# American Music Awards

The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance, such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and fans, who can vote through the AMAs website.
The event originally aired on ABC, after the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired; its contract expired after the 2022 ceremony, putting the American Music Awards on hiatus. In March 2024, it was announced that the AMAs would move to CBS as part of a package with its rights to broadcast the now DCP-owned Golden Globe Awards. The event remained on hiatus for 2024, with CBS airing a 50th anniversary special in October 6 of that year, ahead of a planned return in 2025 with a new May scheduling.

## Conception

The AMAs was created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammy Awards after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS (which has broadcast all Grammy Award shows since then) picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC. In 2014, American network Telemundo acquired the rights to produce a Spanish-language version of the American Music Awards and launched the Latin American Music Awards in 2015.
Nominations are selected based on commercial performance, such as sales and airplay. Winners have been determined by a poll of the public and fans, who can vote through the AMAs website, while nominations have remained based on sales, airplay, now including activity on social networks, and video viewing. Before 2010, nominations were based only on sales and airplay and nominated every work, even if old. The Grammys have nominations based on vote of the Academy and only nominate a work from their eligibility period that changes often.
The award statuette is manufactured by New York firm Society Awards.

## History

The hosts for the first AMAs were Helen Reddy, Roger Miller, and Smokey Robinson. Reddy not only hosted the show but also became the first artist to win an AMA for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. For the first two decades, the AMAs had multiple hosts, each representing a genre of music. For instance, Glen Campbell, who co-hosted the AMAs five times, would host the country portion, while other artists would co-host to represent their genre. In recent years, however, there has been a single host.
In 1991, Keenen Ivory Wayans became the first Hollywood actor to host the AMAs.
From its inception in 1974 through early 2003, the AMAs were held in mid- to late-January, but were moved to November (usually the Sunday before Thanksgiving) beginning in late 2003 so it would prevent the ceremony to further compete with other major awards shows (such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards) and allows for ABC to have a well-rated awards show during November sweeps.
For the 2008 awards, Jimmy Kimmel hosted for his fifth year, tying with Glen Campbell for the most AMAs hosted or co-hosted. From 2009–2012, there was no host. Instead, the AMAs followed the Grammys' lead in having various celebrities give introductions. However, rapper Pitbull hosted the 2013 ceremony and 2014 ceremony. Jennifer Lopez hosted the 2015 show. Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah hosted the 2016 show. Tracee Ellis Ross hosted the show in 2017 and 2018. Ciara hosted the 2019 show.
Between 2012 and 2014, the American Music Awards used the lock screen wallpaper of Samsung Galaxy smartphones rather than envelopes to reveal winners, as part of a sponsorship by Samsung Electronics. A magnetic screen cover on each phone kept the wallpaper image with the winner's name secret until opened.
In August 2018, Dick Clark Productions announced a two-year sponsorship and content partnership with YouTube Music. However, this partnership seemed to have lasted only for the 2018 ceremony, as there was no mention of the YouTube Music partnership in the 2019 show.
In March 2023, it was announced that the Billboard Music Awards, which are also produced by DCP via co-owned Billboard, had been moved from May to the November scheduling that was typically occupied by the American Music Awards, leading to speculation that the AMAs would be discontinued in order to focus on the Billboard Music Awards, or at the very least cancelled for 2023, so it could move to May in its place. It was reported that the broadcast rights for both events (which had been held by NBC and ABC respectively) would also be shopped; the Billboard Music Awards moved to an online only event in November 2023.
In March 2024, it was announced that CBS had acquired the rights to broadcast the AMAs under a multi-year deal of unspecified length. The rights were bundled with CBS's five-year agreement to televise the Golden Globe Awards, whose telecast has historically been produced by DCP, and whose assets had been acquired by DCP in 2023. It was not stated whether the contract is for the same period as the Golden Globes agreement.
The AMAs continued to be on hiatus for 2024, with a return scheduled for May 2025. In lieu of a 2024 ceremony, a televised special honoring the AMAs' 50th anniversary was aired by CBS on October 6, 2024, including performances and retrospectives paying tribute to the ceremony's history and memorable moments. Ratings for the special were up from the last ceremony aired on ABC, with an average of 6.1 million viewers. In February 2025, it was announced that the 51st American Music Awards would air on May 26, 2025 on CBS.

## Ceremonies

| Year | Order | Date of ceremony | Host(s) | Venue | Network |
| 1974 | 1 | February 19, 1974 | Roger Miller, Helen Reddy, Smokey Robinson | Earl Carroll Theatre | ABC |
| 1975 | 2 | February 18, 1975 | Roy Clark, Helen Reddy, Sly Stone | Santa Monica Civic Auditorium | ABC |
| 1976 | 3 | January 31, 1976 | Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, Olivia Newton-John | Santa Monica Civic Auditorium | ABC |
| 1977 | 4 | January 31, 1977 | Glen Campbell, Helen Reddy, Lou Rawls | Santa Monica Civic Auditorium | ABC |
| 1978 | 5 | January 16, 1978 | Glen Campbell, Natalie Cole, David Soul | Santa Monica Civic Auditorium | ABC |
| 1979 | 6 | January 12, 1979 | Glen Campbell, Helen Reddy, Donna Summer | Santa Monica Civic Auditorium | ABC |
| 1980 | 7 | January 18, 1980 | Elton John, Toni Tennille, Natalie Cole | ABC Studios | ABC |
| 1981 | 8 | January 30, 1981 | Mac Davis, Crystal Gayle, Teddy Pendergrass | ABC Studios | ABC |
| 1982 | 9 | January 25, 1982 | Glen Campbell, Sheena Easton, Donna Summer | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1983 | 10 | January 17, 1983 | Mac Davis, Aretha Franklin, Melissa Manchester | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1984 | 11 | January 16, 1984 | Lionel Richie | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1985 | 12 | January 28, 1985 | Lionel Richie | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1986 | 13 | January 27, 1986 | Diana Ross | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1987 | 14 | January 26, 1987 | Diana Ross | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1988 | 15 | January 25, 1988 | Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Mick Fleetwood, Robin Gibb and Whitney Houston | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1989 | 16 | January 30, 1989 | Anita Baker, Debbie Gibson, Kenny Rogers and Rod Stewart | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1990 | 17 | January 22, 1990 | Alice Cooper, Anita Baker, Gloria Estefan, Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1991 | 18 | January 28, 1991 | Keenen Ivory Wayans | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1992 | 19 | January 27, 1992 | MC Hammer, Reba McEntire | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1993 | 20 | January 25, 1993 | Bobby Brown, Gloria Estefan and Wynonna Judd | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1994 | 21 | February 7, 1994 | Meat Loaf, Reba McEntire and Will Smith | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1995 | 22 | January 30, 1995 | Queen Latifah, Tom Jones, Lorrie Morgan | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1996 | 23 | January 29, 1996 | Sinbad | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1997 | 24 | January 27, 1997 | Sinbad | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1998 | 25 | January 26, 1998 | Drew Carey | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 1999 | 26 | January 11, 1999 | Brandy and Melissa Joan Hart | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2000 | 27 | January 17, 2000 | Norm Macdonald | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2001 | 28 | January 8, 2001 | Britney Spears and LL Cool J | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2002 | 29 | January 9, 2002 | Jenny McCarthy and Sean Combs | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2003 (January) | 30 | January 13, 2003 | Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2003 (November) | 31 | November 16, 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2004 | 32 | November 14, 2004 | Jimmy Kimmel | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2005 | 33 | November 22, 2005 | Cedric the Entertainer | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2006 | 34 | November 21, 2006 | Jimmy Kimmel | Shrine Auditorium | ABC |
| 2007 | 35 | November 18, 2007 | Jimmy Kimmel | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2008 | 36 | November 23, 2008 | Jimmy Kimmel | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2009 | 37 | November 22, 2009 | No host | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2010 | 38 | November 21, 2010 | No host | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2011 | 39 | November 20, 2011 | No host | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2012 | 40 | November 18, 2012 | No host | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2013 | 41 | November 24, 2013 | Pitbull | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2014 | 42 | November 23, 2014 | Pitbull | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2015 | 43 | November 22, 2015 | Jennifer Lopez | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2016 | 44 | November 20, 2016 | Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2017 | 45 | November 19, 2017 | Tracee Ellis Ross | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2018 | 46 | October 9, 2018 | Tracee Ellis Ross | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2019 | 47 | November 24, 2019 | Ciara | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2020 | 48 | November 22, 2020 | Taraji P. Henson | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2021 | 49 | November 21, 2021 | Cardi B | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2022 | 50 | November 20, 2022 | Wayne Brady | Peacock Theater | ABC |
| 2025 | 51 | May 26, 2025 | TBA | TBA | CBS |

## Categories
### Current award categories

* Artist of the Year
* New Artist of the Year
* Collaboration of the Year
* Favorite Music Video
* Favorite Touring Artist
* Favorite Pop Male Artist
* Favorite Pop Female Artist
* Favorite Pop Duo or Group
* Favorite Pop Album
* Favorite Pop Song
* Favorite R&B Male Artist
* Favorite R&B Female Artist
* Favorite R&B Album
* Favorite R&B Song
* Favorite Country Male Artist
* Favorite Country Female Artist
* Favorite Country Duo or Group
* Favorite Country Album
* Favorite Country Song
* Favorite Hip Hop Artist
* Favorite Hip Hop Album
* Favorite Hip Hop Song
* Favorite Latin Artist
* Favorite Latin Duo or Group
* Favorite Latin Album
* Favorite Latin Song
* Favorite Rock Artist
* Favorite Rock Song
* Favorite Rock Album
* Favorite Inspirational Artist
* Favorite Gospel Artist
* Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
* Favorite Afrobeats Artist
* Favorite K-Pop Artist
* Favorite Soundtrack

### Discontinued awards

* Single of the Year (2013–2015)
* Fan's Choice Award (2003)
* Favorite Social Artist (2018–2020)
* Favorite Trending Song (2021)
* Favorite Pop/Rock Video (1984–1988)
* Favorite Pop/Rock Male Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist (1989–Jan 2003)
* Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group (1974–Nov 2003, 2005–2006, 2009)
* Favorite Soul/R&B Video (1984–1988)
* Favorite Soul/R&B Male Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Soul/R&B Female Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist (1989–Jan 2003)
* Favorite Country Video (1984–1988)
* Favorite Country Male Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Country Female Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group Video Artist (1985–1987)
* Favorite Country New Artist (1989–Jan 2003)
* Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Band/Duo/Group (2003–2008)
* Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist (1990–1994)
* Favorite Disco Male Artist (1979)
* Favorite Disco Female Artist (1979)
* Favorite Disco Band/Duo/Group (1979)
* Favorite Disco Album (1979)
* Favorite Disco Song (1979)
* Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist (1989–1997)
* Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album (1989–1992)
* Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist (1990–1993)
* Favorite Dance Artist (1990–1992)
* Favorite Dance Song (1990–1992)
* Favorite Dance New Artist (1990–1992)
* Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist (1992–2020)
* Favorite Adult Contemporary Album (1992–1994)
* Favorite Adult Contemporary New Artist (1992–1994)

## Most wins

The record for most American Music Awards won is held by Taylor Swift with 40 awards. The record for most American Music Awards won by a male artist belongs to Michael Jackson, who has collected 26 awards. The record for most American Music Awards won by a group belongs to Alabama, who have collected 18 awards.
| Rank | Artist | Number of awards |
| 1 | Taylor Swift | 40 |
| 2 | Michael Jackson | 26 |
| 3 | Whitney Houston | 22 |
| 4 | Kenny Rogers | 19 |
| 5 | Alabama | 18 |
| 5 | Justin Bieber | 18 |
| 6 | Carrie Underwood | 17 |
| 6 | Garth Brooks | 17 |
| 7 | Reba McEntire | 14 |
| 8 | Rihanna | 13 |
| 9 | BTS | 12 |
| 10 | Beyoncé | 11 |
| 10 | Bruno Mars | 11 |
| 10 | Janet Jackson | 11 |
| 10 | Stevie Wonder | 11 |

### Most wins in a single ceremony

The record for the most American Music Awards won in a single year is held by Michael Jackson (in 1984) and Whitney Houston (in 1994), each with 8 awards to their credit (including the Award of Merit, with which both artists were honored in the respective years).
* Michael Jackson 8 (1984)
* Whitney Houston 8 (1994)

### Most wins by category

The following list shows the artists with most wins in each category, adapted from the AMAs official website.
* Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift (7 wins)
* Collaboration of the Year: Justin Bieber (3 wins)
* Song of the Year: Kenny Rogers (5 wins)
* Favorite Music Video: Taylor Swift (3 wins)
* Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock: Justin Bieber (4 wins)
* Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock: Taylor Swift (6 wins)
* Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock: BTS (4 wins)
* Favorite Album – Pop/Rock: Taylor Swift (4 wins)
* Favorite Male Artist – Country: Garth Brooks (8 wins)
* Favorite Female Artist – Country: Reba McEntire (11 wins)
* Favorite Duo or Group – Country: Alabama (13 wins)
* Favorite Album – Country: Carrie Underwood (6 wins)
* Favorite Artist – Rap/Hip-Hop: Nicki Minaj (5 wins)
* Favorite Song – Rap/Hip-Hop: Cardi B (3 wins)
* Favorite Album – Rap/Hip-Hop: Nicki Minaj (3 wins)
* Favorite Male Artist – Soul/R&B: Luther Vandross (7 wins)
* Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B: Beyoncé, Rihanna (7 wins each)
* Favorite Album – Soul/R&B: Michael Jackson (4 wins)
* Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock: Linkin Park (6 wins)
* Favorite Artist – Adult Contemporary: Celine Dion (4 wins)
* Favorite Artist – Latin Music: Enrique Iglesias (7 wins)
* Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational: Casting Crowns (4 wins)
* Favorite Artist – Electronic Dance Music: Marshmello (3 wins)

## Special awards
### Award of Merit

The American Music Award of Merit has been awarded to 32 artists, the latest being Sting (2016).

### International Artist Award of Excellence

The International Artist Award of Excellence is described as "an award which recognizes artists whose popularity and impact cross national boundaries and is only given when there is a deserving recipient who is worthy of recognition for their accomplishments" and has been awarded to seven artists:
* Michael Jackson (1993)
* Rod Stewart (1994)
* Led Zeppelin (1995)
* Bee Gees (1997)
* Aerosmith (2001)
* Beyoncé (2007)
* Whitney Houston (2009)

### Icon Award

The Icon Award was introduced in the 2013 ceremony, producer Larry Klein stated that the award was created "to honor an artist whose body of work has made a profound influence over pop music on a global level."
* Rihanna (2013)
* Lionel Richie (2022)

### Dick Clark Award for Excellence

At the 2014 award ceremony, the Dick Clark Award for Excellence was given. It was created to recognize "an artist who achieves a groundbreaking feat or creates a landmark work."
* Taylor Swift (2014)

### Award of Achievement

* Michael Jackson (1989)
* Prince (1990)
* Mariah Carey (2000 and 2008)
* Katy Perry (2011)

### Lifetime Achievement Award

* Diana Ross (2017)

### Artist of the Decade

* 1990s: Garth Brooks (2000)
* 2010s: Taylor Swift (2019)
In 2000, the AMAs held a poll to elect the Artist of the Decade for each previous decade of the Rock and Roll era. According to some sources, the result of this poll is not counted in the total of AMAs won by these artists. The results were:
* 1950s: Elvis Presley
* 1960s: The Beatles
* 1970s: Stevie Wonder
* 1980s: Michael Jackson

### Artist of the Century

Michael Jackson won the Artist of the Century award in the 29th American Music Awards held on January 9, 2002.

## Ratings

| Year | Day | Date | Household rating | Household rating | 18–49 rating | 18–49 rating | Viewers (in millions) | Ref. |
| Year | Day | Date | Rating | Share | Rating | Share | Viewers (in millions) | Ref. |
| 1974 | Tuesday | February 19 | 26.0 | 38 | | | | |
| 1975 | Tuesday | February 18 | 21.3 | 32 | | | | |
| 1976 | Saturday | January 31 | 20.5 | 39 | | | | |
| 1977 | Monday | January 31 | 24.1 | 36 | | | | |
| 1978 | Monday | January 16 | 25.9 | 38 | | | | |
| 1979 | Friday | January 12 | 22.8 | 35 | | | | |
| 1980 | Friday | January 18 | 17.3 | 28 | | | | |
| 1981 | Friday | January 30 | 14.4 | 32 | | | | |
| 1982 | Monday | January 25 | 21.5 | 32 | | | | |
| 1983 | Monday | January 17 | 24.4 | 36 | | | | |
| 1984 | Monday | January 16 | 27.4 | 41 | | | | |
| 1985 | Monday | January 28 | 25.8 | 37 | | | | |
| 1986 | Monday | January 27 | 20.4 | 30 | | | | |
| 1987 | Monday | January 26 | 22.2 | 32 | | | | |
| 1988 | Monday | January 25 | 18.1 | 35 | | | | |
| 1989 | Monday | January 30 | 21.0 | 32 | | | 33.10 | |
| 1990 | Monday | January 22 | 20.0 | 30 | | | 32.40 | |
| 1991 | Monday | January 28 | 20.4 | 31 | | | 34.40 | |
| 1992 | Monday | January 27 | 18.3 | 28 | | | 29.90 | |
| 1993 | Monday | January 25 | 21.6 | 33 | | | | |
| 1994 | Monday | February 7 | 16.0 | 24 | | | 24.50 | |
| 1995 | Monday | January 30 | 15.4 | 23 | | | 24.50 | |
| 1996 | Monday | January 29 | 13.8 | 21 | | | 21.60 | |
| 1997 | Monday | January 27 | 13.2 | 21 | | | 19.72 | |
| 1998 | Monday | January 26 | 12.1 | 19 | 8.1 | 20 | 18.36 | |
| 1999 | Monday | January 11 | 10.3 | 16 | | | 15.60 | |
| 2000 | Monday | January 17 | 10.4 | 16 | 7.2 | 17 | 16.68 | |
| 2001 | Monday | January 8 | 10.4 | 16 | 7.3 | 17 | 16.20 | |
| 2002 | Wednesday | January 9 | 9.9 | 16 | 7.3 | 18 | 16.02 | |
| 2003 | Monday | January 13 | 8.4 | 12 | 5.7 | 13 | 12.90 | |
| 2003 | Sunday | November 16 | 8.1 | 12 | 5.5 | 13 | 12.77 | |
| 2004 | Sunday | November 14 | 7.9 | 12 | 5.7 | 13 | 12.90 | |
| 2005 | Tuesday | November 22 | 7.4 | 11 | 4.4 | 11 | 11.68 | |
| 2006 | Tuesday | November 21 | 7.0 | 11 | 4.7 | 13 | 10.85 | |
| 2007 | Sunday | November 18 | 7.4 | 11 | 4.8 | 12 | 11.81 | |
| 2008 | Sunday | November 23 | 7.3 | 11 | 5.1 | 12 | 12.20 | |
| 2009 | Sunday | November 22 | 8.6 | 14 | 5.5 | 14 | 14.24 | |
| 2010 | Sunday | November 21 | 6.7 | 11 | 4.3 | 10 | 11.72 | |
| 2011 | Sunday | November 20 | 6.8 | 10 | 4.3 | 10 | 12.07 | |
| 2012 | Sunday | November 18 | 5.5 | 8 | 3.4 | 8 | 9.52 | |
| 2013 | Sunday | November 24 | 7.6 | 11 | 4.5 | 11 | 13.14 | |
| 2014 | Sunday | November 23 | 6.6 | 11 | 3.8 | 10 | 11.61 | |
| 2015 | Sunday | November 22 | 6.3 | 10 | 3.5 | 10 | 11.01 | |
| 2016 | Sunday | November 20 | 4.7 | 8 | 2.4 | 7 | 8.18 | |
| 2017 | Sunday | November 19 | 5.2 | 9 | 2.4 | 8 | 9.15 | |
| 2018 | Tuesday | October 9 | 4.1 | 8 | 1.8 | 8 | 6.59 | |
| 2019 | Sunday | November 24 | 3.9 | 8 | 1.7 | 7 | 6.68 | |
| 2020 | Sunday | November 22 | 2.4 | 5 | 1.0 | 6 | 4.01 | |
| 2021 | Sunday | November 21 | | | 1.0 | 7 | 4.01 | |
| 2022 | Sunday | November 20 | 2.0 | 5 | 0.6 | 5 | 3.53 | |