Idolator
Sure, the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store is an idea whose time is long overdue, but of the announcements made at today's Apple event, the one that held the most interest for me was the partnership between the computer/music giant and Starbucks Coffee, which has also been trying to market music lately:
When your Wi-Fi powered iPod Touch or iPhone, or any laptop, is within range of a Starbucks, a button will pop up on the music store interface. Tap it, and you get songs recently played in that Starbucks, plus whatever music Starbucks is promoting at the time. Access to Starbucks' Wi-Fi network will be free while you are shopping.
Rollout will start in NYC and Seattle, hitting 600 stores. By November, the SF area will have 350 stores. Apple and Starbucks plan to have all shops in major cities ready to go by end of 2008, and every Starbucks that has Wi-Fi by end of 2009.
Now, I'm not so into Starbucks' musical offerings for the most part, but this idea is just jaw-droppingly killer—if it's implemented properly (a big if, I know), it has the potential to integrate the hearing-music and buying-music experiences in the real world as well as the iTunes Store does on the desktop. (Not to mention that it'll save the poor baristas at least a couple of "what's this song playing right now?" questions.) Of course, if the prices of the songs were lower, perhaps there'd be an even higher purchase rate—and yes, I know I'm talking about this in the context of a store that charges $2.50 for a cup of coffee. But I really like where this idea can go (do you know how many times I've written down lyrics while out and about, in hopes of Googling them later?), and the potential it has for making ever-ubiquitous "background music" at least a little less anonymous. An optimistic outlook? Perhaps. But given that the two companies involved have actually been able to sell music lately, an area where so many other outfits have failed spectacularly, I'm willing to see where this goes.
Apple Partners With Starbucks For Free Wi-Fi Access to iTunes Music Store [Gizmodo]
Comments
Watch out for the Zune-Hardee's digiwhopper sneak attack!
(speaking of small brown dead things)
@mackro: You win life.
Does anyone know where Starbucks pulls their music from right now? I'm assuming they have a music editor who makes various mixes.
But aren't those mixes probably moving more towards stuff on their own label? I can't imagine them not doing that as they release more records. They have no incentive to play cool and/or top 40 stuff at their stores because that's not why people go there. It's not much of an "atmosphere" kinda place.
Also: did anyone see the quote that Starbucks opens 7 new stores a day?!
@Paperboy 2000: I was in a Starbucks recently (Sunnyside holla!) and they had the Hear Music XM channel on in-store. (If my sister, who still works behind the espresso machine from time to time, is reading this, she should definitely chime in about the music choices at her store! Um, anonymously, of course.)
Wow. Free access to a store. Whoopie. I'm almost as excited about this as I am about the additional 99 cents to make my already purchased music into ringtones.
I had no idea that Starbucks charges for their wifi until I read this story earlier today. They charge $5 for their delicious iced coffee beverage and they expect me to pay for internet access? Fuck Starbucks.
@CaptainWrong: Think about it though - when and where is a consumer most likely to make an impulse buy on music?
This is such a stunningly simple and obvious idea, even if it took a coffeeshop chain and a computer maker that was given up for dead in the late 90s to come up with.
It's probably a good thing I won't own a WiFi-enabled iPod any time soon - considering the ubiquity of Starbucks around these parts, my iPod would be filled to the brim with middle indie tracks that are 2 months away from featuring on Grey's Anatomy.
@chrisb: Yeah, my local coffee shop has free wifi (not to mention a better playlist), so I can just fire up the ol' p2p client and do the same thing. Still, this is a huge step for people who pay more for everything.
@spinachdip: I have a soft spot for Starbucks because I know that if it had been around when I was in high school it would have definitely been a place where I would have hung out that wasn't "in front of the TV."
Yeah, Maura, but you wouldn't have so much useless pop culture trivia to keep us occupied all day, either...and for that I'm thankful.
@maura: I can sympathize, since I grew up in a pre-Starbucks proliferation era as well (I think our city got our first Starbucks when I was in HS), but my friends and I drove 20 minutes so we could feel all grown up sipping espresso with the college kids.
@Paperboy 2000: Awww. You're making me blush!
@spinachdip: So if you use a P2P client on the free wifi at your local coffee shop, does that mean the RIAA can't trace it back to you? I guess I never thought of that!
@chrisb: Just remember to wipe any traces of your DNA off the coffee mug.
ha ha now Apple is going to make their fanboys act like Starbucks is cool? This seems more and more like the result of a bet among execs as to how brainwashed their fanbase is, a la "trading places."
What's next? A free "hootie and the blowfish" ringtone with every iPhone?
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