Garth Brooks in Rangsit: how Nok studies why the top-selling solo album artist in the US kept his music off iTunes for years, a music marketing case in scarcity

Nok is thirteen and lives in Rangsit, where her father drives a delivery truck and her mother has a coffee cart. Her father loves American country music and plays it on long drives. One song, Friends in Low Places, comes on so often that the whole household knows the chorus. When Nok asked who sang it, her father said Garth Brooks, and added that he was harder to find online than most singers.

That comment puzzled Nok. Almost every song she knew was available on every app. Her teacher had just set a project on case examples from music marketing, so she decided to investigate why one of the most successful singers in American history had once been missing from popular digital stores.

Garth Brooks was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1962. He became famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s with energetic concerts and a style that mixed traditional country with rock influences. His 1991 album Ropin' the Wind became the first album to debut at number one on both Billboard's main album chart and its country album chart.

The Recording Industry Association of America, the organisation that certifies record sales in the United States, lists him as the top-selling solo album artist in the country's history. His sales are measured in the hundreds of millions of album units, a level reached by very few performers anywhere.

Yet for years Brooks refused to let his music be sold on iTunes, the biggest digital music store of the 2000s. He objected to the idea of selling single songs instead of complete albums, and he disagreed with the terms on offer. Fans who wanted his music had to buy CDs or find other ways to listen.

In 2014 he launched his own online music store, GhostTunes, which allowed albums to be sold on his terms. Then, in 2016, he signed a deal with Amazon Music that made his catalogue available for streaming, exclusively on that service for a period. News reports at the time described it as a major moment, because so many fans had waited for years.

For Nok's project, the case raised interesting questions. Holding music back created scarcity, which kept attention on Brooks and gave him strong bargaining power. On the other hand, younger listeners who discovered music mainly through mainstream digital stores might never have come across his songs. Every marketing choice involves a trade-off.

Nok's teacher praised her for showing both sides. Her conclusion was that scarcity works best for artists who already have a huge, loyal audience. A new musician would probably benefit more from being easy to find, while a superstar can afford to set conditions.

Nok learns with TIGA ALPHA, an online piano learning app her mother installed on an old tablet. She practises on a keyboard her father bought at a second hand market, and the AI piano teacher listens closely, pointing out places where her rhythm wobbles. Country songs, with their even pulse, have turned out to be good practice for her timing.

Saying no to the biggest store

Her AI piano lessons recently covered a simplified arrangement of Friends in Low Places. The verses narrate a tale and the chorus repeats, so knowing the structure matters. Nok has a ritual of surveying the sheet ahead of her first chord for any repeat sign, a strong double line with dots just inside it, and saying which verse will return.

Her piano course suggested she sing the chorus while playing the chords, and her father joined in from the kitchen the first time she tried. Since then, family karaoke evenings have included Nok on keyboard, with her father taking the low notes and her mother laughing too much to sing.

In music lessons at school, Nok presented her case study with a clear table showing the advantages and disadvantages of exclusive deals. Then she played the chorus of Friends in Low Places on the classroom keyboard. Several classmates who had never listened to country music asked for the name of the song afterwards.

For children who want to learn piano, the Garth Brooks example proves that the way music reaches people is a set of decisions, not an accident. Learning to play piano gives them something to share, and learning about business helps them think about how they want to play music for others in the future.

Nok's father now says that his daughter knows more about the music business than he does. On their next long drive, she has promised to explain streaming deals while he plays Garth Brooks, and he has promised to listen without changing the subject.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Who is Garth Brooks? A: Garth Brooks is an American country singer born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1962. The RIAA certifies him as the best-selling solo album artist in the United States.

Q: Why was Garth Brooks's music not on iTunes? A: For many years Brooks refused to sell his music on iTunes, objecting to selling individual songs rather than albums and to the terms offered. In 2014 he launched his own store, GhostTunes, and in 2016 he made his catalogue available for streaming through an exclusive deal with Amazon Music.

Q: What does his case teach about music marketing? A: Controlling where and how music is sold can create scarcity and strengthen an artist's bargaining power, though it can also limit how easily new listeners find the music.

Students who practice alone benefit a lot from an online piano teaching application. A responsive AI piano teaching app catches small errors early, a clear piano teaching app keeps goals visible, and piano teaching with AI gives the online piano lessons app a steady, encouraging rhythm. Mixing a weekly piano learning course with a daily AI online piano course is one of the easiest ways to learn piano online steadily. Strong piano teaching and caring music teaching both start from listening, which is also the first step to learn music well.

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