In something of a landmark recording deal, Garth Brooks has gone into business with US retail giant Wal-Mart, meaning that the supermarket will be the only place people can buy the country star's music. Because Brooks ended his licensing agreement with Capitol Nashville back in Jun, the new relationship will cover all of his back catalogue too.
Brooks essentially retired from public performing in 2000 to dedicate more time to fatherhood, but still released an album in 2001, and has said he will return to music once his daughter turns 18, which means there may well be much still to come from the country singer.
The specifics of the Wal-Mart deal are not known, but the exclusivity component of the partnership between the retail giant and the singer will be the cause of some concern in the music retail sector. The high street stores have long discouraged exclusivity deals on even specific releases, let alone an entire artist's catalogue. Record shops owners, from the independents through to the big chains, will all be concerned if too many other artists choose to go this route, especially if the deals they strike are with non-music firms like Starbucks or Wal-Mart. Quite how they will combat the trend remains to be seen.