Brittany Schaffer Named New CEO At Country Music Association

Brittany Schaffer – a 15-year music industry veteran with experience that spans entertainment law, partnership strategy and academic leadership in entertainment education – has been named the next chief executive officer of the Country Music Association (CMA).

Schaffer succeeds Sarah Trahern, who announced her decision to retire earlier this year following 13 years leading the Nashville-based trade organization. Schaffer joins CMA on Sept. 8 as part of a strategic transition plan that is designed to maintain continuity for CMA’s staff, Board of Directors and industry members. She will officially succeed Trahern on Jan. 1, 2027.

Schaffer joins CMA from Belmont University where she serves as Dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business – a popular Nashville incubator for the music industry. Her leadership has strengthened ties to the industry around impactful initiatives including the expansion of the 90,000-square-foot Curb College on Music Row and the Center for Mental Health in Entertainment. Both reflect her commitment to experiential learning and the well-being of artists, songwriters and professionals behind the scenes.

Prior to Belmont, Schaffer spent more than a decade as an entertainment attorney at Loeb & Loeb LLP and later at Spotify as Head of Artist & Label Partnerships, Nashville, where she shaped strategy for the country, Christian/Gospel and Americana genres and cultivated key industry partnerships.

The appointment follows a comprehensive national search led by a search committee formed by CMA’s Board of Directors, in partnership with independent executive search firm Buffkin Baker. The process opened to applicants in February and drew strong interest from candidates across the music and broader entertainment industries.

“Our search committee set out to find a leader who understands the responsibility of representing this industry, not just the opportunity of it,” stated Jay Williams, CMA Board Chairman and WME Nashville Partner and Co-Head in the announcement. “We met with an exceptional group of candidates, and we believe Brittany is exactly the leader to carry this organization into its next era, and to make sure country music’s influence continues to expand well beyond Nashville.”

“Country music meets people where they are, and it changes lives every day,” added Schaffer. “That starts with songwriters and artists and everyone who carries this music to fans around the world. Serving them is the honor of a lifetime. Sarah Trahern will leave CMA and this community stronger than she found it. I’m grateful for her mentorship and friendship, and for a transition marked by the same professionalism and intentionality that defined her tenure.”

The organization has had six executive directors/CEOs since it was founded in 1958 as the first trade association formed to promote a single genre of music. CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to recognize artists and industry professionals with Country Music’s highest honor. Music industry professionals and companies across the U.S. and around the globe are members of CMA. The organization serves as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advances the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA’s core initiatives: the CMA Awards, which annually recognize outstanding achievement in the industry; CMA Fest, which benefits the CMA Foundation and music education and is taped for a three-hour network television special, “CMA Fest”; and “CMA Country Christmas.” All of CMA’s television properties air on ABC.

“Together with CMA’s talented staff and members, we’ll build on that foundation,” continued Schaffer. “We’ll reinforce the connectivity within this community, bring renewed energy to our signature events, and find new ways to connect country music with fans around the world. And if we get that right, somewhere a song will find somebody who needs to hear it. That’s the heart of this work, and I can’t wait to get started.”

“Leading this organization for 13 years has been the honor of my life, and I have this community to thank for that,” offered Trahern. “I’m grateful to our search committee for the time, care and integrity they brought to this process, and I trust the thoughtfulness they poured into it. I wish Brittany every success as she steps into this role, and I look forward to cheering this entire industry on for many years to come.”