SCOTT BORCHETTA RECEIVES
2025 CMA IRVING WAUGH AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Big Machine Label Group Founder, Chairman and CEO Surprised on the Red Carpet Ahead of “The 59th Annual CMA Awards”
The Country Music Association awarded Big Machine Label Group Founder, Chairman, and CEO Scott Borchetta the 2025 CMA Irving Waugh Award of Excellence ahead of “The 59th Annual CMA Awards.” Borchetta was surprised with the industry honor on the red carpet by three-time 2025 CMA Award winner and Big Machine Label Group/Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment artist Riley Green. Borchetta is also a 2025 CMA Awards nominee in the Musical Event of the Year category for his production work on Green’s “Don’t Mind If I Do,” which features Ella Langley.
“Scott has played a pivotal role in shaping Country Music’s modern era,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “I’ve watched him navigate this industry with remarkable clarity and conviction—championing emerging talent, supporting legacy artists and investing in ideas that move our genre forward. His influence stretches across decades, and honoring him with the Irving Waugh Award of Excellence feels both meaningful and well-deserved.”
“I truly did not see this coming,” says Borchetta. “A sincere thank you to our extraordinary CEO, Sarah Trahern, and all on the CMA Board for this incredible recognition. Irving Waugh was a true visionary who did so much for Country Music and its culture, and I’m humbled to stand on his shoulders alongside so many who continue to shape and inspire the world of Country Music.”
The Irving Waugh Award of Excellence is presented to an individual who is the originator and caretaker of ideas and actions that have dramatically broadened and improved Country Music’s influence on a national or international level for the benefit of the industry. It is the intention that these ideas and actions are ongoing and have a proven historical impact on Country Music.
Borchetta is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Big Machine Label Group, home to superstars including Thomas Rhett, Riley Green, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Carly Pearce, Mötley Crüe, Sheryl Crow and more. Under his leadership, Big Machine has celebrated more than 20 years of groundbreaking success, earning multiple GRAMMY®, American Music Award, CMA Award, ACM Award and Billboard Music Award wins; selling more than 226 million albums; and sending over 265 singles to No. 1 across Country, Pop and Rock charts. As an executive producer, Borchetta has championed projects such as the 20-track Petty Country and the GRAMMY®-winning documentary GLEN CAMPBELL… I’LL BE ME. A frequent subject of national media, he has been profiled by Forbes, named to Billboard’s Power 100 and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, and honored with the Music Business Association’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive, CRB’s Presidential Award and the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award.
Borchetta has also helped drive major industry advancements, including a 2012 agreement with iHeartRadio that marked the first time in U.S. history artists and labels were compensated for terrestrial radio airplay. A committed philanthropist, he and his wife Sandi partnered with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to create The Big Machine Neighborhood NICU wing—later expanded to the Scott & Sandi Borchetta Floor—and established the Music Has Value fund supporting music education and therapy. Additional charitable efforts include a nationwide Feeding America campaign that provided more than 50 million meals.
Outside of music, Borchetta is a championship-winning race car driver, serves on the Board of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, helped bring the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to Nashville with the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, and owns Big Machine Racing and its NASCAR Xfinity #48 Chevrolet team.
About the CMA Awards
First held in 1967, the CMA Awards is the longest-running, annual music awards program on network television. Each year, the show honors outstanding achievement in Country Music—celebrating the artists, songwriters, musicians, and industry professionals whose work has shaped the genre. Winners and nominees are determined by CMA’s professional voting membership. The CMA Awards airs live on ABC, with next-day streaming available on Hulu, and is part of CMA’s television portfolio alongside “CMA Fest” and “CMA Country Christmas.”
Riley Green, Big Machine Label Group Founder, Chairman and CEO Scott Borchetta and CMA CEO Sarah Trahern after surprising Borchetta with the 2025 CMA Irving Waugh Award of Excellence on the red carpet of “The 59th Annual CMA Awards.”
Photo Credit: John Russell/CMA
