Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) and iTunes today announced Pick of the Week, a new
program offering coffeehouse customers a chance to discover complimentary new
music and music videos each week. Pick of the Week featured artists include a
great line-up with Carly Simon, Duffy, Counting Crows, Adele, Sia, Hilary McRae
and many more.
Each Tuesday, more than 7,000 Starbucks company-operated locations in the US
will stock a new Pick of the Week download card redeemable on the iTunes Store
(www.itunes.com) for a complimentary song or
music video hand-picked by the Starbucks Entertainment team and iTunes. The
first Pick of the Week, available starting today at participating Starbucks
locations, is Counting Crows’ new song, “Washington Square.”
“With Pick
of the Week, Starbucks will leverage its trusted curatorial voice in music and
entertainment through its partnership with iTunes to provide our customers with
a world-class digital discovery experience,” said Ken Lombard, president
Starbucks Entertainment.
“Pick of the Week provides an incredible way for Starbucks customers to
discover great new music and videos for free on the iTunes Store,” said Eddy
Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “With the world's largest online catalog
of music and video there is truly something for everyone.”
In October
2007, Starbucks and iTunes teamed up to launch Song of the Day, which offered
Starbucks customers the opportunity to pick up a new complimentary download
hand-picked by Starbucks Entertainment and iTunes each day for a month. Customer
response to Song of the Day was unprecedented and resulted in more than 6
million songs downloaded. Realizing that a large audience hungry to discover new
music and entertainment content had been tapped, Starbucks and iTunes worked
together to create an ongoing version of the program to drive discovery and
sales for great artists.
Once Pick of the Week cards are distributed, customers will then have up to
60 days from the date they are available to redeem their complimentary digital
entertainment offering on iTunes.
Pick of the Week is the next phase in a partnership between Starbucks and
Apple which began with the launch of the Starbucks Entertainment Area within
iTunes in October 2006 and the launch of the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at select
Starbucks locations in October of 2007. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at
Starbucks lets customers at participating Starbucks use the Wi-Fi network to
wirelessly download music onto their iPhone, iPod touch or computer with no
Wi-Fi connection fees or hotspot login.
The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at Starbucks is currently available in select
Starbucks locations in the New York, Seattle and San Francisco metropolitan
areas on its way to a national service rollout. Starbucks also offers the
exclusive Now Playing feature on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, which allows
customers to instantly preview, buy and download the music currently playing
overhead in participating Starbucks locations.
About Starbucks
Coffee Company
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been
committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee
in the world. Today, with nearly 16,000 stores and more than 170,000 partners
(employees) in 44 countries, Starbucks is the premiere roaster and retailer of
specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence
and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to
life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please
visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.
