Beyonce submitted Cowboy Carter to the 2024 CMAs. The country establishment gave her zero nominations. She took the album on tour anyway, grossing over $400 million - the highest-grossing country tour in history - and Forbes declared her the fifth musician ever to become a billionaire.
Beyonce Got Zero CMA Nominations. Then Became a Billionaire.
In 2024, Beyonce entered country music's most prestigious awards season with one of the year's most acclaimed albums. The CMAs responded with something nobody expected: not a single nomination for Cowboy Carter.
The Album Country Music Refused to Recognize
Cowboy Carter debuted in March 2024, spending four weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. It made Beyonce the first Black woman ever to top that chart. Critics praised it as a landmark record. When the 2024 CMA nominations dropped, it received zero nods - not one, across any category.
Beyonce had been here before. In 2016, she performed a country track at the CMA Awards alongside The Chicks. The response was cold. She later said that Cowboy Carter "was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed." The CMA snub in 2024 felt like history repeating itself.
What Happened at the Grammys
The Grammy voters saw things differently. At the 2025 Grammy Awards, Cowboy Carter won Best Country Album - making Beyonce the first Black woman to win that award. The album also won Album of the Year. The establishment that shut her out had been overruled by a larger one.
The Tour That Made History
Beyonce took Cowboy Carter on the road in 2025. The Cowboy Carter Tour grossed more than $400 million in ticket sales, with additional merchandise revenue on top - figures that made it the most successful concert tour in country music history, per Forbes. Because she founded Parkwood Entertainment, her own production company, she captured significantly more of the profit than a typical artist would.
The Fifth Musician Ever
In December 2025, Forbes declared Beyonce a billionaire - the fifth musician in history to reach that milestone, joining Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna. Forbes estimated she earned $148 million in 2025 alone, ranking her the third-highest paid musician in the world that year. The album the CMAs ignored had turned her into one of the wealthiest artists who ever lived.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Beyonce really get zero CMA nominations for Cowboy Carter?
How much did the Cowboy Carter Tour gross?
Who are the other billionaire musicians?
What Grammy records did Beyonce set with Cowboy Carter?
How does Parkwood Entertainment factor into Beyonce's wealth?
Verified Fact
Verified Jun 8, 2026 · 4 sources checked
Source: VarietyShow verification details
Claims checked
- Zero CMA nominations for Cowboy Carter 2024
- Four weeks at No. 1 Billboard Top Country Albums
- First Black woman to top country chart
- Tour gross over $400 million ($407.6M per Billboard Boxscore)
- Highest-grossing country tour in history
- Fifth musician billionaire (Jay-Z, Springsteen, Swift, Rihanna)
- Best Country Album Grammy 2025 + Album of the Year
- Beyonce quote "did not feel welcomed"