Garth Brooks has extended his partnership with streaming audio platform TuneIn by launching a new digital radio station focused on hit country music.
On Thursday, Brooks and TuneIn debuted “The Big 615,” which originates from Music Row in Nashville (the number refers to Nashville’s original telephone area code).
“The Big 615 is purely for the love of country music,” Brooks said in a statement emailed to The Desk on Thursday. “We lean a bit more traditional at The Big 615. We are proud of how the station sounds and want the entire world to hear what we think is the greatest format of all: Country music.”
Brooks said the station’s playlist will have a little bit of everything from the country genre — from the latest single by Ashley McBryde and the Chicks, to hot songs from George Strait and Luke Combs, and everything in-between. Broadcaster Storme Warren will be the official voice of the station.
Brooks first partnered with TuneIn last month and debuted Sevens Radio, which is part of his newly-formed broadcast unit Sevens Network. The stream rolled out about a year after Brooks ended an agreement with satellite radio provider SiriusXM for a channel there.
This week, Garth said Sevens Radio and The Big 615 are just two channels that will comprise a whole slate of streaming radio stations that will launch over time. All stations, including two more that have yet to be announced, will stream exclusively on TuneIn, which offers access to digital audio through smartphone and tablet apps, smart speakers, smart TVs and some in-car infotainment systems.
“Garth Brooks has an amazing vision for radio,” Richard Stern, the CEO of TuneIn, said on Thursday. “At TuneIn, we are honored to work with an artist like Garth to build his vision and create an un-duplicable experience for our listeners. We are even more excited to bring The Big 615 to our global community of listeners, providing them with a one-of-a-kind destination to immerse themselves in the world of country music.”
TuneIn says it has more than 75 million listeners across 122 countries where its service is supported. The streaming channels designed by Brooks will be available worldwide.
