News

Music industry tunes in to Starbucks' CD sales

December 19, 2004

The Seattle Times: There are many paths to Grammy glory - the world's grand concert halls, the elite recording studios of Los Angeles, Nashville's storied Music Row.

But the caffeinated confines of your neighborhood Starbucks?

When "Genius Loves Company," the duets album that became the final work of the late Ray Charles, garnered nominations in the marquee Grammy categories of album and record of the year, it not only added to the 2004 outpouring of appreciation for the singer, but also marked the first time a Grammy contender was brewed up to be sold alongside mocha Frappuccinos and grande nonfat lattes.

Starbucks, a partner in the financing and marketing of "Genius," has sold more copies of the CD than any other individual retailer. The fact that the coffee purveyor has rung up more than 350,000 copies of "Genius" (and, at $15.95, sold them at a steeper price than most mainstream music retailers) has been eye-opening for some music industry stalwarts.