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Garth Brooks signs exclusive deal with Wal-Mart
Record buyers looking to pick up an album by Garth Brooks will soon be able to do so only at Wal-Mart stores, thanks to an exclusive deal that the retired country singer has cut with the retail chain.
The deal is described as a "multi-year agreement ... that will include all Wal-Mart Stores, Sam's Club locations and WalMart.com," according to a Wal-Mart press release. The company did not reveal any additional details about the pact.
Rumors that something was brewing between Brooks and Wal-Mart had been swirling since the singer performed at the company's June 3 stockholders meeting, and announced during that appearance that he had parted ways with his longtime label, Capitol Nashville.
No newly recorded material from Brooks is expected for some time, as the singer announced in 2000 that he retiring from touring, and that his 2001 album, "Scarecrow," would be his last. The singer left the door open for a return to the music business after his daughter turns 18, which won't happen until 2015.
Billboard, citing "industry sources," speculates that Wal-Mart's first exclusive Brooks offering will come this fall in the form of a box set that will include previously unreleased material.
