Winner & Nominee FAQ
Answers for HTMA winners, nominees, artists, representatives, record companies and industry professionals.
Are You an HTMA Winner or Nominee?
If your name appears in the Official Awards Registry and you have not heard from us, please contact the HTMA Awards Department. We may not have a current email address, telephone number or authorized representative for you. Email awards@honkytonkmusicassociation.com or call 800-581-8183 so we can assist you with your award, certificate, trophy, ceremony information and other winner communications.
1. I am an HTMA winner or nominee. What do I need to do?
First, congratulations on your recognition.
If your name appears in the HTMA Official Awards Registry, please make sure the Awards Department has a current way to contact you.
HTMA has diligently searched publicly available artist pages, professional pages, Facebook pages and other sources to locate winners and representatives. We have emailed and called where contact information was available.
Unfortunately, some publicly posted telephone numbers are no longer valid, some email addresses are outdated, and some artists do not publicly list reliable contact information.
Please do not assume that HTMA already has your private contact information simply because your name appears in the registry.
Contact us at awards@honkytonkmusicassociation.com or call 800-581-8183.
2. Why is it important for me to contact HTMA if I am a winner?
Establishing direct contact allows us to provide you or your authorized representative with information concerning your award, certificate, trophy, ceremony updates, performance opportunities and other communications intended specifically for winners and nominees.
It also lets us know that you are interested in receiving future HTMA communications and opportunities.
If we cannot reach you, or do not know that you are interested, we may have to move forward with another artist when a time-sensitive production opportunity becomes available.
3. Where do I verify that I actually won or was nominated?
The HTMA Official Awards Registry is the authoritative public record for current HTMA awards, nominations, recognized works and historical recognition.
If an older post, article or announcement differs from a corrected current registry entry, the Official Awards Registry should be used as the current public record.
4. How will I receive information about my certificate or trophy?
HTMA will provide applicable winners with information concerning certificates, trophies, presentation and distribution as those materials are prepared.
However, we must be able to contact you.
If we do not have a working email address or telephone number for you or your authorized representative, we cannot reliably send instructions and updates.
Winners who have not already established contact should email awards@honkytonkmusicassociation.com or call 800-581-8183.
5. If HTMA sends me a deadline, do I need to respond by that date?
Yes. Please pay close attention to response deadlines contained in official HTMA communications.
Our inaugural awards season includes more than 200 winners, in addition to nominees, representatives, performers, presenters, production personnel and other participants who must be coordinated.
If we contact you regarding ceremony participation, performance availability, certificates, trophies, media information, production scheduling or another time-sensitive matter, we need your response by the deadline provided.
We respect that artists and industry professionals have demanding schedules, but production cannot be placed indefinitely on hold while we attempt repeated contact. Once a deadline passes, HTMA may need to move forward with another artist or production option.
Missing a deadline does not take away an award you legitimately won. It may mean that a particular performance, appearance, production placement or other time-sensitive opportunity can no longer be held open.
The show must go on, and timely communication helps us keep everything moving professionally.
6. Can my manager, agent, label or representative contact HTMA for me?
Yes.
Your authorized manager, agent, record company, publicist or other professional representative may contact the HTMA Awards Department on your behalf.
They should identify you, your award or nomination and their professional relationship to you.
7. Will record companies and the music industry know about the HTMA winners?
HTMA works to make its official awards information available throughout the music and entertainment industry.
The Official Awards Registry provides one centralized public record that record companies, management, agents, publicists, media and other industry professionals can use to verify recognition.
Where appropriate contact information is available, HTMA may also communicate with authorized professional representatives concerning a recipient.
8. I am a winner. Will I automatically appear on the awards show?
Not automatically.
Receiving an award and participating in the awards show are separate matters.
Winners who are interested in performing, appearing, presenting or otherwise participating should contact awards@honkytonkmusicassociation.com or call 800-581-8183.
Production scheduling, available performance time, artistic needs and other considerations determine final participation.
9. Are winners considered first for HTMA performance opportunities?
HTMA winners are among the performers we look to first when considering artists for Honky Tonk Music Association, Honky Tonk Network and affiliated Affinity programming.
This is especially important for our Horizon Award winners and emerging artists. Part of recognizing developing talent is creating opportunities for audiences to discover them.
Selection is never automatic and depends upon the particular program, production requirements, scheduling, availability and other professional considerations.
10. Can HTMA performance opportunities include paid performances?
Yes. Certain performance or professional opportunities may include compensation when pay is provided for that particular engagement or production.
Winning an HTMA award does not guarantee employment, a paid booking, a specific performance, a particular compensation amount or selection for a program.
Each opportunity depends upon production requirements, programming needs, budget, scheduling, availability and any agreement required for that engagement.
11. What if I want to perform or appear on the awards show?
Contact us and let us know.
Email awards@honkytonkmusicassociation.com or call 800-581-8183.
Tell us your professional name, identify your award or nomination, provide current contact information and let us know that you are interested in participating.
Your authorized representative may also contact us on your behalf.
12. Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to keep my award?
No, unless specific written terms for a particular award expressly state otherwise.
A legitimate HTMA award is not automatically erased because a recipient cannot attend a ceremony.
13. Can international winners participate?
Yes. Honky Tonk Music Association is international.
International winners and nominees may contact HTMA regarding participation just as U.S.-based recipients may.
International recipients remain responsible for passports, visas, immigration requirements, work authorization and other governmental requirements that may apply to travel or professional activity in the United States.
14. Does HTMA charge winners for the promotion it provides?
No.
Honky Tonk Music Association does not charge winners for the promotional coverage HTMA chooses to provide in connection with their legitimate awards and recognition.
HTMA recognition is not a pay-for-publicity program.
15. Why does HTMA promote its winners?
Our winners’ success matters to us.
When HTMA and affiliated Affinity media feature a winner, one of our goals is to introduce new viewers and listeners to that artist and encourage audiences to visit their official pages, hear their music and learn who they are.
The more people who discover an artist, the greater the opportunity for that artist’s audience to grow.
We want our winners to succeed, and their continued success is something we celebrate.
16. What if I do not want HTMA promotion or participation?
Every winner has the right to say no.
Declining optional promotion, an interview, a performance, an appearance or another HTMA activity does not change the fact that you won your legitimate award.
HTMA can respect a recipient’s request not to participate in future optional promotional activity while still preserving the factual historical record of the award and previously published reporting.
17. Will every winner receive exactly the same amount of publicity?
No.
Editorial coverage and promotional opportunities vary according to the award, artist, available material, timing, programming and the stories being developed by HTMA and affiliated media.
No specific amount of coverage, audience growth, streaming activity, sales, bookings or chart placement is guaranteed.
18. How does HTMA discover artists and music?
Music can come to our attention in many ways: performances, recordings, broadcasts, public videos, industry activity, recommendations, public releases and simply discovering an artist whose work catches our attention.
An artist does not have to already be famous or signed to a major record company for HTMA to hear them.
19. Do followers, likes, streams or views determine who wins?
No.
Those numbers may demonstrate public reach, but they do not by themselves determine artistic excellence.
HTMA’s philosophy is to listen to the music and consider performance, musicianship, songwriting, interpretation, authenticity and other qualities relevant to the recognition.
20. Can an unknown artist be recognized alongside a famous artist?
Yes.
Recognition is not reserved exclusively for celebrities or major-label artists.
An internationally established performer and an artist being discovered for the first time may both be part of the same HTMA awards season.
21. Does HTMA recognize only country and honky tonk music?
No.
Honky Tonk Music Association is a multi-genre international organization.
Recognition can extend across country, honky tonk, gospel, bluegrass, R&B, soul, blues, rock, pop, Americana, rockabilly, hip-hop and other musical traditions.
22. Can I send HTMA my music?
Artists and professional representatives may contact HTMA regarding music and professional information.
Because HTMA discovers music through many different sources, contacting us does not guarantee review, nomination, publicity or an award.
Additional submission procedures may be announced separately when applicable.
23. Can I nominate myself or buy an HTMA award?
HTMA awards are not simply purchased by submitting a name or paying a fee.
Selection procedures may vary by award or special competition. Any competition that allows public entries, fan voting or submissions will have its own published instructions.
24. What if HTMA has my name, song title or credit wrong?
Contact the Awards Department at awards@honkytonkmusicassociation.com.
Identify the registry entry that needs review and provide the correct information.
HTMA can correct spelling, attribution, professional credits, titles and other factual information when appropriate.
25. What if I use different professional names for different work?
HTMA attempts to use the professional or songwriter credit appropriate to the particular award record.
A songwriter credit may differ from the professional name used by that same person as a singer or performer.
Each official registry entry should preserve the appropriate credited identity for that particular work.
26. What happens to my nomination if I later win?
Your nomination remains part of your HTMA history.
Winning does not erase the fact that you were originally nominated. The registry is intended to preserve the complete historical recognition record over time.
27. Can I publicly say that I am an HTMA winner or nominee?
Yes.
Winners and nominees may accurately identify their HTMA recognition in biographies, websites, press materials and social media.
Please use the official year, status and award title shown in the Official Awards Registry.
28. Does HTMA own my music because it recognizes my song or performance?
No.
Recognition of a song, recording or performance does not transfer copyright, publishing rights, master rights or other intellectual-property ownership to HTMA.
Existing rights remain with the applicable artists, songwriters, publishers, labels and other rights holders unless a separate written agreement says otherwise.
29. Does winning mean HTMA manages or represents me?
No.
An HTMA award does not automatically create a management, agency, employment, recording, publishing or exclusive representation relationship.
Artists remain free to pursue their own professional opportunities and relationships.
30. Do I have to become a member because I won an award?
No.
HTMA award recognition and membership are separate. Receiving an award or nomination does not require membership.
Membership information will be addressed separately when HTMA is ready to make that program publicly available.
Still Have a Question?
If you are an HTMA winner, nominee or authorized representative and need assistance with an award record, certificate, trophy, ceremony matter or participation question, please contact us.
HTMA Awards Department
awards@honkytonkmusicassociation.com
800-581-8183