A covey of artists turned out at BMI's Nashville headquarters Thursday (July 15) to hear the Americana Music Association announce the nominees for its 2004 Honors & Awards Show. The AMA also used the occasion to distribute advance copies of its This Is Americana sampler CD that goes on sale nationwide Aug. 3.

Allison Moorer, who bagged an artist of the year nomination, and Buddy Miller read the list of nominees to a large audience that included fellow artists Shawn Camp, Bob Delevante, Dave Olney and Mary Gauthier.

The awards show will be held Sept. 24 at the Nashville Convention Center as part of the AMA's annual conference that's set for Sept. 23-25. Jim Lauderdale, who is also up for artist of the year, will host the show.

AMA executive director J. D. May told CMT.com the This Is Americana sampler CD will sell for $1.98 each and will be displayed in specially designed racks placed near record store cash registers. He said the artists, publishers and record labels represented on the sampler will forfeit their royalties to support the project. Income from the sales will be donated to the NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) Scholarship Fund. May said 100,000 copies of the album will be distributed.

Artists and songs on the sampler are BR549, "That's What I Get"; Slaid Cleaves, "Wishbone"; Willie Nelson & Ray Price, "I'm So Ashamed"; Tift Merritt, "Ain't Looking Closely"; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Kris Kristofferson, "Gold Watch and Chain"; Alison Krauss & Union Station, "Every Time You Say Goodbye"; Danny Barnes, "Life in the Country"; the Jayhawks, "All the Right Reasons"; Anne McCue, "Stupid"; Notorious Cherry Bombs, "Wait a Minute"; Rosanne Cash with Johnny Cash, "September When It Comes"; Fairfax, "If I Die"; Jay Farrar, "Doesn't Have to be This Way"; Ralph Stanley, "Wild Geese Cry"; Jim Lauderdale, "Trashcan Tomcat"; Shelby Lynne, "Telephone"; King Wilkie, "Broke Down and Lonesome"; Lori McKenna, "Bible Song"; Junior Brown, "Little Red Rivi Airhead"; Lucinda Williams, "Ventura"; and Arthur Godfrey, "Amen."

Included with the CD is a 28-page booklet spotlighting each of the artists and the albums from which the cuts were taken. In addition, six critics offer their Top 10 lists of "essential Americana albums."

The AMA also provided the celebrants copies of a promotional DVD featuring segments from the 2003 awards show.