‘NASH Classics’ Coming as NASH Icon Continues Success
Cumulus Media’s NASH Icon radio concept mixing older country music in with more contemporary songs continues to gain steam, while yet another radio format called NASH Classics is on its way, and some big signings to the label side of NASH Icon appear to be imminent.
NASH Classics
In a recent All Access interview with Cumulus Media Executive Vice President John Dickey and Big Machine Label Group CEO Scott Borchetta, Dickey gave the first indication that the media giant could be giving classic country music a bigger home on the radio. When speaking about the currently-expanding NASH Icon format which is now live in 20 different markets, Dickey said, “NASH Icon is a Hot AC for Country. It’s not Classic Country, it’s not NASH Classics – stay tuned, that format is coming – and we’re going to do that in a way that hasn’t been done before, and that’s really exciting creatively.”
Nash Classics would likely not be as big as NASH Icon which competes with Top 40 country in the markets it has moved in to, including beating Top 40 stations. But it would be an alternative for classic listeners who’ve been lost in the country music shuffle. “And Classic Country, or in our case, soon-to-be NASH Classics, that is a niche format and it will continue to be a niche format,” John Dickey explains. “It sounds great, but it’s no different than an Urban station putting on a great Gospel station. There’s a lot of great product out there, and we’re going to do it in a great way, but it will exist, and we’re going to do it in a smaller way. It will exist in a smaller way next to NASH Icon and NASH.”
NASH is the flagship Cumulus Media Top 40 country brand.
Martina McBride & Ronnie Dunn – Next Possible NASH Icon Signings
Meanwhile NASH Icon, which includes a record label with Big Machine Label Group, looks to be on the brink of some more signings of older country artists. In the same All Access interview, Scott Borchetta alludes to Martina McBride being a top candidate for the label. “I don’t think you have to really be too much of a guesser to look at who’s out there and who’s working. You’ve got Martina McBride who is still very relevant in the marketplace,” Scott says.
Martina McBride’s 2011 album Eleven was released through the Republic Nashville label, which Big Machine partially owns. Her latest album, 2014’s Everlasting was a self-released collection of mostly R&B standards.
The other name rumored to be part of NASH Icon is Ronnie Dunn—one half of the now defunct Brooks & Dunn. Ronnie has been dropping hints that his NASH Icon signing is imminent on Facebook and Twitter. Nash Icon has already signed Reba McEntire.
NASH Icon Continues to Gain Steam
NASH Icon continues to do well in ratings compared to its Top 40 competition, making the possibility of a format split in country music more of a reality every day. “October is going to be stronger than September, and already we’ve got a week in November and November is showing those signs,” says John Dickey.
Meanwhile John Dickey says he’s happy that other non Cumulus stations are taking the NASH Icon model or similar ideas and running with them, including the recently-reformatted Hank-FM. “…as they say, imitation is the best form of flattery,” says Dickey. “We’ve had another very, very smart broadcast company – people that I respect immensely – look at what we’ve done here and buy in to the wisdom of the fragmentation format and have done something very similar in Dayton with a radio station…There’s a very healthy energy and enthusiasm for what we’re doing with this format. I still hold to what I said in August. I think you will see, in the next 24 months, a NASH Icon format in each of the Top-100 markets. It may be 36 months; it may be a year longer than what I’m predicting.”
NASH Icon also continues to do surprisingly good with the sought-after 18-34 demographic, meaning younger listeners are connecting with the older format as well. And the numbers show NASH Icon is not cannibalizing country’s other radio formats, but growing the pie by enticing disenfranchised listeners back to radio.
READ: Why The CMA’s Should Consider Adding “Traditional” Categories
November 10, 2014 @ 12:15 pm
The only way to interpret this , Trigger , is to concede that what YOU do and what caring , vocal country fans say and blog and vent about IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE . Obviously advertisers are concerned about the loss of a marketable demographic and they’ve taken the time to determine WHY that demographic is deteriorating .
Solution ……give em back what they want !
November 10, 2014 @ 12:41 pm
Martina makes perfect sense for NASH Icons. In one of Dunn’s many posts teasing his big announcement, he showed the bottom of a picture with two men and a woman. I couldn’t figure out who the woman was, but it’s obviously Martina. Not sure if the other man is another signing or just Borchetta sitting with them. Either way this is exciting news and the split of country music is inevitable now. 2015 is going to be an interesting and exciting year in country music.
November 10, 2014 @ 3:54 pm
“I think you will see, in the next 24 months, a NASH Icon format in each of the Top-100 markets.”
This would be an absolutely fantastic development.
November 10, 2014 @ 8:50 pm
Huh. So Nash Icon is “Hot AC” country, and there’s going to be whole other new classic country format on the side. Well, I’ll be dipped. Now I’m totally curious to know what “Nash Classics” will sound like.
You know, as much I dislike and distrust the big two radio conglomerates, I really am amazed that all of this is happening.
Also, speaking of the big two, color me surprised that there hasn’t yet been an announcement that Clear Channel is launching its new ‘iHeart Country Icons’ format or whatever.
November 11, 2014 @ 1:58 am
I’ve listened to 95.5 quite a bit here in Nashville since they changed formats. Something I never did before. Every time some cheesy shit comes on WSM I switch over to it, and I must admit that it’s very refreshing. I’ve heard Glen Campbell and John Anderson often. I’ve also heard Jason Aldean’s “drinking chilled jack daniels, you’re nekid in bed, blah blah, burning it down” just as much. I think they’ll wind up splitting it totally in two and being successful at it.
November 12, 2014 @ 6:34 am
I’ve been fairly impressed with Nash Icon. I don’t mind that they play half old music and half current but I wish they would pick more new music that fits in with their brand. I’ll hear “Chillin’ It” and “Burnin’ it Down” next to old Alan Jackson or Clint Black songs and it feels so out of place.
I wish they would embrace artists like Jon Pardi, Kacey Musgraves and Charlie Worsham and play them instead of just playing the same hits Top 40 country plays. I don’t expect Icon to start playing indie country like Sturgill Simpson but I wish they would play some of the artists with a traditional bent that don’t get much mainstream attention.
November 14, 2014 @ 3:58 pm
At this point I don’t think the aim is to tie the format to a specific “sound”, but rather to present something like the country format that was typical up until maybe 20 years ago that was made up of a fairly even mix of current and recurrent hits.
But I agree with your opinion, it’s going to sound strange hearing “Chill of an Early Fall” back to back with something like “That’s My Kind of Night”.
November 14, 2014 @ 7:04 pm
Trigger,
You had previously mentioned that Nash ICON is beating Bobby Bones in terms of rating in the Nashville area. Is Nash ICON beating him anywhere else in the country or is it just in Nashville only?
November 14, 2014 @ 11:10 pm
I’m not really sure. I’m still trying to run down the ratings numbers for October and I’m planning to do a more in depth article exploring this soon hopefully.