Garth Brooks News

The country superstar has signed a deal with the retail chain that will make Wal-Mart and its subsidiaries, Sam's Club and walmart.com, the only place fans will be able to purchase Brooks' entire catalog of music for the indefinite future.

"We understand the Wal-Mart customer and know that bringing them Garth Brooks exclusives in the upcoming years is something that'll excite them as much as it excites us," says Wal-Mart vice president David Porter in a statement.

No word as to how long the exclusive multiyear agreement will last or how much Wal-Mart shelled out for Brooks' services. The retailer would discuss specific terms Friday. Brooks' manager, Bob Doyle, was unavailable for comment.

But, according to Billboard, the partnership calls for the retail giant to release 15 years' worth of Brooks' music, starting with a multidisc box set containing previously unreleased tracks that's expected to hit Wal-Mart outlets in late fall and retail for about $25.

The pact was made possible after Brooks bailed on Capitol Nashville, the label he had called home since 1989. The licensing deal he signed with Capitol expired in June and granted Brooks ownership of all the masters in his catalog, including 15 albums.

Capitol's parent, EMI, will be able to ship its remaining stock of Brooks' albums to any other retailer. But because the record company can no longer manufacture the singer's CDs, once the existing Capitol albums are sold out, Wal-Mart will be the only place fans can buy any of Brooks' music.

The two-time Grammy winner told Billboard that he wasn't going to discuss the pact with Wal-Mart until "we get our ducks in a row." He did say, however, that all future releases "in everything from cost to content, will be an amazing deal for the Garth fan."

Of course, the 43-year-old crooner has no plans on making any new music for a while.

Brooks announced four years ago he was hanging up his Stetson and officially retiring from the road and recording to spend more time with his kids. He vowed not to take the stage again until his youngest daughter graduated from high school in 2015. But that doesn't mean he isn't up for the occasional gig.

In fact, talk of a partnership with Wal-Mart got going after he gave a performance at a June 3 shareholders meeting at the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

For Wal-Mart, locking up Brooks was a no-brainer.

The entertainer has not only notched a whopping 25 number one hits on the country charts, but he's also the biggest selling solo artist of all time with combined records sales of 100 million.

His last studio effort, 2001's Scarecrow, dubbed his "retirement album," debuted atop the Billboard charts--the seventh number one album of his career, and has sold nearly 3 million copies, per Soundscan.

"We've all missed him--his natural humor and his ability to touch each of our lives through his music and lyrics that seem to reach into our very souls," says Porter.

In May, Brooks received a larger-than-life bronze statute at the Legends in Bronze event at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California. During the ceremony, he popped the question to fellow country star Trisha Yearwood. No word when the couple will tie the knot, but that Wal-Mart money will come in handy for the honeymoon.