Live By The Award Sword, Die By The Award Sword

The CMA awards/nominations are always a conversation starter. This year, some would say they stirred up a hornet's nest ... If awards make you happy or make you sad, you are standing on shaky ground. Award show picks are often fickle. You are a great one minute and gone the next. Longevity is rare but can happen. The CMAs live in shark-infested prime-time waters. Status quo is not an option. Still, too much off-the-playbook play calling can lead to.where we are now.

Beginning with Brad Paisley's removal from hosting with Carrie Underwood. Bad move.

Then this week the failure to nominate several very popular artists. There sure seems like there is an agenda afoot. Just no one seems to break the coded message being sent.

The non-controllable ... non-publicist reaction to this week's nomination list.

In no special order: It was easy to find unhappiness about Kane Brown's zero nominations. He just sold out the Staples Center, but there seemed to be no place for a 2019 CMA nomination. Okay, that point can be made. Maybe a little Kane momentum was lost in the last 52 weeks ... it happens to sophomores.

Then there is The Jason Aldean snub. Every article I saw with nomination commentary called that out. Aldean just had his fourth consecutive #1 single from his Rearview Town album. Is it the smaller label fighting for space with the four bigger contenders? Is it personal? It's getting to feel like that, though I'm sure it isn't. The CMA voters have a real disconnect with fans and radio on this Aldean situation.

Then there's American Idol host Luke Bryan. He plays to huge crowds and he's won big awards before. A changing of the guard thing. Luke had an off, not-a-great year? What? Odd ... hmmmm.

George Strait had a great song this season -- in fact, a "come back to Country" radio song. Zip ... Luke Combs owned the charts in the past year. Not as much CMA attention as you would expect based on how the year has played out.

Chris Young just grossed $6 million on some tour dates. Chris and many other big names missing from the nominations.

I thought the Lil Nas X nomination for best Country Musical Event might get some attention, but reaction was all over the place. Surprise list and the snub list. Why not best Single or Song, a few wrote. Others questioned the nomination in general. Was "Old Town Road" a Country song or not? Country radio said not! Right? That doesn't seem to be a defining factor these days ... Example: Kasey Musgraves and Chris Stapleton, for starters. Read the Twitter feeds on this subject ... One I just read called the CMA voters cowards for not nominating Lil Nas X for Song of the Year.

Still, how can a song that was NOT played on Country radio be a top-five Country event? It was actually a non-event for Country radio listeners. They went elsewhere to hear that one.

Fact: "Old Town Road" is the biggest song of 2019, but not on the Country genre radar at all. Despite the cover of Time Magazine saying otherwise. Is this a nomination to show diversity or maybe just be a ratings grab for ABC? The new boss at ABC wants event programming. The controversy and diverse nominations certainly aren't boring.

Industry award shows (Oscars/Grammys/Emmys) often have a fan disconnect. Nothing new. From John Wayne/Jerry Lewis/Bob Hope at Oscars to the Grammys with little attention given the Beach Boys/Beatles ... little attention based on how huge both were.

Is there a script for CMA "Girl Power?" Sure seems that way. Maren Morris the top nominee, Carrie the host and EOY nominee. Reba and Dolly as the anchor stars.

Outspoken political stars, Girl Power, Lil Nas X. It's the new face of Country music in 2019 as seen through the eyes of the creators on Country music's biggest night.

Now will the CMA industry voters follow the suggested script? That is the wild card.

You can't nominate everyone. Not everyone goes into The Country Music Hall of Fame. When the Oscars nominate movies like Roma and other high-brow, "off the beaten path" films, the ratings suffer. The Emmys are about dead as cable channels -- watched by cable TV viewers who get the nominations ahead of mass-appeal network shows.

If the CMAs go too far off the radio playlists, the sinking award show numbers may shrink even more. See the MTV ratings this year ... Look at total audience from over 10 million five years ago to now being on 12 different cable channels ... 4.9 million ...All the award shows are slipping.

The CMAs needed to do something to hype things up. Give 'em something to talk about. I think ... Mission Accomplished!

Still think breaking up Brad and Carrie is a bad move. And "Old Town Road" is a pop song and not a Country song. Thank you and good night!