Country star Garth Brooks is set to launch his own digital sales service to compete with the likes of iTunes and Spotify.

The singer has always refused to allow fans to have access to his songs online, and turned down a request to put his music on iTunes - and now it seems clear why he held out for so long.

In an announcement on Thursday (04Sep14) Brooks revealed he has partnered with the creators of digital pay site GhostTunes.com to release his back catalogue and two new albums, and he is encouraging other artists to join him.

The news comes as Brooks prepares to launch his latest world tour in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday night.