Posted on 02/25/2015 5:57:23 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Once upon a time, the coffee chain represented hope that record-buying could remain a physical experience for most people. What happens when it stops selling CDs?
Starbucks will stop selling CDs at the end of the month, and it isn't hip to cry about it. Last week's news that the coffee chain would do away with its register-side racks was met on Twitter with many a condolence to Norah Jones's career; at Vulture, Lindsey Weber mock-mourned, “Oh no, how will we know what adult contemporary stations are playing without having to listen to the radio?”
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
ROTFL
Tough choice for the customers: 2 CDs or a latte that tastes like burnt charcoal... we see what the market decided.
I won’t go into a Starbucks because they not only play awful music, but they play it VERY VERY LOUDLY.
Quickly learned this was not a place to meet anyone for coffee and a conversation.
We’re lucky here; when Starbucks first arrived in Canada the burnt coffee was a huge flop, so they changed it to suit local tastes and it’s now as good as any other. I used to be a Tim Horton’s customer but switched because the absence of panhandlers working the tables makes Starbucks worth the extra 40 cents. Getting free refills sealed the deal.
Starbucks can’t make decaf. Plus even just plain coffee overpriced. Cheaper and better tasting coffee can be made at home.
They’re a bit better here, with a playlist that rotates between old jazz and 80s. The really awful stuff only comes on a couple of times a week and the volume is low enough to be ignored.
Get a Tim Horton’s on the same block and that will change PDQ. But you are correct, nothing beats homemade with a decent bean and a good brewer.
CDs have dropped in demand. Records (vinyl) have begun to bounce back (new and used sales, used sales are not tracked in ‘vinyl sales’ charts, neither are independent retailers).
Starbucks would not be well served to branch into the record business (even 45s).
The CDs were a novelty item that offered some exclusive marketing tie-ins.
Best Buy does the same thing (bundling CDs with live recordings or DVDs).
“Starbucks has the opportunity to break new artists in ways that no other retailer can today because of the footprint, the breadth, and the loyalty we have,” Schultz said in ’04. “... We’re now the ‘Third Place.’ The physical environment has become as important as anything we do, including the coffee.”
Starbucks is still doing this today, with a free digital download card every week.
Why they feel concerned about being known for breaking new artists, I don’t know. Maybe it is to appeal to new/young consumers. Maybe it is like comic strips in the old newspapers, you come back next week for the next installment.
This is the Modern Music Ping List. Our topic is music from the 20th and 21st century, from Ravel and Shostakovich through to the Synth Pioneers and beyond.
Topic suggestions are always welcome, and pings to music-related threads are appreciated.
FReepmail or reply to this post to be added to or removed from this list.
"They" all do it these days.
Whether it is Scion or Red Bull sponsoring free concerts and CDs from coast to coast or Doritos sponsoring a giant vending machine stage at SXSW concerts.
http://www.scionav.com/section/music/
http://www.redbull.com/us/en/music
Doritos Lesson: How to Make Your Brand Stand Out at Major Events
This is known as 'selling out'.
Terrestrial radio is dying off (irrelevance being the primary reason). People are bringing their 'own' music with them in the car (ipod into the dashboard) or paying for satellite radio (but outside of a car or business, who has the home setup to listen to pay radio, don't they watch pay tv at that point or tune in a webstream?).
There is a significant portion of the population who can't get no satisfaction from the ex-disney pop dance singer computer voice things that dominate "mainstream" charts. And I'm not just talking about a 3 year span. It's a 20 year span.
I live in one of top 5 cities (size) in the country you have 2 choices for 'rock' and neither of them play much 'new' stuff (20 year old songs hardly put you on the leading edge, no matter how "extreme" the bumper spots areggghhhhhh!!).
And adult contemporary? Is that code for 'you can play this in a corporate office'? Again songs there date back to the 80s and 90s. Hardly a 'new music' station.
So there is a lot of effort being made to break any band (old established act like U2 who are striving to remain relevant or latest signing from some indie fest).
We are in an age of plenty but it is also a 'tower of babel' situation where no two people in the society speak the same language anymore.new music
I saw this coming two months ago. The only cd they had on their rack was the Frozen soundtrack, not exactly a hipster fave, but probably the best selling music cd in the country. I saw it as a sign that the music was not selling and they were desperate.
***Records (vinyl) have begun to bounce back***
Now if someone would just make a MODERN record player in which I could STACK records on to play so I won’t have to change the record every 15-20 minutes!
All I can find are single play record players.
I’ve got hundreds of good vinyl I would like to listen to again.
Stacking isn’t the best for them but there are plenty of older players (that you can still get needles for) that do.
Frankly, it's the roast that matters most. I know that from experience, as I've screwed up on that myself a few times. In my opinion, the biggest problem with starbucks coffee is that it is over roasted. Most of their regular roasts are practically burned. I can handle the 'blonde', but not much else. I go for a much lighter roast, and end up with some really flavorful brews.
Something most folks don't know, is that the more you roast coffee, the less caffeine you end up with. When you burn the stuff, a lot of the caffeine ends up being converted to something else through a chemical reaction.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.