The Country Radio Broadcasters/Country Radio Seminar board of directors has made two major updates to the eligibility and selection criteria for the annual New Faces of Country Music Show.
Bulletin boardThe Hot Country Songs chart has been introduced as a measure of eligibility for New Faces eligibility, joining the existing Mediabase Country Chart published on Country flight control. The expanded chart benchmark integrates digital sales and streaming data along with terrestrial radio airplay to provide a more comprehensive view of music performance metrics.
RJ Curtisexecutive director of Country Radio Broadcasters, said in a statement: “The revised New Faces Show map criteria more broadly reflect how our music is being exposed and consumed in 2024 and how its performance is measured. While radio airplay is still the most important metric for an artist's success, digital sales and streaming data are also important, accurate factors in identifying the up-and-coming new faces and voices in country music.”
The second update assigns the responsibility of determining artist eligibility and managing the submission process to record labels and artist representatives. Representatives will now confirm that artists meet the minimum criteria, submit their names for inclusion on the ballot, and verify the artist's availability and willingness to perform if selected.
This change also aims to increase the industry's level of participation and accountability, ensuring that the artists selected reflect the current and future landscape of country music. The new criteria apply to the qualifying period from November 1, 2024 to October 27, 2025, which will affect the New Faces of Country Music Show series for the 2026 Country Radio Seminar.
Artists must have at least one but no more than five top 25 singles Country flight control's Mediabase Country Chart or Bulletin boardThe Hot Country Songs chart during the qualifying period. Eligibility requirements for voters state that “voters must be full-time employees in the programming, promotion or distribution of country music, excluding those with interests in individual artists.”
The ballot will include all artists nominated by their representatives, with artists listed in alphabetical order. Ballots will be reported and approved by the Country Radio Broadcasters executive committee before final selections are made.
The 2024 New Faces of Country Music Show, held during the March Country Radio Seminar, featured artists Megan Moroney, George Birge, Dillon Carmichael, Corey Kent and Conner Smith. Since its inception in 1970, the show has spotlighted some of country music's brightest new talent, including Tim McGraw, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert and Jelly Roll.
