Quakester2000 used our news submit to tell us Starbucks is launching an in-store downloading service. Give me a Venti, double pump, triple shot, skinny, extra hot, decaf cafe mocha please.
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Its partner is HP, which will be providing a stack of tablet PCs, punters can use to select songs, play them and even burn them to CD. It's also providing server infrastructure and printers for label art, apparently. Presumably all this will happen over the store's wireless network, courtesy of Starbucks' deal with T-Mobile. The Apple connection is provided by HP, which will this summer launch branded iPods and an online music store that is basically ITMS with an HP-branded front end. |
Santa Monica may be the first Starbucks site to offer the download service. However, over the next 2 years they will provide this service in all 2500 stores. Five songs is the minimum download and they are going to charge $ 6.95 for $ 12.95 you can download an album whilst you get a nice jolt of caffeine.
Starbucks' enjoy around 30 million visitors a week, so they are liable to put a dent in the retail record shops that don't have that kind of traffic, plus you can custom build your album.
How long before they know what your musical tastes are and other info to use the PCs for targeted ads? Looks like a moneymaker.
Source: The Register
