SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TuneIn, the world’s leader in live audio, announced today a new partnership with CountryLine Radio, the United Kingdom’s largest independent country radio station, to distribute The BIG 615 from Garth Brooks’ SEVENS Radio Network. The partnership not only extends the reach of The BIG 615 across the U.K., but positions TuneIn as a key driver of radio globalization and country music worldwide.
Launched in June 2023, The BIG 615 has quickly become the most listened-to global country music station on TuneIn with fans tuning in to hear its diverse selection of country hits and interviews with superstar artists like Dolly Parton, Brothers Osborne, Brad Paisley, Lainey Wilson and Jason Aldean, among others. The BIG 615 is the first of several stations curated and conceived by Brooks in partnership with his SEVENS Radio Network and TuneIn. Through this new agreement, The BIG 615 will now be available through CountryLine’s digital audio broadcasting and streaming platforms – adding over a million monthly listening hours in the U.K.
“CountryLine has a long history of promoting Country Music, so it felt like a natural fit to create a station showcasing a love for Country Music with a group dedicated to it as much as we are," said Garth Brooks. "The U.K. has some of the greatest and most loyal fans of Country Music so we can't wait to share The BIG 615 with CountryLine and its listeners."
CountryLine Radio, originally launched in 2013 as Chris Country, was influential in bringing authentic country music to the U.K. The station has a rich history of promoting the genre by telling the stories and passion behind the music, drawing in some of the biggest names in country from Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood, to Luke Combs and Ashley McBryde.
“CountryLine’s mission is to help country fans around the world live their best country life,” commented CountryLine Co-founder & CEO Simon Walker. “Partnering with Garth is a dream come true for us, and we’re thrilled to join forces with TuneIn to bring The BIG 615 to U.K. fans. Together we will make The BIG 615 the biggest and best country radio station on the planet.”
Beyond distribution, the new partnership also introduces CountryLine Co-founder, Nathalie Cox, to The BIG 615 lineup of hosts, which includes legendary country radio personality Storme Warren and Sinead Burgess, a popular singer-songwriter from Australia. Nathalie, a well-known actress and presenter with a lifelong passion for the genre, brings a new global voice to the station for country music fans around the world.
“CountryLine is one of the premier destinations for country music in the U.K., with an established track record of promoting authentic country music to a loyal fanbase. This agreement allows us to work with a local partner to extend the reach of The BIG 615 to new audiences,” said Rich Stern, CEO of TuneIn. “Over the past year, we have worked to establish ourselves as a key partner for major talent and broadcasters, providing a platform for globalizing their content and expanding their reach with win-win partnerships.”
Listeners around the globe can stream The BIG 615 at tunein.com/thebig615. To learn more about CountryLine, visit countryline.radio.
About TuneIn:
TuneIn, the world’s leader in live audio, brings together live sports, news, music, audiobooks, podcasts and radio from around the globe, empowering listeners to ‘hear’ what they love wherever ‘here’ might be. With more than 75 million monthly active users and distribution across 200 platforms and connected devices, TuneIn is one of the most widely used streaming audio platforms in the world. TuneIn Premium subscribers get live NFL, NHL and college sports programming, exclusive access to commercial-free news from top networks like CNN, Fox News Radio, MSNBC, CNBC and Bloomberg and commercial-free music channels to fit any mood. For more information, please visit us at www.tunein.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
About CountryLine:
CountryLine cultivates a global community of country fans by producing high-quality content with today’s biggest artists. CountryLine was launched in 2018 by UK entrepreneurs Simon Walker and Nathalie Cox, with investors including Sir Elton John. Since its inception, the brand has grown exponentially, acquiring Chris Country Radio in 2020 - now CountryLine Radio - the most widely listened to country music radio station in Europe. The app offers backstage interviews, exciting red-carpet coverage, exclusive sessions, and coverage of festivals and awards shows, including CMAFest, C2C, CMC Rocks, ACMs, CMTs and more. The third season of hit weekly magazine show, CountryLine TV, is a prime time hit on Heartland cable network reaching 93m US homes. Showcasing not only the hottest music, CountryLine also helps country music fans become part of the wider country community and feel connected to the Nashville lifestyle via the premium CountryLine+ membership.
About Garth Brooks:
Garth Brooks just began a new residency, Garth Brooks/Plus ONE at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. With 2023 sold out, 2024 dates are already on sale. Last year, Garth Brooks completed the three and a half year long Stadium Tour. It drew an average of more than 95 thousand people in each city it played and was seen by a cumulative audience of nearly three-million people. The tour ended in September when Garth played the fifth sold-out concert at Dublin, Ireland’s Croke Park at over 80,000 tickets sold EACH NIGHT.
In May 2021, Garth Brooks was one of five artists to receive one of the most prestigious honors an artist can receive, The Kennedy Center Honor. Garth is the first-ever seven-time recipient of the CMA Entertainer of the Year honor. Brooks is the first and only artist in history to receive nine Diamond Awards for the now nine diamond-certified albums at over 10 million album sales each. He remains the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history, certified by the RIAA with 157 million album sales. He was awarded Country Touring Artist of the Decade at the 2021 Pollstar Awards. In March 2020, Garth received the esteemed Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The event aired on PBS. He has received every accolade the recording industry can bestow on an artist.
Media Contact For TuneIn:
Angela Petersen
SamsonPR
Angela@SamsonPR.com
Public Relations Contact for Garth Brooks:
Nancy Seltzer
Nancy Seltzer & Assoc. Inc
323-938-3562
nseltzer@nsapr.com
