IBMA (catchall_org)
Organizations / Associations
The International Bluegrass Music Association is the nonprofit trade association for bluegrass music. It was founded in 1985 and based in Owensboro, Kentucky, until it moved its offices to Nashville in 2003. In 1987 it launched World of Bluegrass, its annual combination of trade show, festival, and awards. The event began in Owensboro, then moved to Louisville, KY (1997), Nashville, TN (2005–2012), Raleigh, NC (2013–2024), and currently occurs in Chattanooga, TN. IBMA was also involved in the creation of the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, a joint venture with the RiverPark Center announced in 1988. In 1991 it established a Hall of Honor (now the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame), whose first inductees were Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, and Earl Scruggs. IBMA's members vote on the annual IBMA Awards, and its charitable arm, the IBMA Foundation, runs scholarships and grants including the Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship.
In the newsletter
- No. 6 Winter 1996
- No. 8 Summer 1996
- No. 9 Fall 1996
- No. 11 Spring 1997
- No. 13 Fall 1997
- No. 17 Fall 1998
- No. 21 Fall 1999
- No. 24 Fall 2000
- No. 25 Winter 2001
- No. 26 Spring 2001
- No. 27 September 2001
- No. 31 December 2002
- No. 33 September 2003