Why Isn’t Garth Brooks on Spotify? (Explained)

Garth Brooks, an American singer, and songwriter, announced on July 8th, 2019, that he would never license his music to Spotify. After hearing this shocking announcement, his fans are shocked and ask why isn’t Garth Brooks on Spotify.

Quick Answer:
Garth Brooks abstains from Spotify due to his concerns about the platform’s skip feature diminishing the album-listening experience. He aims to preserve the intended sequence of songs and the album’s artistic integrity for his fans.

There are also other factors involved in his decision which I’ve discussed in this article. Surely at the end of this post, you’ll be able to know why isn’t Garth Brooks on Spotify. So let’s get started.

Analyzing Why Garth Brooks Chose Not to Be on Spotify

Garth Brooks’ decision not to be on Spotify stems from his desire to preserve the integrity of his albums. Also, he advocated for fair artist compensation and wanted to maintain total control over the distribution of his music.

Following are the key factors why Garth Brooks decided not to license his music on Spotify:

1. The Value Of Albums

Garth Brooks has always been an advocate for albums. He believes his fans should experience in their entirety rather than on a track-by-track basis.

On Spotify, music is consumed on a track-by-track basis which Brooks completely doesn’t like.

According to Brook, the structure of Spotify generally encourages the creation of playlists or the selection of specific tracks, which can break up the continuity of an album.

In simple words, Brooks opposed creating playlists based on user preferences. That’s why he isn’t on Spotify to preserve his album’s integrity.

2. Concerns About Artist Compensation

In addition, Spotify’s compensation to artists becomes one of the most important factors that makes Brook not appear on Spotify.

Many Artists often criticize Spotify for its payment model, which pays artists a fraction of a cent for each stream.

Brook’s opinion was that Spotify only benefits massively popular artists who receive millions of streams, but the revenue can be negligible for lesser-known artists.

So, it’s a demotivation for lesser-known artists, so Brook decided not to join Spotify. Since Brook’s opinion was a fact, many artists left Spotify after his decision.

3. Control Over Distribution

Most importantly, Brooks wants full control of his music over distribution. He was much concerned about the fact of how his music reached his listeners.

For this reason, Brooks wanted to sell his music directly from his sources rather than using other streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

There is a perfect example I can give you that will provide a better understanding of Brook’s mentality and how it relates to this point.

Example: Think of a farmer who grows vegetables. When it’s time for selling, he prefers selling vegetables directly from the farm rather than depending on the supermarket.

4. The GhostTunes Experiment

In 2014, Garth Brooks started his music platform called GhostTunes. It was an online music shop “for the artists, by the artists.”

The main objective of GhostTunes was to provide more freedom and motivation to artists over their music sales.

Along with the digital offering, the platform offers physical goods like t-shirts, CDs, and other merchandise. In short, it was all for the benefit of artists.

But at the end of 2016, things didn’t go as planned. GhostTunes shut down, and all its music was moved to Amazon Music. GhostTunes CEO Randy Bernard said that they couldn’t compete with billion-dollar platforms.

How Garth Brooks’s Decision Affected the Music Industry

Garth Brook’s decision not to appear on Spotify has provoked debate in the music industry.

Brook’s perspective highlights two main issues: artist’s compensation and music distribution over control.

By selling music directly, Brooks challenges streaming platforms’ dominance and draws attention to their low pay. He also underlines the importance of album integrity in today’s singles-focused world.

To get people’s attention, he experimented with the GhostTunes platform. Despite its failure, it sparked a conversation about artists’ rights.

Brooks’ decisions have significantly impacted how artists, fans, and industry executives view digital music distribution.

Other Platforms to Stream Garth Brooks’s Music

As a result of Brooks’ decision to limit the availability of his music, fans had to use different platforms to access his legendary discography.

You can stream Brooks’s music on Amazon Music, as all of his music was moved to Amazon Music after the closure of GhostTunes.

Additionally, some of his music is also available on Pandora and YouTube. But you can’t stream Brooks’s music on Apple Music and Spotify.

For a comprehensive listening experience, you can purchase his albums and singles from various online music stores and his official site.

What Prompted Garth Brooks to Deal With Amazon?

Brooks partnered with Amazon because they offered a comprehensive package that included streaming, CD downloads, and physical CDs – something other platforms could not match.

Amazon has around 90 million songs in its music library, similar to Spotify’s. Furthermore, Amazon’s approach addressed Brooks’ concerns about fair compensation, which allowed consumers to purchase music directly from artists.

However, Brooks expressed concerns about people skipping songs through Alexa since he values the complete album experience.

As a priority, he wants listeners to enjoy albums as a whole and in the order intended.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Final Words

The whole article concluded that Garth Brooks’ music is not available on Spotify because he refuses to work with Spotify as he believes its skip feature devalues the album-listening experience.

Hopefully, now you should know why Garth Brooks’s music is not available on Spotify and all the related queries.