commercially successful and critically acclaimed artists. For too long, country music has been defined by whatever is played on mainstream country radio, while the popular country farm system has been controlled by Music Row interests when there’s incredible talent waiting to be tapped in east Nashville, Texas, and beyond.
One of the biggest opportunities the Trahern departure opens up is a fresh approach to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The CMA doesn’t pick the new Hall of Famers directly. This happens through a secret committee selected by the CMA. It’s really not the voting process that is in need of reinvention. It’s the process itself that enacts such severe limits on new inductees (three per year) that has resulted in an incredible backlog of talent has persisted for going on two decades. Revising this process or offering a bulk induction could help clear the backlog.
Of course, a new CEO won’t be able to snap their fingers and make stuff happen overnight any more than Sarah Trahern could. But what they could do is use the position to more effectively lobby for important changes, a fresh perspective, and a modernized approach as things like AI that will undoubtedly disrupt country music in significant ways if not addressed properly. “Tech savvy” feels like it should be and essential resume point for the new leader.
But the CMA and its CEO has never really had the ability to shape the country genre significantly. It more reacts to moments and events, and does the bidding of the major labels. But maybe a new leader could be more open, more reactive to the new realities within the greater country music landscape, and be an asset to moving the country genre forward as opposed to just a functionary, however steady-handed.
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January 15, 2026 @ 1:36 pm
It’s so much more complicated than this…
and that “bulk induction” is part of why Waylon Jennings opted not to attend. He didn’t want to be part of a wholesale induction; though there was more to that, too.
Sarah Trahern is a bluegrass fan. They’ve worked hard to include independent artists in Music Fest in myriad ways, including many of the other stages. The CMA CEO doesn’t control the Awards — or the show — and the politics of managers, labels, agents and even the network create a pushme, pullyou of expectation, brokering, trying to decide which act or two can really breakout and not “be there” but have no impact… and that means a lot of opinions.
I honestly don’t know how she juggles as many different factions, personalities, issues, pay roll and entitlements. But she not only does, she’s worked to create space where a lot of people wouldn’t… and tried to remember what country music, even mainstream ’80s/’90s country, is made of, not just what’s “streaming.”
January 15, 2026 @ 3:05 pm
I think it’s definitely important that we all understand that the CMA and the CEO of it don’t really have the power to choose who the nominees and winners are for the CMA Awards, for example. That’s up to a diverse group of voters.
I guess what I was trying to convey was a hopeful vision for what the CMA CEO could be, and the kind of change they could attempt to enact beyond the conventional functions of the position. A good example of this might be Dan Rogers at the Grand Ole Opry. I think through his general manager position, he’s been able to broaden the perspective of what country music is, and who it embraces. If anything, he’s gone a little too far in my opinion, though I would still err on the side of being more inclusive than exclusive.
I’ve always said that my opinion on Sarah Trahern is that I don’t have an opinion on Sarah Trahern, in part because I’m outside of the fold that is privy to her daily functions. But I also think there’s a “no news is good news” aspect to her not being a polarizing or high-profile character. I do recognize she’s done some great stuff through the non-profit arm, and for music education.
January 15, 2026 @ 10:55 pm
Thanks for that, Holly. That “bulk induction” when it became likely that Waylon wouldn’t be around much longer was a disgrace. If the HOF would choose new members in a timely manner they wouldn’t have to deal with legendary names dying before they get in – which is sure to happen at the rate things are going. And I agree with Trigger that ignoring the success of independent artists makes the CMA look dated and out of touch. Probably because it is.
January 15, 2026 @ 11:15 pm
I agree that a bulk induction is not the ideal way to deal with the backlog because it can feel like it diminishes the value of an induction when you do so many at once. That’s said, the backlog exists, and I think most country fans agree, even if the CMA doesn’t. If a revision of the induction process to perhaps add additional categories, and induct 4-5 a year, that would slowly bring the system back into equilibrium. However, since the worst backlog arguably exists in the Veteran’s era and with deceased performers, if this is where the lion’s share of a bulk induction came from, I don’t think you would get much complaining from the inductees. 🙂
January 15, 2026 @ 6:11 pm
“One frustration more independent country fans might have with Trahern and the CMA is that the last 12 years haven’t seen the CMA fully embrace the broadening popularity of the performers beyond the fold of Nashville’s Music Row and radio playlists, even as independent music has dramatically increased its market share.”
I think thats fair, but also thanks to streaming et al its easier than ever to access Isbell, and Sturgill and Red Clay Stays and countless other independent country bands without going through the CMA filters. Ironically you could argue the result of this is that the CMA has tightened its grip on the message and politics than ever before. I dont know how much that affects the CEO but for me at least the CMA has less of an impact on the music I listen to than ever. I realize thats not the point, CMA controlled mainstream country still has its legions of followers, who dont mind, have devotion to the tightly controlled music of Nashvilles producers, but as more artists find success in the indy sphere, I predict the gulf will get bigger and the CMA will get more insulated.
January 15, 2026 @ 11:04 pm
I’m inclined to agree with you on that. The CMA, the the Nashville system in general, has always been about lining the pockets of a few insiders. Those producers, songwriters, label execs, etc. have to feel threatened by the way some highly acclaimed artists have totally bypassed the Nashville system. They see potential talent going over to the “dark side” and they don’t like it.
January 16, 2026 @ 8:08 am
I might be in the minority but I like the CMHOF process. Too many other HOF’s have become watered down or have become a joke. The NFL and MLB have let too many players in that they’ve really become the Hall of very good. There has been talk about needing a higher tier for the most elite players in both to have some separation of greatness. The rock n roll HOF is a joke. I would rather have the argument/discussion be about deserving artists not included due to real competition versus complaining about who is in and not deserving.
January 16, 2026 @ 9:19 am
It seems to me that we could find a better equilibrium where the Hall of Fame is not watered down by inducting anyone and everyone, but the performers who inevitably will be inducted are able to get in before they die so they can enjoy the accolade while they’re still with us. Along those same lines, if there are performers who’ve already passed and everyone knows they belong, go ahead an induct them, that way moving forward the Hall of Fame inductions can mostly focus on the living.
January 16, 2026 @ 10:44 am
Im a small hall guy when it comes to baseball, you wont find too many people that says its let too many people in. In fact theres some pretty compelling evidence that we are letting fewer MLB players in since the 1980s onward than we did in the 1930s-1960s
January 16, 2026 @ 11:33 am
I suppose in difficult times, the fact that her reign can be described as unremarkable is something of an achievement. It would have been nice to have more independent country stars having more success but the voters chose others and many of the voters are from the mainstream so probably not too surprising? As for radio, has it not lost much of its importance and popularity because of streaming? Can the CMA have much influence over streaming? Most radio stations seem to be part of a bigger company with a limited playlist so it might be the CMA would have little influence over them. It is interesting that country music appears to have grown in recent years and my impression, that might be wrong, is that many of the artists that are most popular seem to be the ones ignored by CMA. She has done ok.
January 16, 2026 @ 5:41 pm
The CMA, like most entities in Nashville, is in the business of staying in business. Don’t rock the boat, don’t stray too far in either direction, just keep the ship steady and afloat. I once had a Nashville songwriting legend tell me it’s all about the commercials, songs are just what radio plays between advertisements. It’s a business, and it all comes down to $$$.
January 18, 2026 @ 1:08 pm
I would like to see how the CMA (and ACM and the Recording Academy for that matter) handle the growing use of AI. Would they set restrictions where artists & their teams have to be transparent and admit they use AI in making their music? Would they not allow certain songs/albums/artists not be nominated if there is even a hint of AI being used? IMO, they need to figure it out and quick, especially if Billboard is going to continue to allow AI artists and songs.
January 20, 2026 @ 5:25 pm
Third time trying! Hopefully -this- one will post. Otherwise I might think you’re blocking me!
I’m curious about the likelihood/positive strategy for bringing in an actual writer/perforner for this allegedly important job. Maybe the politics are too heavy. But I have to think a legacy name whom Nashville respects across generations might fit perfectly. Someone who isn’t exactly putting in miles touring now. Patty Lovekess? Kathy Mattea?
January 20, 2026 @ 5:58 pm
Hey Doug,
Super sorry if you were having issues posting. Trying to keep the spam away is a constant battle.
I think it would be a great idea to have a musician fill the position, though I’m not sure how practical that could be. If you can have musicians run labels like Chet Atkins and Tony Brown, not sure why you couldn’t do that for the CMA. But My guess it will be someone with an administrative background.