Garth Brooks, Disney Music Group Head & AI Policymakers Slated to Receive 2026 RIAA Honors
Categoria: Musica
Brooks will receive the organization's artist of a lifetime award for his unparalleled success, with 10 RIAA diamond-certified albums.
Por Billboard | 29/05/2026
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced this week it will present Garth Brooks with the artist of a lifetime award at the upcoming RIAA Honors event in Washington, D.C. The country icon is being recognized for his unprecedented reach and success, having had 10 diamond-certified records. The event — which recognizes artists, industry executives and policymakers who have shaped American music and culture — will also honor Disney Music Group president Ken Bunt (label exec of the year) and US. Representatives Nathaniel Moran of Texas and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania. “The RIAA sits at the intersection of politics, art and culture, and we wanted to create an event that brought together the trailblazing artists, policymakers and executives who have done something extraordinary,” RIAA chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier tells Billboard . Related Here’s What Garth Brooks Thought of Morgan Evans’ Cover of ‘Ain’t Going Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)’ Up From Down Under: How New Zealand's Zane Lowe Became 'The Rock Star Whisperer' Ariana Grande, Labrinth, aespa & More: New Music Friday Guide Prior RIAA Honors events delivered awards to the likes of Miranda Lambert , one of the first female country artists to break through with huge commercial success; Grandmaster Flash and MC Lyte , for their contributions to furthering the hip-hop genre; Gloria Estefan , for her role in taking Latin music mainstream; multiplatinum artist Lauren Daigle ; and several policymakers, including House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, and U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Chris Coons, among many others. Brooks has been breaking sales and concert attendance records since his 1989 breakout hit “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old),” released when he was 27. The RIAA calls Brooks the No. 1-selling album artist in U.S. history, with more than 200 million certified album sales, and the only artist to ever have 10 albums sell more than 10 million each, achieving diamond status 10 times. Brooks’ music is so widely consumed, Glazier says, that the RIAA does not have enough room at its Washington, D.C. headquarters to hang all of his diamond awards. “At the RIAA headquarters, we have a wall that has every diamond album ever certified, but Garth has 10,” Glazier says. “The wall won’t fit Garth.” Asked to comment on the honor, Brooks echoed James Taylor’s comment that music is a deeply personal craft not motivated by record sales or Billboard hits. “It’s not about numbers, it is about the music,” Brooks says through a spokesperson. “This milestone goes directly to country radio. It introduced me to the world’s biggest, best, and most loyal audience: the country music audience.” The RIAA will deliver its label executive of the year award to Bunt for his role in elevating Disney Music to become a critical part of Disney’s storytelling. Bunt helped launch the careers of Olivia