Hear Music
Encyclopedia
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
' retail music concept and record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.
Concept
The Hear Music brand has four components: the music that each location plays; in-store CD sales, including Starbucks exclusives; branded retail stores (which opened shortly after the catalog was formed) and a label distributing their recordings.As of December 2006, there are four Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouses: Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, on the Third Street Promenade
Third Street Promenade
The Third Street Promenade is a public entertainment venue in the downtown area of Santa Monica, California. It is considered a premier shopping and dining district on the Westside and draws crowds from all over Los Angeles County...
; San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, on the River Walk
San Antonio River Walk
The San Antonio River Walk is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath downtown San Antonio, Texas...
; Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, on the Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road is a pedestrian road running east-west between 16th Street and 17th Street in Miami Beach, Florida, United States. Once open to vehicular traffic, it now hosts a pedestrian row of shops, restaurants, galleries, and other businesses between Washington Avenue and Alton...
shopping promenade; and Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, in Bellevue Square
Bellevue Square
Bellevue Square is a shopping center in Bellevue, eight miles east of Seattle. The mall has 180 retail stores, including anchors JCPenney, Macy's, and Nordstrom, specialty stores like LEGO, Tiffany and Co. the Apple Store, Armani Exchange and Williams-Sonoma, Lacoste, and restaurants like P.F....
. The original, now-defunct Hear Music Store was located in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. Ten Starbucks locations also have Hear Music "media bars," a service which uses tablet-based PCs to allow customers to create their own mix CDs. The media bars are currently located in Seattle and in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Additionally, the music section in Canadian bookstore chain Chapters
Chapters
Chapters is a Canadian big box bookstore banner owned by Indigo Books and Music. Formerly a company in its own right competing with Indigo, the combined company has continued to operate both banners since their merger in 2001.-History:...
was at one time licensed version of the Hear Music concept; however, the company no longer uses the brand name.
Starbucks is one of the top 40 music-oriented retailers. Its biggest seller was Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
' Grammy-winning Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company is the final studio album by rhythm and blues and soul musician Ray Charles, posthumously released August 31, 2004 on Concord Records. Recording sessions for the album took place between June 2003 and March 2004...
, with total sales of 2.86 million records; 25% of those were sold at Starbucks locations.
In 2005, Starbucks announced a partnership with singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
. In a six-week deal, Morissette sold an acoustic version of Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
in Starbucks stores only. The acoustic version was released on June 13, 2005 in order to mark the album's tenth anniversary. This limited availability led to a dispute between Maverick Records and HMV Canada, who retaliated by removing Morissette's other albums from store shelves for the duration of Starbucks' exclusive sale.
In April 2008, Starbucks announced that it was refining its entertainment strategy and turning over the day-to-day management of Hear Music to Concord.
At the same time that Starbucks closed 600 coffeehouses in July 2008, it was announced that the Hear Music label would be shutting down. One of the four Hear Music stores, in Santa Monica, California, has indicated that its music operation will be permanently closed approximately September 20, 2008. Another Hear Music store in Bellevue, Washington has been converted to a regular Starbucks. The Lincoln Road Miami Beach location has since been downgraded as well, since November 2008.
Creation as a record label
On March 12, 2007 Starbucks and Concord Music GroupConcord Music Group
Concord Music Group is a record company owned by Village Roadshow formed in 2004 by the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company acquired the classics and jazz label Telarc International. On December 18, 2006, Concord announced the re-launch of the soul label Stax;...
launched the Hear Music record label. The company's first artist signing was considered a huge coup, with former Beatle
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
defecting from his long-time label EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on March 21, 2007.
In July 2007, the label signed Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musician Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
and announced that her first album of new material in nearly ten years, Shine
Shine (Joni Mitchell album)
Shine is the nineteenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and was released on September 25, 2007 by Starbucks' Hear Music...
, would be released on September 25, 2007.
In March 2008, it was announced that Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
had signed with the label, and would be releasing a new album entitled This Kind of Love
This Kind of Love
This Kind of Love is an album by American singer/songwriter Carly Simon, released in April 2008. It is Simon's 31st album, her 24th studio album, and her first album of original material since The Bedroom Tapes in 2000....
in late April 2008, her first collection of original songs since 2000's The Bedroom Tapes
The Bedroom Tapes
The Bedroom Tapes is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's 24th album, and 20th studio album, released in 2000. In 2002, Simon released autographed limited editions of The Bedroom Tapes with two bonus tracks at the end of the album.-Track listing:...
. In October 2009, Simon sued Starbucks for poor promotion of her album resulting in poor sales and for not paying her all of the agreed advance.
Current artists
- AnjulieAnjulieAnjulie is the stage of name of Anjulie Persaud, a Canadian singer/songwriter from Oakville, Ontario Canada, a suburb outside of Toronto. She was born and raised in Canada, and her parents are from Guyana of Indian descent. She is the youngest of four children. Anjulie is a self-described music...
- Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
- Memory Almost FullMemory Almost FullMemory Almost Full is the 14th studio album by Paul McCartney, released in the United Kingdom on 4 June 2007 and in the United States a day later. The album was the first release on Starbucks' Hear Music label...
(2007) - Amoeba's SecretAmoeba's SecretAmoeba's Secret is an EP by Paul McCartney recorded during a secret performance at Amoeba Music in Hollywood, California, on June 27, 2007. The EP was released in November 2007 in a limited vinyl edition, and in January 2009 on CD and download formats....
(2007) - Good Evening New York CityGood Evening New York CityGood Evening New York City is a CD/DVD double live album by Paul McCartney consisting of material performed over three nights as the inaugural concert at New York City's Citi Field, 17, 18 and 21 July 2009, part of his Summer Live '09 concert tour. Over 180,000 tickets were sold within hours of the...
(2009)
- Memory Almost Full
- Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
- ShineShine (Joni Mitchell album)Shine is the nineteenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and was released on September 25, 2007 by Starbucks' Hear Music...
(2007)
- Shine
- SiaSia FurlerSia Kate Isobelle Furler or simply Sia, is an Australian pop, downtempo, and jazz singer and songwriter. In 2000, her single, "Taken for Granted" was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom. Her 2008 album, Some People Have Real Problems peaked in the top 30 on the Billboard 200...
- Some People Have Real ProblemsSome People Have Real ProblemsSome People Have Real Problems is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Sia. Released in 2008, the album featured singles including 'Day Too Soon', 'The Girl You Lost' and 'Soon We'll Be Found'. In live performances of the latter song, Sia used sign language to accompany her singing...
(2008)
- Some People Have Real Problems
- James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
- One Man Band (2007)
- CoversCovers (James Taylor album)Covers is the sixteenth album and the first "covers" album by singer-songwriter James Taylor, released on September 30, 2008. The album was recorded by Taylor's regular touring band. Some of the tunes Taylor had been performing off and on in concerts for years, while others were new to his repertoire...
(2008) - Other CoversOther CoversOther Covers is the second covers album by singer-songwriter James Taylor, released in April 2009 as a follow-up to the previous year's Covers.-History:...
(2009) - Live at the TroubadourLive at the Troubadour (Carole King and James Taylor)Live at the Troubadour is a live album by Carole King and James Taylor released in 2010. The album was recorded at The Troubadour in West Hollywood in November 2007 to celebrate the venue's 50th anniversary...
(with Carole KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
) (2010)
- Hilary McRaeHilary McRaeHilary McRae is an American pop singer-songwriter. She was the first ‘developing artist' to release an album on the Starbucks Cafe and Concord Music Group's label, Hear Music.-Career:...
- Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
- Secret, Profane & SugarcaneSecret, Profane & SugarcaneSecret, Profane & Sugarcane is the 2009 studio album by Elvis Costello. It was recorded in Nashville with American songwriter and producer T Bone Burnett, and released on June 9 2009 on the Hear Music label...
(2009) - National RansomNational RansomNational Ransom is the 2010 studio album by Elvis Costello. It was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles with American songwriter and producer T-Bone Burnett, and was released on October 25, 2010 on the Hear Music label....
(2010) - National Ransack (2010)
- Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
- Carly SimonCarly SimonCarly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
- This Kind of LoveThis Kind of LoveThis Kind of Love is an album by American singer/songwriter Carly Simon, released in April 2008. It is Simon's 31st album, her 24th studio album, and her first album of original material since The Bedroom Tapes in 2000....
(2008)
- This Kind of Love
- John MellencampJohn MellencampJohn Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
- Life, Death, Love and FreedomLife, Death, Love and FreedomLife, Death, Love and Freedom is a folk rock album by singer-songwriter John Mellencamp and produced by T-Bone Burnett. It was released on July 15, 2008. At the end of 2008, Rolling Stone magazine named Life, Death, Love and Freedom No. 5 on its list of the 50 best albums of the year...
(2008)
- Life, Death, Love and Freedom
- Antigone RisingAntigone RisingAntigone Rising is an all-female New York City based rock band. Their music is influenced by classic rock from the 1970s such as The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, mixed with pop overtones and at times folk and country elements...
- The CarsThe CarsThe Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
- Move Like ThisMove Like This-Best Buy edition:This enhanced CD also has videos for "Sad Song" and "Blue Tip.""Rocket USA" is a cover of a 1977 song by the American band Suicide, from their self-titled debut.-Personnel:The Cars*Ric Ocasek – lead and background vocals, guitars, keyboards...
(2011)
- Move Like This