Pollstar, the leading trade publication for the live entertainment industry, has announced the nominees for the 31st annual Pollstar Awards.

Presented by Live Nation on February 6, the Pollstar Awards concludes the Pollstar Live! conference and honors and recognizes the most successful artists, executives, venues, events, and companies in the thriving global live entertainment business. To be held at The Beverly Hilton February 4-6, 2020, Pollstar Live! is the world’s largest gathering of live entertainment professionals and Pollstar magazine’s flagship event.

The 2020 Pollstar Award nominations were selected by the largest, most diverse, and most international nominating committee in the history of the awards. This is a direct result of Pollstar's outreach efforts to more than 2500 agents, promoters, managers, venues, production companies, and many others across the live industry worldwide. As a result, this year secured 29% more nomination submissions.

Pollstar Awards’ nominees for the “Major Tour Of The Year” award, which recognizes the most commercially and artistically successful tour of the year, are Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Eric Church, Garth Brooks, P!NK and The Rolling Stones.

Also nominated for awards in categories including “Best Rock Tour”, “Best Hip-Hop/R&B Tour”, “Best Pop Tour”, “Best Country Tour”, “Best Latin Tour” and “Best Residency” are such artists as Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Billy Joel, Carrie Underwood, Drake, Garth Brooks, Jennifer Lopez, Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Maná, Metallica, and Travis Scott, among many others. 

Nominees for “Best New Headliner,” those that achieved a significant breakthrough in 2019 through memorable performances, fan engagement, and box office success are Billie Eilish, Greta Van Fleet, Kacey Musgraves, Lizzo, Luke Combs, and Maggie Rogers.

A selection of Nominees/Categories follows:

Major Tour of the Year - Recognizing the most commercially and artistically successful tour of the year. (Box Office Weighted)
Ed Sheeran, ÷ (Divide) Tour
Elton John, Farewell Yellow Brick Road
Eric Church, Double Down Tour
Garth Brooks, Garth Brooks Stadium Tour, Summer Of Dive Bars Tour
Pink, Beautiful Trauma World Tour
The Rolling Stones, No Filter Tour

Best Rock Tour - Recognizing professionalism and dedication to the art and craft of live performance in the previous year by a touring rock artist or band. (Box Office Weighted)
KISS, End Of The Road World Tour
Metallica, WorldWired Tour
Queen + Adam Lambert, The Rhapsody Tour
The Rolling Stones, No Filter Tour
Tool, [“Fear Inoculum” Tour]
Twenty One Pilots, The Bandito Tour

Best Residency - Recognizing the most commercially and artistically successful run of 10 or more shows at a single venue. (Box Office Weighted)
Aerosmith (Deuces Are Wild), Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas
Billy Joel, Madison Square Garden
Celine Dion (Celine), The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
David Byrne (American Utopia), Hudson Theatre
Janet Jackson (Metamorphosis), Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas
Lady Gaga (Enigma), Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas

The slate of awards is geared toward presenting a compelling ceremony that salutes the touring industry’s illustrious past while celebrating its current vitality and promising future.

“The nominees for the 31st Pollstar Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement in live entertainment this year and reflect our ongoing efforts to present the most relevant recognition for the highest achieving artists and professionals that make up this great business,” said Ray Waddell, president of OVG Media & Conferences. "For more than 30 years, the Pollstar Awards have been the gold standard for recognizing success in the live business, and we are honored and privileged to again salute the elite artists, venues, and executives that make live the ultimate barometer of fan passion.”

While the Pollstar Awards remain predominantly an industry peer-voted honor, Pollstar factors in box office performance (gross revenue and ticket sales) using its industry-leading touring data in determining winners for many awards.

A full list of nominees can be found here.