The Academy of Country Music has named Andy Schuon, a veteran media executive, as its new chief executive, with his first day set for 1 September. The appointment matters because it brings an outsider with decades of radio, television, streaming and music-business leadership into the organisation for the first time from outside Nashville, though he will relocate to work from the Academy's Music City office. He succeeds Damon Whiteside, who stepped down on 30 June after announcing his departure ahead of this year's ACM Awards; Whiteside had led the Academy since January 2020 and will remain in a transitional emeritus role through the end of 2026.

Schuon's career spans a stint as programme director at Los Angeles radio station KROQ, where he helped create franchises such as "Loveline", followed by senior roles at Warner Bros. Records, MTV, MTV2 and VH1, Universal Music Group, Ticketmaster and CBS Radio, plus involvement in launching ventures including Farmclub, Pressplay and Revolt TV. He joins the Academy from Anthem Sports & Entertainment, where he had overseen AXS and HDNet since February 2024. The search was led by ZRG Partners alongside the ACM board, and board chair Cris Lacy said Schuon's career reflected "a lifelong commitment to innovation, creativity, and serving artists."