Starbucks Retail Stores To Halt CD Sales

Beginning in late March, popular coffee chain Starbucks will halt sales of CDs, MusicRow has confirmed.

“We are always looking to evolve our offerings, based on the needs of our customers. Starbucks has curated music for more than 20 years, and music will continue to be a component of our coffeehouse experience, but we will continue to evolve in the formats that we use,” said a Starbucks representative.

The company will continue promoting digital music, as well as the curated music heard in its stores and its “Pick of the Week” program.

The chain’s foray into music sales began in 1999, after it acquired Hear Music and began stocking its more than 21,000 retail stores with physical CDs. Hear Music released albums of original songs from Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Ray Charles’ Grammy-winning final project Genius Loves Company, among many others.

Even so, Starbucks has never been a significant outlet for country music CD sales. Recent CDs that have been prominently displayed in front of registers at Starbucks counters include Taylor Swift’s pop-oriented 1989 project, the Frozen soundtrack, and the jazz compilation Blue Note Blends.

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Jessica Nicholson

Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.

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