At the ceremony, Mariah Carey received the Pop Icon Award for having sold over 200 million records and having more number one singles in America than any other solo artist.

[2][4] The 22nd edition of the World Music Awards had been scheduled to be held December 20, 2012 at Miami's Marlins Park, but was canceled days beforehand due to issues with visa approval for artists coming in for the ceremony and in its own statement, out of respect to victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

[1][7] Sharon Stone had been slated to host the ceremony, but pulled out at the last minute due to a payment dispute with the WMA organizing body.

Likewise, a scheduled livestream of the red carpet via the website of music industry publication Billboard was called off due to further technical issues.

NBC never received a final cut of the ceremony from the show's executive producers, and substituted it on May 28 with a time-stretched rerun of the premiere of that season's America's Got Talent.