
39th Annual International Country Music Conference
When
Thursday, 1 June - Saturday, 3 June, 2023
Where
Belmont University, Nashville, TN USA
Call For Nominations
The Rolling Stone Chet Flippo Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism

Rolling Stone in association with the International Country Music Conference is pleased to request nominations for the 8th annual Chet Flippo Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism. The Chet Flippo Award will be presented Friday, 2 June 2023 during the International Country Music Conference. The honoree will receive $1,000 from Rolling Stone.
Open to nominations from throughout the world, the Chet Flippo Award will honor a piece of writing on Country Music published during 2022 in a newspaper, magazine, website, or other appropriate channel distinct from academic books, reference works, and academic journals. Nominations will be evaluated by the committee based on the work’s significance of content, clarity of writing, and impact.
Nominations must be received by Saturday 1 April 2023 and include the nominee’s name, email contact information, and a link to the work for which the nomination is made. Writers of any employment status may be nominated. Self- nominations are welcome. Stories published in Rolling Stone and stories written by Rolling Stone Staffers are ineligible.
Please send nominations to James E. Akenson at jakenson@tntech.edu.
About the Conference

The International Country Music Conference (ICMC) provides scholars an opportunity to share their work in all aspects of country music. ICMC broadly defines country music to include variants which share common historical and cultural roots ranging from Americana, alt.country, Bluegrass, Cajun, Country Rock, Crossover, and Honky Tonk to the Nashville Sound, New Traditionalist, Old Time Country, and Western Swing. ICMC is truly international with scholars from Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, and the United Kingdom participating. The conference averages around 100 attendees with all presentations in one room, making it a welcoming community for first timers.
Awards
Stacy Chandler
Stacy Chandler is the 2022 honoree for the Rolling Stone Chet Flippo Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism. Chandler will be honored for "Violent Verses: Modern Musicians Grapple with the Legacy of Murder Ballads".

The 2022 The Belmont University Curb Music Industry Award for Country Music Book of the Year honoree is:
Rural Rhythm: The Story of Old-Time Country Music in 78 Records
by Tony Russell.

The Belmont University Curb Music Industry Award for Country Music Book of the Year honors one book published per calendar year. For books published in 2022, please email don.cusic@belmont.edu to get your book in the running for the 2023 award.
Rolling Stone in association with the International Country Music Conference is pleased to request nominations for the 8th annual Chet Flippo Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism.
Open to nominations from throughout the world, the Chet Flippo Award will honor a piece of writing on Country Music published during 2022 in a newspaper, magazine, website, or other appropriate channel distinct from academic books, reference works, and academic journals. Nominations will be evaluated by the committee based on the work’s significance of content, clarity of writing, and impact.
Nominations must be received by Saturday 1 April 2023 and include the nominee’s name, email contact information, and a link to the work for which the nomination is made. Writers of any employment status may be nominated. Self- nominations are welcome. Stories published in Rolling Stone and stories written by Rolling Stone Staffers are ineligible.
Please send nominations to James E. Akenson at jakenson@tntech.edu.
Conference Journal
The International Country Music Journal (ICMJ) 2022 is now available and edited by Dr. Don Cusic of Belmont University. The 2022 ICMJ features a wide variety of articles. Although an official function of ICMC, the ICMJ accepts manuscript submissions from scholars and others from throughout the world regardless if they have attended and presented at ICMC or not. ICMJ is available from Amazon and on the ICMC website here
Persons interested in submitting manuscripts for ICMJ should contact Don Cusic (don.cusic@belmont.edu) for submission, guidelines can be found here.
