Garth Brooks launches Nashville radio station The Big 615

Garth Brooks has announced the launch of his Nashville radio station, The Big 615.

While speaking at a press conference attended by Rolling Stone, the That’s What Cowboys Do singer announced the launch of a new radio station based in Nashville.

The station, titled The Big 615, began airing on Thursday. Listeners can stream internationally via the TuneIn audio service.

“Terrestrial radio is an agenda to the labels. Works great. Worked great for me, right?” Garth said at his press conference. “But what happens on terrestrial radio is as long as the labels have you, then you’re on the radio. The second something happens and you’re not with that label, the career goes into some other stage.”

He explained that he aimed to showcase country artists who weren’t backed by a label, and help the country genre evolve with the times.

“Our thing is, I think there are some artists that outlive their label. One of them for me is George Strait. I want to hear the new stuff from George Strait,” he added. “I want to hear (it) right next to Luke Combs. I want to hear the new stuff from The Chicks.”

Garth also specified that he wanted to spotlight more women in country music.

“We are going to lean a little more traditional when it comes to music,” he admitted, but the “balance between guys and girls is fantastic. It is nothing to hear two females back to back on this channel”.

He continued, “If there’s something we’re seriously missing in country music right now, it’s the number of females and those voices.”

The Big 615 marked Garth’s seventh station on TuneIn, as part of his SEVENS Radio Network.

Alongside the launch announcement, Garth released a promotional playlist including songs from George Strait, Maren Morris, Jackson Dean, Bailey Zimmerman, and his wife Trisha Yearwood.