Garth Brooks goes digital with his music

Longtime holdout Garth Brooks confirmed Thursday that he is finally getting into digital music his way - and in a big way.

The Oklahoma country music megastar unveiled the beta launch of a new online music store called GhostTunes.com before launching his long-awaited comeback tour Thursday in Chicago.

This July photo shows country music star Garth Brooks speaking at a news conference in Nashville, Tenn. Brooks announced Thursday at a news conference that he's partnered with the creators of digital pay site GhostTunes.com to release his back catalog and two new albums for about $30 and is encouraging other artists to join him in taking control of their music. AP File Photo Mark Humphrey - AP

The site went live Thursday with the digital distribution debut of the hit-maker's complete catalog in the form of a super bundle of the longtime Owasso resident's existing music and videos as well as pre-order of his much anticipated 2014 album and newly announced 2015 album for $29.99.

'When I decided it was time to 'go digital,' I didn't find an existing way that really fit how I wanted to do it,' he said in a news release. 'I shared my dream with some amazing minds and together have created something really special.'

The Tulsa native appeared Thursday morning on 'Good Morning America' to promise a big announcement before that night's show, the first of 11 planned Chicago concerts.

'Music history is about to change,' he said on GMA. 'This is gonna be awesome. There's a new window opening and digital music is coming, and I'm very proud to be a part of it.'

GhostTunes.com enables fans to listen to their music from their personal 'locker' immediately upon purchase, without having to download the content to their device. Fans will be able to download their purchased content to play with the audio player of their choice on a phone, tablet or computer.

Artists can choose to sell full albums, singles only, or configure different bundles of their music. GhostTunes.com offers exclusive bundles and albums at several price points, along with singles for 99 cents and $1.29. Three of the world's biggest music labels - Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group - already are on board.

An unwillingness to allow his albums to be cherry-picked for individual tracks often has been cited as part of Brooks' reason for staying off iTunes and other digital retailers.

The featured offering of GhostTunes.com is the debut of Brooks' music in a digital format. Showcasing the ability for artists to create their own innovative offerings, the 'Garth Goes Digital' bundle includes all eight of his hit-laden studio albums digitally updated, the new double live 25th Anniversary Edition featuring 30 songs along with 30 videos, an instant download of his new single, 'People Loving People,' and the bonus track, 'Send 'Em On Down The Road.'

Lokasi:

Share :