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At a press conference at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Nashville Saturday (Aug. 18), Garth Brooks announced he will offer a new single to country radio on August 27. This is part of the marketing push for his upcoming release of his new CD/DVD package.

This deal ends the exclusive partnership Brooks had with Wal-Mart (WMT), and the new material will be sold through all retail outlets selling music.

One interesting side to it all is Brooks refused to offer his material online to be sold individually. The reason he says is because he considers his albums cohesive works and he won't allow digital downloads if they're offered as individual tracks.

"If you want to go online -- if you want to pay 99 cents [per track] for all of them -- at 33 bucks, the math's pretty easy. So I feel really good about this."

He's referring to the probability that the Ultimate Hits package, which will include two CDs with 30 of his most popular songs and four new ones, will be discounted at somewhere in the $11-14 range.

The new single he announced he will release is "More Than a Memory." The three other new singles on the CDs will be "Midnight Sun," which Brooks co-wrote with Richie Brown and Jerrod Niemann; "Leave the Light On," which will be considered a bonus track; and "Workin' for a Livin,' a remake of one of Huey Lewis' hits, who will also be featured in the song.

The one thing Brooks did put to rest were the rumors surrounding his going on some type of limited concert tour or putting on a major concert event. Those rumors were evidently wishful thinking, rather than a reality. Brooks has said he won't be doing any concerts until his youngest daughter graduates from high school.
 
Ultimate Hits is set to be released on November 6.