Garth Brooks Launches Global Country Music Station The Big 615 to ‘Spread Love’ and ‘Inclusiveness’ and ‘Protect Country Music’
Garth Brooks announced on Thursday that he is launching a global country music station called The Big 615. The goal is to represent “country music across the entire planet,” the country star said from a press conference in Nashville. He’s hoping that long-term it will inspire global artists to enter the country music space, citing a future where a non-US artist is up for an Academy of Country Music Award.
Brooks is launching a new radio station, which is named after the area code in Nashville. It would be available to stream for free on TuneIn and is from the musician’s SEVENS Radio network.
He said the effort will be analytics-driven and “lean a little more traditional” and cited legends like Merle Haggard, George Strait and Trisha Yearwood, whom he has been married to since 2005. “We want to protect country music,” he added, underlining that “country music is a family” and that the station will “spread love, spread family” and be about “inclusiveness.”
Later on, he touted pushing for balance across the station in terms of male and female musicians, citing a need for more women represented across country music.
What else is Garth Brooks working on?
He teased two other stations to come and is opening a bar in Nashville’s South Broadway District called Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk. He recently made headlines when he emphasized their plan to “serve every brand of beer” including Budweiser.
“Diversity, inclusiveness, that’s me. That’s always been me,” Brooks said on his show Inside Studio G about the decision.
He continued, “I get it. Everyone’s got their opinions, but inclusiveness is always going to be me. I think diversity is the answer, and the answer to the problems that are coming.”
“So all are welcome. I understand that might not be people’s opinions, but that’s okay,” he added. “Are we going to have the most popular beers in the thing? It’s the patrons’ call.”
The country star concluded, “If you want to come in, come in with love. Come in with tolerance and patience. Come in with an open mind. If you’re one of those people who just can’t do that, I get it. If you’re one of those people who want to try, come. Let’s go have some fun.”
