Report: Garth Brooks to Finally Stream Music in Deal with Apple
The best-selling country artist of all time and the last major holdout in all of music to make his songs and albums available for streaming may be finally acquiescing to reality. According to a report from HITS Daily Double, Garth has reached a deal with Apple for $30 million, and his turning over his catalog to the company to service his music, including his upcoming projects. According to the report, Garth was turned down by Sony and UMG before signing the deal.
Garth parted with his label RCA Nashville (a subsidiary of Sony) after a fairly lackluster performance of his comeback album Man Against Machine on radio, despite Garth amassing historic numbers during his current comeback tour. On August 8th, Brooks told Cindy Watts of The Tennessean, “I’ve always enjoyed being part of a team. I think you can always be part of something bigger with a team than you can be by yourself. Would I love to be part of a label group? Sure I would. But with the new streaming income now, I can’t make them money.”
Garth went on to say he was solidifying a streaming partner that was “neither of the two partners you think it’s going to be, but it’s one of the biggest partners in the world,” and also said the new partner would absorb his GhostTunes company that was set up to make his music finally available in download form. The difference between GhostTunes and other companies is artists choose to make their music only available in album form—something Garth has been insistent on over the years. It also allows artists to bundle merch with music purchases.
According to the HITS Daily Double report, Garth chose to go with Apple over Spotify because it still gives him the possibility of a sales component in the streaming space.
Garth Brooks is expected to announce new music, potentially including a long-promised duets album with wife Trisha Yearwood and the new label/streaming/download deal soon.
Eduardo Vargas
August 26, 2016 @ 6:45 pm
Well, it seems Garth finally woke up and realized it isn’t the 90’s anymore!!
marc
August 26, 2016 @ 7:13 pm
Garth Brooks…welcome to the end of traditional country and the beginning of arena country.
Erik North
August 26, 2016 @ 7:19 pm
Actually, it can be argued that Mr. Brooks (sometimes known derisively as “Garth Vader”) basically INVENTED arena country back in his megastar days.
ElectricOutcast
August 27, 2016 @ 7:54 pm
Wrong answer: it was the King of Cowboy Singers, Chris LeDoux. Argue against that fact all you want but facts are facts.
Convict charlie
August 26, 2016 @ 7:39 pm
It has to be a win for both parties. He was one of the few artists that had the foresight to own his music back in the day. He delivered his cd to the label as a full product and received a 16-18% royalty rate. I can’t say I know much about the music side of things and what format it currently is in. He did his stuff in analogue back in the day and transferred to digital. It was outdated then.
This should be on his next album. Last minute it got cut from the last one.
Done by red Marlow “when the sun shines too”
https://youtu.be/WJMhehkUGyY
Worm
August 27, 2016 @ 9:40 pm
Wrong. Garth’s stage presence was inspired by Chris LeDoux. But Chris wasn’t playing arenas until Garth catapulted Chris into mainstream country in 1989.
Convict Charlie
August 28, 2016 @ 8:39 am
That isn’t what the article is about. It was a slight mention of his stage show. He isn’t getting a $30 million dollar deal off his touring from Apple. It’s from the rights to his catalogue, which he owns. Unless he is a thirty tigers artists barely anyone owns their catalogue. It is in the hands of the label.
No discredit in any way to chris ledoux.
hoptowntiger94
August 26, 2016 @ 7:43 pm
I also read he bought a VCR today
Scotty J
August 26, 2016 @ 7:46 pm
To be fair it’s a VCR/DVD combo.
Jimmy Bobby
August 26, 2016 @ 9:00 pm
Fucking good a place as any-anyone have decent audio/video of Old 97’s doing jack the necrophiliac? I’d love to find a good version.
Lunchbox
August 27, 2016 @ 12:47 am
Chris Gaines Greatest Hits better be on there. it’s never been released on vinyl either. an astonishing oversight imo.
albert
August 27, 2016 @ 8:57 am
Not sure if you’re being sarcastic , Lunchbox, but I thought the Chris Gaines record was artistically terrific in writing , production and performances even if the schtick was hapless .
Lunchbox
August 27, 2016 @ 3:43 pm
i was being sarcastic but now i’m beginning to wonder if there’s any unreleased Chris Gaines..? that album not being on record surprised me though. i’m sure there are people out there that would genuinely like to see it on vinyl.
Convict charlie
August 28, 2016 @ 8:44 am
Few of the Garth books I read had some info about the chris Gaines character. Little more in depth of what is usually a joke still. In the Garth factor book they mention how precious to having the Garth name attached it was sent to some of the top rock reviewers in the country. It was rated as very good by most everyone. It wasn’t until later that it officially came out with his name attached that it was looked at as unfavorable. It didn’t help it was supposed to be a character in the film but the film never happened. It still went double platinum at the time- that would be a highlight of many artists career record.
Summer Jam
August 27, 2016 @ 12:55 am
He’s still an arrogant dick. Would never buy any of his music even though I like it.
Robert S
August 27, 2016 @ 6:37 am
I don’t like his music. I listened to more Cody Jinks songs yesterday than I have listen to Garth Brooks in my lifetime.
Eduardo Vargas
August 27, 2016 @ 12:21 pm
Yeah, “arrogant” is not a word I would use to describe Garth Brooks.
Brian
August 27, 2016 @ 5:51 am
I saw on TV that Garth is singing the new intro song for SEC football and it will debut on Sept 3. He also said the song they are singing will be on the new album.
Trigger
August 27, 2016 @ 8:11 am
Garth Brooks is a marketing genius. Radio ignores him? Fine, he’ll be all over the television come college football time, and will release two album right in time for the Christmas buying season. Who needs Music Row, or radio?
Jim Bob
August 27, 2016 @ 11:42 am
Fuck the SEC. My favorite part of life was watching Utah make Nick Saban their bitch in 2009. Don’t tell my wife or kids, but that was seriously the greatest day of my life!
Bertox
August 27, 2016 @ 2:13 pm
You win the Internet today
Dogit
August 28, 2016 @ 10:59 am
Fuck you, Fuck the Utes, fuck the family members who bought me sugar bowl tickets for that shit game.
Jim Bob
August 28, 2016 @ 3:45 pm
Your anger pleases the naughty parts of my soul.
No matter how many games Saban wins, he’ll always have that epic ass raping from Utah that literally changed the BCS bowls. Always. Forever. I love it!
albert
August 27, 2016 @ 8:55 am
” Who needs Music Row, or radio? ”
I thought Garth released one of the better albums in recent years with his last one and have indicated so in other posts. He certainly didn’t need radio play to sell it or bring folks to his shows. In fact , there is certain to be a little part of every sincere artist that does not want to be associated with mainstream ” country’ radio in these times and the folks there claiming to be singing country music . I mean..Shania , Sugarland , the Kruze Kids , Sam Hunt , Rhett ….if you were a REAL artist would you want to be lumped in with THAT group if you could find some way NOT to be ? I don’t blame GB for trying to do it HIS way in light of the way the biz has gone .
And my disclaimer , once again . I am NOT a Garth fan but I know good songs when I hear them and Garth had a lot of ’em on his most recent record.
Summer Jam
August 27, 2016 @ 10:10 am
how about “People Loving People”? Lol
albert
August 27, 2016 @ 11:01 am
I’d take PLP over ANYTHING by Blake S. , Luke Bryan, the Kruze Kids , , Hunt , Rhett or ANY of the bro -boys . And I’ll bet YOU would too, given those options Summer Jam . No …not the best tune on his record …but nowhere near the worst bro-shit .
Summer Jam
August 27, 2016 @ 4:15 pm
I like all the artists you mentioned as I like pop country as well, but I highly prefer neo-traditional and mid 2000’s country. People Loving People is generic, but IMO it’s a pretty decent song. Sucks though that it bombed at radio.
Mike W.
August 27, 2016 @ 7:08 pm
Ah, I see once again the music industry is incapable of learning it’s lesson. Exclusive deals like this one are bad for fans and in the end–bad for all, but a few artists in search for a quick buck. Remember how annoying it was/is when your favorite artist released an album and 1-2 tracks were “exclusive” to Target or Wal-Mart or iTunes? These “exclusive” streaming deals are just an extension of that outdated model. I get it, Apple has money to burn and their stagnant hardware sales have them focusing on services more than ever. That being said, forcing Garth Brooks fans or Beatles fans or any other fan base to be “forced” to using your service just gives rise to illegal downloading and nobody making ANY money.
For the record, I’m not a Garth Brooks fan. But if I were (lord help me), I would be pretty irritated by this move. First it was Garth Brooks trying to force his fans to use something called Ghost Tunes if they wanted legal MP3’s of his music and albums. Then it was Garth yanking all his videos and music from YouTube, even though YouTube (when properly managed) is a great and easy way to build buzz among your fan base and expand said fan base. Now it’s Garth forcing anyone who is a fan of his music to subscribe to Apple Music, even though my all accounts it’s still well behind the other streaming services when it comes to functionality and availability.
Sorry for the rant, but “exclusive” deals have been in the music news a lot lately and it’s really super annoying to see the major artists and labels basically pissing all over music fans once again out of greed. Now that I have wasted a few minutes writing about Garth Brooks, I am going to cleanse my palate with some Cody Jinks….
Cori
August 27, 2016 @ 10:17 pm
I think the Hits Daily Double report says that Garth Brooks was turned down by Sony and UMG, not the other way around as reported here.
Ronald
August 29, 2016 @ 5:59 am
I don’t like this conversation. Two of my all time favorite artists are Garth and Chris LeDoux. I am also a die hard Alabama Crimson Tide fan. I never thought I would see a time when Garth, Chris, and Nick Saban are trashed in the same place.
Don
August 30, 2016 @ 11:44 pm
So much Garth hate. His first 3 albums were excellent, period. I can’t see how anyone would deny that. He did some dumb stuff later on in the decade but he is talented, I just wish he would remember that. I don’t want a duet album, I want another No Fences.
Christine
September 28, 2017 @ 7:09 pm
This is an old post so I need to add a new comment. I love Garth Brooks music, I really really do. BUT I am a Canadian and just realized that I cannot purchase any of his music in digital format ANYWHERE. Not on itunes, not on amazon, not on spotify. So I’m pissed. Oh, but I can still buy a CD or a Cassette!!! F’n Really?
So yeah, I definitely have a little Garth Brooks anger going on right now. Buddy, people don’t buy CDs anymore. It’s a waste of space, it is not environmental friendly, and it’s not how things work anymore. By limiting your digital content to ONE source available for ONE country is about the worst business move you could’ve ever made.
I honestly don’t want to support him anymore.