Ryman Auditorium Lands Third Major Award For Small Venues At ACM Honors

– ACM Awards

Ryman Auditorium was named small capacity venue of the year by the Academy of Country Music, giving the legendary Nashville room its third major award in the category this year in addition to honors bestowed at the Country Music Association Awards and Pollstar Awards earlier this year.

The 13th Annual ACM Honors were awarded Aug. 21, coincidentally at the 2,362-capacity Ryman, recognizing special and off-camera category winners from the 54th ACM Awards. 

The event featured a star-studded lineup of live performances and award presentations celebrating Special Awards recipients Brooks & Dunn and Martina McBride (ACM Cliffie Stone Icon Award), Gayle Holcomb (ACM Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award), Miranda Lambert (ACM Gene Weed Milestone Award), Kacey Musgraves (ACM Jim Reeves International Award), Rodney Crowell, Kye Fleming and Billy Joe Shaver (ACM Poet’s Award) and A Star is Born (Tex Ritter Film Award).

Also honored were winners of the Industry and Studio Recording Awards, along with Songwriter of the Year Award winner, Shane McAnally. 

The small venue award caps a stellar year for the Ryman, which over the last three years has sold an average of 2,005 tickets for a gross of $108,210. In just the last year, it has been the site of Jason Isbell’s annual residency — in October he sold out six nights for 13,336 tickets and a gross of $736.496; 12 November shows by Vince Gill and Amy Grant (27,238, $1,880,360); and three nights in April with Gary Clark Jr. (7,078, $360,871), among many other notable concerts.

In addition to Ryman Auditorium, other industry awards include Small Capacity Casino of the Year, Choctaw CAsino & Resort, Durant, Okla.; Large Capacity Casino, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.; Don Romeo Talent Buyer, Nicole More, Wilson Events, Inc.; Festival, Faster Horses, Brooklyn, Mich.; Nightclub, Joe’s on on Weed Street, Chicago; Promoter, Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar; Medium Capacity Venue, Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville; Large Capacity Venue, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville.