First the Music, Then The Coffee
Starbucks' new chain of Media Bars is grabbing customers by the ears
When an album of Ray Charles duets, Genius Loves Company, hit stores in the late summer, music fans eagerly scooped up the CDs. Then the album went platinum. It was sweet validation for the issuing label, Concord Records -- but also for its distribution partner, Starbucks Corp. Starbucks shoppers were responsible for one-third of the CD sales -- more than any other retailer.
Starbucks (SBUX ) has never been primarily about the coffee. Its pell-mell growth, which last year earned it the No. 25 ranking on the BusinessWeek 50 list of top-performing big companies, has always been about selling an experience. Now the Seattle company is making a major push to add new ways of listening -- and buying -- music for its 35 million weekly customers. Collaborating with record labels is just one element of that strategy. In October, Hear Music, an alternative record retailer that Starbucks bought five years ago for $8 million, launched a satellite radio station that plays the kind of adult-oriented jazz, blues, and alternative rock that Starbucks has long featured in its stores. The company is also installing kiosks, called Media Bars, in its shops that let customers listen to digital music, create their own compilations, and purchase them while waiting for their grande double latte.
External Source - For the complete article click here
Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
- Starbucks Appoints Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates to Board of Directors
- Starbucks Personalizes Approach to Community Involvement
- Starbucks Spotlights Connection Between Record Performance, Shareholder Value and Company Values at Annual Meeting of Shareholders
- Starbucks to Partner with Ai Ni Group to Bring China’s Yunnan Coffee to the World
- Tata Global Beverages and Starbucks Form Joint Venture to Open Starbucks Cafés Across India
- Dickey's Barbecue to Expand Across Mississippi
- Benihana to Be Acquired by Angelo, Gordon & Co.'s Private Equity Group for $296 Million
- Menchie's Celebrates New Milestone As the World's Largest Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Franchise
- Tossed® Adds Some Green to Boston's Financial District with New Eatery
- Johnny Rockets Introduces New Design Prototype
