Martina McBride On Building Brand with Nash Icon

Martina McBride took time to discuss with MusicRow her recent projects including a new deal with Nash Icon. The move marked her rejoining the Big Machine Label Group fold after stepping away to independently release her Everlasting soul and R&B cover album.

“I learned you have a lot of responsibility in releasing your own album,” McBride said on the red carpet of the Music Biz awards in Nashville last Thursday (May 14). “It’s important to surround yourself with great people and I’m super excited about the Nash Icon deal because of that—being surrounded by the best in the business. They think outside the box, have passion and positive energy. That’s half the battle and feels really good.

“There are quite a few differences between this Nash Icon deal and my old deal with Republic Nashville. Nash Icon has a string of radio stations with Cumulus. They’ve signed us to make new music for that format. So it’s a great opportunity to create and have a place for our fans to hear our music. And to be apart of something innovative, groundbreaking and a whole new format in country music.”

The first release on the label, headed by Jim Weatherson and Scott Borchetta, was Reba McEntire’s Love Somebody. Ronnie Dunn, McBride and most recently Hank Williams Jr. have been tapped to record new music for the Cumulus partnership of 26-operating Nash Icon radio stations, which is also distributed to stations nationwide through Westwood One.

McBride also discussed building her brand outside of music. In October of last year she released a book about hosting and entertaining titled, Around the Table (William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishing).

“The most successful way to build your brand is to be yourself,” McBride continued. “I love to cook and entertain and really wanted to write a book that made it easy for people who are overwhelmed or have never done it before.”

Another way McBride spends her time is with philanthropic efforts. Those include countless domestic violence projects, such as work with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Network to End Domestic Violence, Tulsa Domestic Violence as well as Loveisrespect and the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline to create the “My Time to Shine.” She also lends support to Middle Tennessee’s annual YWCA Celebrity Auction, Kids Wish Network, and Stand Up 2 Cancer Telethon.

“Philanthropy for me is all about using this platform to do some good and raise awareness and make a difference,” McBride summed of her efforts that earned her the Music Biz’s Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award last week.

McBride has sold over 18 million albums, which have included 20 Top 10 singles and six No. 1 hits. As she preps her next project, she recently invited songwriters to the Big Machine Label Group offices to discuss her upcoming work.