What used to be a celebration for the fans has now turned into a circus for the influencers.
This year’s CMA Fest in Nashville made one thing painfully clear: if you want front row seats or VIP access, it’s not about being a lifelong country fan—it’s about having a trendy TikTok page and tagging the right sponsor.
Instead of honoring the diehard fans who show up early, wait in line all day, and belt out every word of a Cody Johnson or Shenandoah set, CMA Fest is handing out the best seats to influencers who openly admit they don’t even know the songs. The only thing they’re “fans” of? Free Celsius drinks and #ad deals.
A viral video even showed the wife of a performing artist being forced to wait in line—because her husband’s guest pass was given away… to an influencer. You read that right: someone married to a musician on the bill got bumped for someone who just happened to have more followers.
The Spotify House at Ole Red, once a prime spot to discover real talent, looked more like a social media content farm than a music venue. You couldn’t scroll without seeing another influencer filming themselves in a VIP box, clueless about who was onstage, but eager to thank Chevrolet or some corporate sponsor for the invite.
This isn’t new, of course. Stagecoach has long been more about outfits and optics than music. But CMA Fest? This used to be Fan Fair—an event for the true believers. For people who remember when their favorite artist played a bar in a Texas town with no name, and now get to watch them light up Nissan Stadium.
But somewhere along the way, the industry decided it was more profitable to court clout than character.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about jealousy. Many members of the press had the same access as the influencers, but didn’t take it. Why? Because it’s not about backstage passes or bottle service. It’s about the spirit of country music—and the fans who built it.
CMA Fest didn’t just forget its roots this year. It paved over them with hashtags.
It’s time to ask: are we going to let country music’s biggest celebration get hijacked by people who don’t care about the music—or are we going to take it back?
