Why More Artists Should Be Like Garth Brooks

I’m not entirely certain when it happened, but at some point in recent months, I came to adore Garth Brooks. As I mentioned in the article I wrote about the death of my fiance and how it inadvertently pushed me back into the music industry, Garth’s song The Dance was one of my go-to tracks during that time and I still adore it. Apart from that, I don’t really know much of his catalog.
Honestly, as revered as he may be as an artist, it’s almost an aside in many ways, because he’s such a freaking awesome person!

Example one: He’s humble enough to admit he has no idea what’s going on

He’s a career artist who has sold albums numbering well into the hundreds of millions yet isn’t afraid to admit he’s just as lost is the current music industry ecosystem as everyone else. When Brooks left the industry temporarily in 2001, it still operated under the old rules and the traditional formula: Artist signs to label> artist releases record > fans buy CD at stores > radio plays singles > artist tours > fans buy merch > repeat. In the years since Brooks’ absence iTunes happened, Youtube happened, Spotify happened. The major labels still insist upon forcing the traditional formula and their antiquated mentality on us with the hopes that they can make us all believe it still works this way but Garth Brooks is someone who has literally sold millions of records via the old system and he’s readily admitting to being just as lost as those who haven’t sold their first record or learned to play an instrument yet. He’s not complaining, whining, griping, lashing out, screaming, shouting expletives, or anything a litany of other artists are doing. He’s also not insisting it’s still the same ol’ music industry it used to be. He released his latest record Man Against Machine in an era he’s unfamiliar with and he’s simply navigating as best he can, as are the rest of us.

Example two: He’s great with his fans

A video was shared last week which showed a woman, Teresa Shaw, at a Garth Brooks show holding up a poster. The poster read: “Chemo This Morning, Garth Tonight. Enjoy the Dance.” After holding it up for a moment or two a camera caught sight of it and put it on the Jumbotron where a security guard, with no prompting from Brooks or his management, then escorted Shaw to the front row. Then Garth Brooks saw the sign and stopped the show to share a moment with Ms. Shaw, after which he finished the song and gave her his guitar. I’ve said before, it takes very little for artists to reach out and make a huge impact on the lives of their fans. In this particular case, it happened to be a fan who is ill, which I suspect will make Brooks’ effort even more appreciated. Garth took a moment of his time/day/life to interact with this woman and it brought her immense joy during a time when she could really use some. If she wasn’t already a HUGE fan, she sure is now! (I wasn’t a huge fan and this made me adore him!)
Here’s a video if you haven’t seen it, and may all of us at Thirty Roses second the sentiment of Mr. Brooks and say to Teresa Shaw, “Kick cancer’s ass!!!”

Apart from this specific incident, I wondered what sort of rapport Garth is known to have with his fan (since I’m a newbie and all) and as I read about him, I came to find he’s pretty awesome all the time. I then took to Twitter to see how he’s handling social media and I was a bit disappointed to see he only follows nine (9) people. I was slightly saddened and thought my new-found fandom may be short-lived…then I read his Twitter feed. It’s filled with engagement. He’s always favoriting, retweeting, and interacting with people on Twitter…and it’s incredible! Active conversations between Garth and fans about concerts and events fill Brooks’ entire Twitter feed, and it’s something pretty much every artist I listen to and work with should take note of. Mr. Brooks, that is exactly how you navigate the music industry successfully in 2014, you get to your fans. You let them know you’re with them, that you care about them, and that you appreciate them.

Example three: Don’t accept things you don’t like- change them

Rather infamously, Brooks’ was an iTunes hold out and never had his music on the world’s most populous download store. Always vocal about his dislike for the structure of iTunes and the lack of control and unfair payouts it offered artists, rather than going the route so, so many artists choose and whining about it incessantly, Brooks created his own music retailer; Ghost Tunes. Ghost Tunes is foremost a digital retailer but allows users to stream music they have purchased and sells CDs to those who prefer that format. The store was launched with Brooks’ entire catalog offered on special for $29.99. Ghost Tunes also pays artists a higher percentage than other retailers (80% vs the usual 70%). Brooks didn’t like the way the system worked and not only didn’t participate in it, he did something about it. Check out Ghost Tunes HERE

There’s much to dislike and plenty of room for complaining. It would be very easy for someone of Garth Brooks’ caliber to sit back on his platinum and diamond records and recall with fondness the music industry of yore. Rather than sitting idly by, Garth Brooks is as engaged as ever with his fan base, working to create a fair digital store for artists, and learning as he goes along, even if it means stumbling and staggering as he goes. Why can’t more artists be like Garth?