TOYOTA 52ND GOLDEN GUITAR AWARDS BREAKS RECORDS, WITH MONUMENTAL NUMBER OF ENTRIES RECEIVED

The Toyota 52nd Golden Guitar Awards are shaping up to be bigger than ever with Tamworth Regional Council, with the support of the Country Music Association of Australia Inc (CMAA) announcing a monumental number of entries for the 2024 event.

A record-breaking number of entries have been received in a number of individual categories, including Song of the Year with 135 entries, Alt Country Album of the Year with 35 entries, Male Artist of the Year with 33 entries, Female Artist of the Year with 39 entries, and Bluegrass Recording of the Year with 23 entries.

Overall, 762 entries have been received for the 52nd Awards, which is equal to the record-breaking number received in 2022 for the Toyota 50th Golden Guitar Awards.

CMAA Chairman, Mr. Dobe Newton said: “To see a record number of entries in individual categories, as well as total entries equalling 2022’s record is fantastic to see. It shows strength in our industry and support and validation from our country music community. As one of the nation’s longest running music awards, the Golden Guitars are about celebrating artists, writers, musicians, performers and their creativity and we are excited that these numbers confirm Spotify's reporting of Australia as the world's third largest and fastest-growing country market.”

The Toyota 52nd Golden Guitar Awards will be held at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre (TRECC) on Saturday, 27 January, with tickets for the event now on sale.

Toyota Golden Guitar Awards Executive Producer, Mr. Peter Ross, said the 2024 Awards will celebrate recording excellence and pay tribute to some industry pioneers.

“The 52nd Golden Guitar Awards will celebrate the event’s iconic history and acknowledge the hard work of artists over the past 12-months. Some significant career milestones will be acknowledged and the highly coveted Roll of Renown, country music’s hall of fame will be presented. The night will also commemorate and pay tribute to some of the industry greats we’ve lost over the past year, including country music pioneer, Joy McKean.”

Nominees for 2024 Toyota Golden Guitar Awards will be announced at a dedicated event at Tamworth Town Hall on Tuesday, 21 November from 11am AEDT. The announcement will also be live streamed via the Toyota Country Music Festival website and Facebook page.

Mr. Ross said: “We’re excited to once again be holding an in-person industry event to announce the nominees for the 2024 Golden Guitar Awards. The event be hosted by multi-Golden Guitar Award winner and ARIA nominated, Tania Kernaghan and 2014 Golden Guitar Award nominee Jason Owen, who will also be hosting the awards night in January.”

Next month’s nominee announcement will also include performances by some of Australia’s top country music artists.

Tamworth Regional Council and the CMAA wish all this year’s entrants the best of luck and look forward to welcoming artists, musicians, songwriters and fans back to the country music capital in 2024, to celebrate excellence in Australasian country music.

To purchase tickets and keep up to date on the 2024 Toyota Golden Guitar Awards, visit www.tcmf.com.au/awards