Starbucks partners with Spotify
The Starbucks coffee chain has partnered with Spotify to bring the music streaming service into its stores.
The move will see Starbucks loyalty members being offered unique access to Starbucks music on Spotify and the ability to influence in-store playlists.
Beginning in the autumn, there will be a phased rollout in 7,000 US company-owned stores followed by stores in the UK and Canada.
The agreement specifies that Starbucks and Spotify will collaborate on a next generation music ecosystem. As part of the agreement, Spotify Premium will be promoted in the stores.
Starbucks chief executive Howard Schulz said: “For over 40 years, music has played a vital role in Starbucks Third Place experience – inspiring our partners and customers in unexpected ways that have helped to shape the global pop culture. And we are delighted and honoured to bring Spotify directly to our customers.
“Throughout its history, Starbucks has worked closely with the music industry, offering a variety of artists a platform for their work. By connecting Spotify’s world-class streaming platform into our world-class store and digital ecosystem, we are reinventing the way our millions of global customers discover music.”
The chain’s 150,000 US based employees will all receive a Spotify Premium subscription as will employees in the UK and Canada.
Employees will be able to shape the in-store music programming using tools provided by Spotify. These employee-influenced playlists will then be accessible on Spotify via the Starbucks Mobile App for customers to stream from their mobile devices.
