41st Annual International Country Music Conference
When
Thursday, 29 May - Saturday, 31 May, 2025
Where
Belmont University, Nashville, TN USA
About the Conference
The International Country Music Conference (ICMC) provides scholars an opportunity to share their work in all aspects of country music. ICMC broadly defines country music to include variants which share common historical and cultural roots ranging from Americana, alt.country, Bluegrass, Cajun, Country Rock, Crossover, and Honky Tonk to the Nashville Sound, New Traditionalist, Old Time Country, and Western Swing. ICMC is truly international with scholars from Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, and the United Kingdom participating. The conference averages around 100 attendees with all presentations in one room, making it a welcoming community for first timers.
Conference Schedule
The 2024 conference schedule can be found here.
Past programs can be found here.
The deadline for ICMC 2025 proposals was Friday, 25 October 2024.
Awards
Scott Bomar
is the 2024 honoree for the Chet Flippo Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism for his work on the Black Country Music pioneer artist Howdy Glenn.
The 2023 The Belmont University Curb Music Industry Award for Country Music Book of the Year honoree is:
Country & Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival by Mark Guarino, published by University of Chicago Press.
The Belmont University Curb Music Industry Award for Country Music Book of the Year honors one book published per calendar year. For books published in 2024, please email don.cusic@belmont.edu to get your book in the running for the 2025 award.
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The International Country Music Conference is pleased to request nominations for the 9th annual Chet Flippo Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism. The Chet Flippo Award will be presented Friday, 31 May 2024 during the International Country Music Conference. The honoree will receive $1,000 funded by Dean Beverly Keel of Middle Tennessee State University.
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Open to nominations from throughout the world, the Chet Flippo Award will honor a piece of writing on Country Music published during 2023 in a newspaper, magazine, website, or other appropriate channel distinct from academic books, reference works, and academic journals. Nominations will be evaluated by the committee based on the work’s significance of content, clarity of writing, and impact.
Nominations must be received by Saturday, 30 March 2024 and include the nominee’s name, email contact information, and a link to the work for which the nomination is made. Writers of any employment status may be nominated. Self- nominations are welcome.
Please send nominations to James E. Akenson at jakenson@tntech.edu.
Conference Journal
The International Country Music Journal (ICMJ). The ICMJ features a wide variety of articles. The Journal is not actively being published at this time.
Past issues ICMJ is available on the ICMC website here
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