Nash Icons

Just recently, US Radio Network 'Cumulus Media' and 'Big Machine Label Group', which was launched in 2005 by former Dreamworks Records executive Scott Borchetta, announced a co-venture to promote Country Music stars who were big in the time span of the 80's to 2000, but mostly no longer have recording contracts.

The undertaking intends to create the new label NASH ICONS, which will promote and support those artists via special radio outlets and events. It will be empowered by the media muscle of Cumulus Media, which operates some 460 country music radio stations (as of February 2014) in the US market. 'Big Machine' is the home of superstars Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts, as well as current hot seller Brantley Gilbert (via Valory.

As Scott Borchetta noted, "There are so many iconic Country artists who are still passionate about recording new music and hearing their biggest hits on the radio. NASH ICONS will allow so many of these artists to do both. BIG MACHINE LABEL GROUP is proud to partner with CUMULUS in a way that allows us to keep entertaining the millions of fans of these all-time favorite artists."

While this is a great announcement indeed for fans and artists alike, who grew up on each other in the 80's and 90's, I guess we will have to wait and see, how it is going to be executed. I do indeed have many fond musical memories of that time and it makes me want to dig out one of my favorite albums from that time (and potentially of all times), jut to see how it holds up today: "The Closer You Get" by Alabama.