Hear Music while you have your Starbucks coffee

Published: 2005-12-19
Coffee mega corporation Starbucks is moving its way into the music industry. They’ve already begun to make waves with certain CDs being offered exclusively at the coffee shops but now they’re beginning to open more venues that mix music with the addictive caffeinated beverage.

Hear Music stores are being opened in San Antonio, Texas and Miami, Florida based on the success of the test market store in Santa Monica, California that opened in March 2004.

The stores sell traditional CDs but what it offers that is different from traditional CD stores is a chance for people to make their own discs. Based on test market research from the Santa Monica location people were buying more of their self made CDs than the ones that artists provide for them. According to Billboard the number of actual CD titles offered at the new stores dropped from 10,000 to 5,000 but the number of downloadable tracks for making your own custom disc rose from 250,000 to 1 million.

Burned CD’s cost $8.99 US for seven tracks and $0.99 US per additional track. Doing it at home will cost you about $0.99 to buy each tune off of a digital music retailer like iTunes plus the cost of a burnable CD – but then you’d need to make your own coffee.

Writer: Michelle Garcia