Starbucks Hypes iTunes Link with a Month of Free Music
Starting in early October, Starbucks customers will be able to get free music with their mochaccinos as part of a month-long promotion for a new wireless music download partnership between the coffee chain and Apple iTunes.
From Oct. 2 through Nov. 7, sipping shoppers at Starbucks’ 10,000 U.S. outlets will receive a “Song of the Day” card they can then redeem on iTunes for a free song download selected by Starbucks Entertainment, the company’s music division. Cards will be good until the end of 2007.
Starbucks predicts that it will give away 1.5 million songs a day during the promotion, or more than 50 million free downloads in total.
The artists involved in the giveaway include Paul McCartney and Joni Mitchell, the first two performers to sign with Starbucks’ Hear Music label, which Apple started selling through the iTunes Music Store about a year ago. Other artists taking part in the “Song of the Day” promo include Joss Stone, the Dave Matthews Band, Annie Lennox and John Mayer. The first song offered for free download will be Bob Dylan’s “Joker Man”, from his 1983 album Infidels.
Earlier this month, Starbucks and Apple announced plans to make the iTunes Music Store available for free over WiFi connections inside the coffee retailer’s stores. Under that service, when a user within WiFi range of a Starbucks store accesses iTunes Music using an iPhone, WiFi-powered iPod Touch or any laptop, a button will appear on the music store home page. Shoppers can tap that button to see a list of songs recently played in that store together with whatever music Starbucks Entertainment is promoting. They will also be able to use the free Starbucks WiFi link to buy other iTunes offerings.
The iTunes service will be available in 600 New York and Seattle Starbucks on Oct. 2 and in 350 San Francisco stores by the end of November. The companies plan to roll the service to stores in every major U.S. metro by the end of 2008 and to every WiFi-enabled Starbucks in the country by the end of 2009.
Simultaneously with the WiFi launch, Starbucks will start selling iTunes cards aimed at promoting specific album downloads. For download prices ranging from $11.99 to $14.99—higher than iTunes’ average $10 charge per album—card buyers will also get access to exclusive bonus material around releases such as KT Tunstall’s “Drastic Fantastic” album.
