The Associated Press reports that Nashville was elected to host the special Grammy nominations concert on December 5. This is the first time the Academy is organizing a special concert outside Los Angeles, but their decision was influenced by the musical reputation of the Southern city.

There is no other city that is more renowned in the United States for its musical tradition than Nashville, Tennessee. This state has given some of the biggest musicians of the nation, including Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. As a consequence, the Academy has decided to host this year’s special Grammy noms concert in Music City.

The preparations will begin very soon as the concert is set to air on CBS, on December 5. The area around Bridgestone Arena will be arranged for the arrival of the guests. The Recording Academy started to host the live concert for the first time five years ago, but it was only this year that organizers decided to move the stage in Nashville.

Neil Portnow, president/CEO of The Recording Academy told the press that they have chosen Music City in order to celebrate the great artists that lived in this state. He is not preoccupied about the organization of the concert because similar events were held in Nashville before. The idea came to him as the staff members were discussing the presentation of the Grammy nominations at a hotel ballroom. In his opinion, this change will bring a new flavor to the Academy and the Grammy Awards.

The special concert is a pretext for the Recording Academy to introduce the nominees of the 55th edition of the Grammy Awards. The winners will be awarded next year during the special ceremony that is usually held on February 10 in Los Angeles. The concert will feature performances made by famous stars as well as former Grammy winners and nominees.

This year’s change has determined Portnow to try new ways of enlivening the Grammy noms concert. He actually confessed reporters that he is considering other possibilities for the future editions of the concert. Moving the show from Los Angeles to Madison Square Garden in New York City is another modification that Portnow could make in the near future.