Photographer: Amanda Eckard / CMA
NASHVILLE – At the meeting of the Country Music Association Board of Directors this week in Phoenix, Ariz., Troy Tomlinson was named President of the Board and Ed Hardy was named President-Elect. The appointments begin immediately.
Chairman of the CMA Board Gary Overton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Nashville, made the announcement at the first quarterly gathering of the Board. Tomlinson, who is President and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing moved from President Elect to the open President’s position. Hardy, President of GAC, was named President-Elect. Jessie Schmidt, President of Schmidt Relations, remains Secretary/Treasurer for a second year.
“I am very excited about working with our new CMA Board President Troy Tomlinson and President-Elect Ed Hardy,” Overton said. “Both Troy and Ed are highly successful and honorable leaders in the Country Music industry. Further, they have already shown themselves as leaders with insight and wisdom while serving on the CMA Board and its various committees.”
“Given the ambitious vision of the CMA, I am honored to be serving alongside strong executives like Gary, Ed, and Jessie,” Tomlinson added. “The fact that we are all friends makes it even more exciting.”
“I couldn’t be more proud and deeply honored to be invited to serve as President-Elect of the CMA Board,” Hardy said. “I’ve known and worked with Gary, Troy, and Jessie either in business or on the CMA Board for the past six years and greatly respect them and look forward to serving with them in a leadership role. This is a very exciting time for the CMA and the Country Music industry and it’s great to be able have a role in taking it to the next level of success.”
More than 6,400 music industry professionals and companies around the globe are members of the Country Music Association. Formed in 1958 as the first trade association for a single genre of music, the organization’s objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry while advancing the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA‘s strategic imperatives – CMA Music Festival and the companion CMA Music Festival television special; CMA’s newest television venture “CMA Country Christmas”; and the crown jewel, CMA Awards, which are known as Country Music’s Biggest NightT. All of CMA’s TV properties air on the ABC Television Network through 2021. For information about CMA visit www.CMAworld.com.
