Starbucks Hear Music is dedicated to creating a new and convenient way for consumers to discover, experience and acquire all genres of great music through its CD compilations and music programming for Starbucks coffeehouses worldwide http://www.hearmusic.com/rss Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:00:00 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES As an artist, it is an exciting time to be in the music business. As record companies and stores seem to be disappearing one after the other, the digital revolution has stepped up. Times will be changing for artists and listeners. The music industry has had its biggest shake up in history and old traditions are becoming extinct. Artists are left to fend for themselves. We now find ourselves learning how to market, manage and be computer programmers all on top of playing our instruments. What's exciting though is we are going to see control given back to the artist and more freedom to create with no strings attached. The value of music is changing .We can also look forward to new ways of receiving music whether it’s a free song when you buy a cup a coffee or receiving a new record with your Sunday Paper. In years to come it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. I believe this revolution will lead to more freedom for artists to create, and more options for listeners to explore all different types of music. Let's embrace the change! hmcommunications@starbucks.com Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:33:36 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES I feel so lucky to have always known what I wanted to do. People spend their whole lives searching for their souls and what defines them. I always knew. There was never any question since I was old enough to speak, that I would find my own way into music. It's in my blood. Music chose me. I grew up in a household of musicians, my father being the most influential.As cliché as this sounds, when you have a passion and a talent for something you can never give up. All of the years I spent writing and recording were all part of this delicious journey that has led me to where I am now. I feel like the luckiest woman alive to be able to express every bit of who I am through my music and share it with the world. I never realized what an impact my words could make on someone listening thousands of miles away. Sometimes I have to laugh when people actually pay me for doing what I can't help but do. We are just sponges on this earth that absorb everything that moves us and touches us in some way. What we choose to do with all of these lessons is entirely up to us. I thank music. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:33:36 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES I am amazed to have been selected as Hear Music’s first emerging artist. It is such an incredible feeling to be on the same label as Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. What more could a musician ever dream of than to be on a roster with these legendary artists who have cultivated music? I am honored to be in the company of such innovators and can only hope to have a career that resembles theirs in longevity.Exciting things are happening, as you can see. Earlier this month the band and I went to Los Angeles. We recorded video footage, had pictures taken, caught some live music and did it up like rock stars. We had so much fun. It was our first time playing with horns since the album was recorded, so it was nice to hear the full sound incorporated into the live show. Anyway, stay tuned for more posts and blogs. I’ll keep you up to date on the happenings.Hilary McRae is a Hear Music recording artist. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:35:58 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES It's fascinating to witness how individuals express their creative impulses. Equally intriguing is the effect of these endeavors.Creativity and philosophy have been chasing each other around the playground for ages. Each exercises power over the other, even if they often seem to be traveling in opposite directions; it's a dichotomy with interesting outcomes.Two books really solidified for me the bonds between the act of creating art, the act of absorbing it and the philosophy/psychology of it all—Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung, followed by Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky (who is also a favorite painter of mine).How this relates to Starbucks Entertainment—and reality in general—might cross your mind. Hold on, I'll cut to the chase. I often interact with people who have a profound reverence for artistic creation. How they've arrived at such reverence, however, is totally different from my route. They like completely different things for different reasons, but arrive at the same place I do—a common destination via different paths. That's the best part of creativity for me: there is no right and wrong with art, music, philosophy and the sublime. It's all about how art affects you and thus connects you with others. Simplicity and complexity, all at once.Content Coordinator, Starbucks Entertainment hmcommunications@starbucks.com Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:30:21 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES LUMA had been a working as a trio for a year before I joined the band. One band member had left and only Jeff on Bass and Dan on Sax was left. When I entered LUMA we also got Vladimir Narcisse on keyboards. All of a sudden LUMA was a quartet with a new sound and a new attitude. I had been looking for a band for quite some time when Dan called me. I was mentoring the jazz band at the Ross School prior and the bass player happened to be Dan's son Max. Max is essentially responsible for my contact with Dan. The first rehearsal was just Dan, Jeff and me. I worked - although I was a bit rusty. Vladimir then joined us on keyboards. Today LUMA consists as a trio + one. We work as a trio and hire either a guitarist or a keyboard player depending on the location the concert. LUMA is a work in progress - constantly changing the sound and instrumentation. LUMA sounds very different today than a year ago. Our debut cd was recorded 1 1/2 year ago. It's almost time to record another album since any recording is just a slice in time and LUMA has come a long way since then.Why did we each pursue Jazz? Well, defining jazz is the key. What is jazz today? Originally jazz was though of as freedom to improvise, constantly evolving. LUMA is not jazz in the traditional understanding nor would categorize myself as a jazz musician. Today musicians have to be able to be proficient in many styles of music. That may take away authenticity form a particular style of music such as jazz, but today there are so many sources of information that inevitably we heavily influenced by our surroundings and multi ethnic society. I am a drummer heavily influenced by jazz, Latin, funk, classical, rock, blues, Danish folk and Turkish music. Some of our influences include the late Mambo King, Tito Puente and alto saxophone player Steve Coleman.I work for Starbucks in Bridgehampton, NY. Last December I submitted 4 LUMA songs to a competition conducted by Starbucks Entertainment. More than 800 entries were submitted from all across the country. 15 were ultimately picked and LUMA was one of them. In fact LUMA was the only band from New York and the only non -vocal, non-pop song to be featured on the album. Off the Clock, partner compilation cd finalist – Luma (New York, NY) hmcommunications@starbucks.com Tue, 15 May 2007 01:29:05 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES I love the blues! The imagery and mystique of the blues speaks to my soul. It's right in time with my footsteps and the beat of my heart. When I sing the blues I put my heart and soul into it, and leave it all on the bandstand. It's been a great release for me over the years. I'm fortunate to have such an outlet for my emotions, and to have the opportunity to share my passion for the blues with others. I don't try to reinvent the wheel when I write; I just try to convey my emotions within the context of the blues idiom, and hope folks can relate.Off the Clock, partner compilation cd finalist –Racky Thomas (Boston, MA) hmcommunications@starbucks.com Tue, 15 May 2007 01:29:05 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES I've been involved in music since I was a young boy. In fact, I honestly cannot remember not playing the guitar. I am lucky to have parents who appreciate music and they have always supported my interest in this area. My mom is a classically trained pianist and my dad, a Latin teacher and the source of my interest in classical studies, plays the guitar and got me involved with this instrument. My dad also introduced me to a vast amount of music through his cd and record collection. At a very early age I began listening to people like Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Jeff and Tim Buckley, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, The Byrd's, The Pentangle, Fairport Convention and of course, my idol, Brian Wilson. And with the help of a decade's worth of study with my guitar instructor, a local guitar hero named Mike Walker; I was able to progress as a musician. I spend a large amount of my time writing and recording, and my mind is always spinning some chord progression or melody, or perhaps just a certain turn of a phrase that I'll use in a song. But when I'm not involved creatively with music, I am listening to it. I listen closely and intently for each piece of a production, and I pay close attention to lyrics and thematic elements in songs. For instance, I have listened to the album Pet Sounds a thousand times all the way through, sometimes with headphones on to make sure I hear each instrument clearly. Brian Wilson is a god among men, and for a young producer, that album is the Holy Grail. In this day and age, I believe many people have a tendency to think of themselves as self-made, and this is something we tend to applaud in our society. But you really have to remember all of the help and support from everyone along the way. I couldn't be creating the music I do without these terrific influences. Off the Clock, partner compilation cd finalist – Riverman (Orlando, FL) hmcommunications@starbucks.com Tue, 15 May 2007 01:28:44 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES Why do I write songs? The thing that comes to mind first is the feeling I'd get when I was little and I would go to a movie and there would be the part in the movie that made me cry. Cry out of a feeling closest described by the word "freedom." I would think, Now this is what I want to do with my life? (Make people cry...noooo, ha, ha.) Make people feel free. I later began to think of those moments as moments of transcendence since I have also experienced them through meditation. Songs were the way that I felt I was most effectively translating that feeling. Maybe it is a gift or maybe it is just because I love music so much. I guess either way, it is a gift.Music also helped me to see a context for my life. From listening to recordings from different regions and times I could see my coordinates on the space/time continuum. And also feel a oneness with everyone who has ever lived and who will ever live. That's why I write. I'm so grateful I get to do it. I love it. What a joy!Mason Jennings is featured on Hear Music™ Channel 75 on XM Satellite Radio. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:52:12 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES Everything inspires me. If I'm open enough, conversation, album covers, underdogs, literature, film, a new instrument and acts of kindness can inspire.I don't tackle the songwriting process. I just try to "stay present" when something comes. Sometimes the words come first. Other times a melody might reveal itself. On a good day, they come together as one.Once, I wrote the entire lyrics to a song on a restaurant table top. I tried to get a piece of paper or even a napkin, but none of the help was even waiting on me. The manager was so frustrated he asked me to leave. I said I would – "Gladly" – but that I needed a little time to copy what I had written on to paper. Needless to say, I was sent on my way. Fortunately, I remembered the lyrics, which I tend to do after writing them down once. That song made its way on to my debut record as "Bus Ride."The very process of writing is a guilty pleasure. Sometimes I lock myself in my hotel room until I've made some sense of what I'm feeling. I never want to finish the song entirely, because I find that they are never truly finished. The melody or words guide me to the next note, the next syllable. I follow as if playing a game. Once I've documented or recorded the song, I simply continue in another form. Each song is only a paragraph that exists within the same chapter. The writing process becomes a compression of moments that neither begin nor end the story.Singer-songwriter Rocco DeLuca is featured on Hear Music™ Channel 75 on XM Satellite Radio. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Thu, 11 Jan 2007 01:35:52 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES Woke up today a bit hung over. We had a little party last night for some family and friends to celebrate the holidays. This will be my first Christmas to date as my parents never let me and my sister have a Christmas tree because we're Jewish. Very exciting. I bought my first tree ornament in Hawaii last week (I played a show with Rachael Yamagata and Schuyler Fisk benefiting the Hawaii natural reefs); it's a starfish painted to look like Santa Claus and it says, "Aloha."This is a very big day for me so I took some Advil and now I'm at an even keel. I headline the world-famous Troubadour tonight. Since I’ve been playing shows (for about a year and a half now) I’ve been opening for different musicians, so tonight is really special. I used to read about this club when I was younger in Cleveland. Van Morrison has played this stage. The cool thing is that the show sold out a week before tonight so I don't have to ask people to come to the show! It’s so weird to have people calling me asking for tickets and I have to say, "Sorry, it sold out." Weird and cool. I have some very special guests coming to sing with me tonight and I was just informed that one of my music heroes, Van Dyke Parks, is coming to the show. Now I’m nervous. He wrote lyrics for Brian Wilson. His words are all over Pet Sounds, my favorite album ever recorded. I hope when I meet him after the show he doesn't say one of those things that people say when they don't like your songs or performance, like: "that guitar you have sounds really nice."Singer-songwriter Joshua Radin is featured on Hear Music™ Channel 75 on XM Satellite Radio. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Tue, 19 Dec 2006 22:18:36 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES My guitar player, Josh Krajcik, and I just flew from Los Angeles to Grants Pass, Oregon. Same place where the father hero James Kim recently died trying to search for help to save his stranded wife and kids. Being here makes me wonder what kind of man I am. I play music for a living and I travel the country in a van telling stories and performing for people night after night. I've never been in James Kim’s shoes, but I wonder what I would have done in his situation. It’s a big question he had to ask himself and the answer was out there in the snow waiting, and the only direction was hope.Sacrifice is a key element for finding what you love to do in life. That's how my musical path evolved. Taking time away from my loved ones to find out who I am, listening to others to find out how they feel and not judge them, but inspire them to find themselves. I'm not saying James Kim had something to prove, but in the end his sacrifice was for both him and his family – to find out what kind of man he was and to show his family that he loved them fully, going down in history as a man who loved courageously. Not a bad way too be remembered, if you ask me. What kind of man am I? I ask myself again. We're all just men and women with too many roads to choose from, but right now I am a man lying in a bed in a hotel room finishing my thoughts excited about my day off from performing. Maybe I'll see a movie and take a much needed nap later in the afternoon, or even call the woman I love and tell her how much I miss her. And maybe, just maybe, I'll witness an amazing act by someone else who will inspire me to ask myself again and again: "What kind of man am I?"Singer-songwriter Gran Bel Fisher is featured on Hear Music™ Channel 75 on XM Satellite Radio. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Tue, 19 Dec 2006 22:18:36 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES Wow! That's a big responsibility, delivering the Sound of Starbucks to XM Satellite Radio and their seven-million-plus subscribers, not to mention that the channels are also on AOL and United Airlines. So what is this sound, who is the audience and how does one manage programming for a successful XM radio station?It starts with Timothy Jones, the man that has been producing CDs and programming the music heard at Starbucks for more than 18 years. I talk to Timothy, look at all of the music he's featured over the years and spend time with the compilations that he has produced during his long tenure here. The most important thing I've learned is that genre doesn't necessarily matter, it’s all about quality. Timothy has built a trust with the Starbucks customers. They have learned from experience that when they pick up a CD from our stores, they’re likely to be satisfied.Quality and discovery of new music are the two most important elements of the Sound of Starbucks. I take that knowledge and apply it to a radio station in such a way that will make people tune in and come back for more. Discovery of new music has become the mantra of XM 75. In order to be successful with a station that is featuring new music, you must include classics in the mix – music that our listeners know and love. Of course CDs that are carried at Starbucks are also featured. We call out new music exclusively with new-music hours daily at 4 p.m., 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. Eastern time. We also have Artist's Choice interview segments in which artists play their favorite songs and sometimes cover them. KT Tunstall’s version of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" is one example. These interviews air Wednesday's at 2 p.m., Friday's at 7 p.m. and Sunday's at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Below is a sample hour of what you'll hear on XM 75.3 p.m. Eastern time, November 6, 2006 Tristan Prettyman/Jason Mraz "Shy That Way" Rolling Stones "Wild Horses" Sean Lennon "Wait for Me" Holly Brook "Giving It Up for You" Elvis Costello - "Alison" Neko Case - "Hold On, Hold On" Joan Baez - "Sweet Sir Galahad" (Live at XM) Page France - "Jesus" David Bowie - "Golden Years" Joshua Radin - "Closer" Nina Simone - "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" Sarah McLachlan - "Adia" Amos Lee - "Night Train" Skye - "Powerful" Sting - "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" Cat Power - "Living Proof" Rufus Wainwright - "Beauty Mark" Check these CD's out: John Legend - Once Again Toby Lightman - Bird on a Wire Amos Lee - Supply and Demand Ben Kweller - Ben Kweller Bernard Fanning - Tea & Sympathy Alice Smith - For Lovers, Dreamers & Me Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope Brett Dennen - So Much More Holly Brook - Like Blood Like Honey Gran Bel Fisher - Full Moon Cigarette hmcommunications@starbucks.com Tue, 07 Nov 2006 19:53:05 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES I was already two weeks into the recording of my new album and all the songs were written and chosen. One morning I was at home playing this simple melody on my piano and singing lyrics about my old Gibson acoustic guitar from the '60's. "It's been in the rain / It's been on the mountain / It's been round the fire." Etcetera. From the other room my wife Liz called out, "Hey, that's a great song! You should put that on your new album. But it shouldn't be about a guitar. It's too beautiful to be about a simple guitar." You're right, I thought. That day I went into the studio, sat right down at the piano and all these emotions just started pouring out of me. At that time in my life I was going through a lot: Liz was pregnant with our son, Dorian; I was in the studio by myself playing every instrument on this new album; and I was struggling to keep the relationship alive between me and my best friend. A lot was going through my mind. I kept thinking about my relationship with Liz and all we had done in eight years and all the ups and downs we had experienced together. For the next five days I worked and worked to get the song perfect. I had about 30 verses written on pieces of paper scattered across a table. I kept moving the verses around until I got the perfect sequence of events. I changed everything from "it's been" to "we've been."The number 13 is a lucky for us. October 13 is Liz's birthday; September 13 is our wedding anniversary. After I finished writing it, I started recording it live, singing and playing the piano. I recorded take after take. Finally we knew we had the one for the album so I went in to listen back. The producer said, "You won't believe this, but that's take 13!"I love that it doesn't even have a chorus! That would only cheapen it. This one stands on its own because of its emotional energy. It's full of love, passion, sadness, hope and everything in between. "Thirteen" is one of the most honest, direct and sentimental songs I've ever written. So honest, that it's hard for me to perform it without crying. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:24:41 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES For me, combining Ray Charles and Basie's band is the musical equivalent of enriching uranium. It's the BOMB...and it's way overdue! Now, thanks to 21st century technology, the wait is over. The album finds Ray at the peak of his powers. There's a depth to his vocals, honed over countless nights in countless cities, that far surpasses the original studio recordings. Basie's band was -- and is -- the greatest big band on the planet. Backing up legends like Sinatra, Ella and Tony Bennett, Basie's band provided an excitement and a groove that was unique. Now add Ray Charles to the list.There are many of Ray's biggest hits we retooled to feature Basie's band. The album also contains new material that Ray previously performed only in concert. And the musicians who worked on the recording were amazing, especially Patti Austin. Patti's an old friend and I asked her to put together the greatest Raelettes ever and come up with new background parts to work with the new Basie-style arrangements. Ray Charles, Basie's band, Patti Austin and the Raelettes combined with a killer recording – does it get any better than this?David Ritz, who wrote the biography Brother Ray, told me he thinks this is probably the most important Ray Charles release ever! And Quincy Jones said: "Man, this is one for the ages."Genius Loves Company was the first collaboration with Ray Charles, Concord Music Group and Starbucks Hear Music. The recording won a record eight GRAMMY® Awards and sold nearly 6 million copies worldwide. Ray Sings, Basie Swings is the follow up to that recording and we all felt the need to get it right. In this world of disposable, here-today-gone-today music, Concord and Starbucks Hear Music are an oasis for quality music.Everyone who worked on the project is proud to be part of a piece of Ray and Basie's legacy. For me, it's an intersection of a life's path. I can't help thinking how amazing it is that seeds planted in me as a young musician are bearing fruit all these years later. Ain't life interesting?Gregg FieldProducer Ray Sings, Basie Swings hmcommunications@starbucks.com Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:24:40 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES With the launch of the Akeelah and the Bee DVD this very question is again on our and our customers minds.We have a proven track record with music and demonstrated our ability to introduce customers to new and unique quality music options. We have been given permission by our customers to move beyond coffee and film is a logical compliment. Quality pictures are also suffering from very little visibility, and as we all know, most of the movies that have major marketing support are not the best films out there. Yes, film is subjective and everyone is not going to love the same one. However, if it's a quality production that tells a compelling story that is socially relevant and can positively influence, impact and/or challenge us in different ways, it may not always be seen as "commercially viable" to the major distributors. It very well may, however, be something we feel is worth sharing with others. This is the foundation of our strategy to establish Starbucks as the premier entertainment destination for unique music and entertainment experiences.I feel extremely privileged to be part of a company that is committed to innovation. So why limit ourselves to only one form of content as a means to share inspiration, creativity and the human connection?So you ask ...Why film? Great stories beget stimulating conversation which leads to enlightenment which results in a genuine experience...the Starbucks Experience. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Fri, 25 Aug 2006 21:37:48 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES I'm extremely fortunate to work for a company that embraces musical discovery and diversity. There's something absolutely relieving about walking into a Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouse and not feeling immediately overwhelmed with bin after bin of CD's with no one to steer you in the right direction. We don't want to push the same cookie-cutter pop on our customers that the Big Chains and Big Box retailers do, but instead help you find that diamond in the ruff. That forgotten classic. Something under the radar. Or perhaps your next favorite record. That one album that never gets old no matter how many times you've heard it. Something you can't wait to tell your friends, your family, or even your co-workers all about it. That's the passion behind what we do. That's what we think about every time we bring a record into one of our stores. We want to offer you everything you need and nothing you don't. Just like adding sugar to your coffee. Always just right and oh so sweet. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Mon, 31 Jul 2006 19:53:57 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES When you think about sitting down and enjoying a great cup of coffee, it is easy to picture one of your favorite songs playing in the background. The great thing about having that cup of coffee at one of the Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouses is that you actually have the ability to do just that. You can take a break from the daily grind and relax for a bit with the ability to create your own personal daily soundtrack. Whatever your mood may be, you can find the perfect songs for you. Just as we enjoy going into Starbucks because we have the ability to customize our beverage, here at the Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouses you have the ability to customize what music you listen to. On top of all of this you can create your custom song list, save it to a Starbucks gift card and have the ability to play it every time you come in or create your own custom CD to listen to while in your car or at home. So take a break from your day and enjoy a cup of your favorite coffee and listen to that song that always puts a smile on your face. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Mon, 31 Jul 2006 19:53:57 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES In my time working the Berkeley Hear Music store, I've seen so many customers discover new music, and it's always a rush; it's easy to see the thrill of discovery in the eyes of both the customer and the partner who helped that individual find new music.One of the most amazing things about the Hear Music stores is that they are ingeniously designed to facilitate that process of discovery. Our emphasis on listening and our ever-changing features are critical aspects of the music experience we create for our customers.But what makes Hear Music truly unique is the person-to-person service we can provide for our customers. The chemistry that occurs when a partner combines his or her own musical passion and knowledge with a customer's tastes is an experience that cannot be replicated online -- and something that, frankly, is totally absent from most other music retail stores. The greatest successes -- the "Hear Music Moments" -- occur when the merchant/consumer relationship fades into the background, and what's left is two music lovers talking about and listening to music. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Mon, 26 Jun 2006 19:26:07 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES We make mixes for many reasons... for friends, loved ones, events, parties, road trips, moods, and seasons such as summer. In my opinion, the keys to a great summer mix are tempos of the songs and explosive choruses you can sing along to. When compiling a digital summer mix for the Hear Music media bars, I like to come out of the gate rocking. Great summer mix openers for me are Green Day's "Burnout", U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name", or the Raconteurs "Steady As She Goes". From there on I like to keep the tempos of each song pretty consistent, avoiding slow ballads with minor chords. Those just don't say "summer" to me. A mix of genres is key as well. Ladytron, Thievery Corporation and Grand National add an electronic tinge. K-OS and The Meters add some soul. But in the end, mixes are personal, and everyone has a unique taste, which is what makes music so great. So it's summer...make a mix for someone, or yourself, and enjoy the sun. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Mon, 26 Jun 2006 19:26:07 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES Music has influenced my life since I learned to play the piano in the fourth grade. In the years that followed, I came to appreciate the importance of music history and it's affect on culture. For me, music reflects emotions. Whether it's a fierce marching band, soothing orchestra or energetic rock concert, everyone appreciates music in different ways. Just ask anyone and they'll certainly be able to tell you what type of music matters to them.After moving to Seattle in 1991, I became so impressed with Starbucks that I joined the company as a store manager in 1999. In addition to the great coffee, I have always enjoyed the musical selections offered to customers. Music is a great conversation starter and brings people of all ages together. Recently, I enjoyed seeing grandparents and their grandchildren find the Tony Bennett CD to be very engaging. Mr. Bennett is a great example of how the same music can touch the lives of different generations at the same time.However, my favorite customer story involves a band called Rusty Truck and their debut CD Broken Promises. One afternoon a very regular customer was in my store and the title song was playing. After listening to the song and with tears in her eyes, she asked me the name of the song and the band. I was able to tell her and we both determined that neither of us were familier with Rusty Truck. So, after searching the Internet, I discovered that the band Rusty Truck was actually the project of Mark Seliger, a photographer for Rolling Stone magazine. The next day, I purchased two copies of that CD – one for myself and one for my customer.The reason that CD was so moving to my customer is that it triggered memories of her childhood – things she hadn't thought about in many, many years.Together, we enjoyed our musical discovery. This story truly represents the best of music at Starbucks. The only way it could get better is to have the ability to conduct a musical search in store and then burn the CD on the spot! One thing is for certain, music plays a very important supporting role in Starbucks stores. Music helps create a warm and comfortable environment. That's never more evident than one rare occasion when the store's CD player is not working. When that happens, it is clearly apparent that the store seems cold, stale and just plain uninviting.In my role as a store manager, I look forward to many more opportunities to enhance our customers' experience with new choices of music.Roger Keeton manages a Starbucks in Bellevue, Washington. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Thu, 18 May 2006 01:56:33 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES The year was 1987 and I'd just closed my indie record shop on University Way here in Seattle. If you read the book or saw the movie High Fidelity you get the picture. The Starbucks across the street had been my "third place" for the five years while I practiced my passion for turning people on to great new music. I was in need of a career, so I crossed the street and began a new chapter of my life. I was offered a management-training position at the original Starbucks in the Pike Place Market.The conversations at Starbucks were around whole-bean coffee, not music. It wasn't such a hard transition in that turning someone on to a great pound of Sulawesi was much like playing them new music. People love to discover new things and develop new tastes. Even as my new passion for coffee grew, I never strayed far from the music. I asked to be involved in programming the music for all our stores, at that time there were 10! We'd been playing classical and instrumental jazz and that was it. I began to blend in Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, and then Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk. It all sounded so right in the coffeehouse. Soon customers were asking the craziest question: "Why don't you sell the music you play here?" Sell music in a coffeehouse? What a great idea! We'll fast forward to the early 1990s when I got a call from the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood. We created Blue Note Blend, our first Starbucks CD, featuring Nat King Cole, Thelonius Monk and Sarah Vaughan. It flew off the shelves. Music had found a home at Starbucks. I thought I'd left my passion for music to pursue a passion for great coffee, but I found that what had brought me here was going to be my future.Timothy Jones is manager of compilations and programming for Starbucks Hear Music. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Thu, 18 May 2006 01:54:16 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES As a person I am trying to figure out how to give as much as I possibly can. Music and songs are a way for me to do that. When I write I often don't know what it is that's going to come out, or even as I'm writing the song, I don't know what it's about until I've finished, because I believe it comes from some other place. As far as the content of the songs, people often ask how I can write songs about things I haven't even experienced, and my response would be that I watch life and I listen, so from there it's pretty easy to expand. Plus, people forget that emotions are universal and a younger person feels the same endless sorrow and ecstatic joy as someone older, only it's different and tainted by experience. So I like to look at songs as abstract paintings where we all see (or in this case hear) what we need to. The last few months have been ridiculously crazy for me. I've been traveling all over the country and we've played in a different city almost every night. The band is made up of some wonderful guys, a name for which we've been trying to come up with, just so people know it's a band and not some "hired guns." Our lives are mostly spent in hotels and on airplanes, but the sights are beautiful and the people interesting. I love to photograph and love to travel, so despite the hectic schedule we keep, this has allowed me to fulfill many of my passions. The road certainly is good material for songs and the places we've been are helping me build a very colorful, eclectic catalogue of photographs I hope to put together in a book by the end of this year. The people are equally as colorful and eclectic as the places. Over the past year I've shared the stage with musicians ranging from Susan Tedeschi to Martin Sexton to Angelique Kidjo to Ben Harper, and later this month I'm doing some duets with Herbie Hancock. It's one of the best possible educations I could be getting because all the people I've met and spent time with have been generous enough to share their stories and beliefs. Success has been a big topic for conversation because I've been curious as to what some of my idols believe it is and it's wild hearing what each different person has to say. Some say they value freedom, some the opportunity to give, others contentment, but most value artistic integrity above all. I just finished working on my first music video in Vermont, directed by my good friend Lisa Kown, and now I'm back on the road again, writing to you from my hotel room in Pittsburgh. We did a radio show this morning and have a show tonight... then off to the next place. hmcommunications@starbucks.com Thu, 18 May 2006 01:50:51 +0100 http://www.hearmusic.com/#NOTES The environment in the Starbucks Hear Music™ Coffeehouse is like no other retail store I have ever visited. It joins two very personal things - the coffee ritual and the emotional experience that everyone feels with music. This new way to connect with our customers is a joy to be part of. The baristas on the other side of the counter guiding customers through the media bar, helping people discover their new favorite song or even finding that long lost song that they have been looking for and seeing their face light up when they find it is the most rewarding experience. This truly is enriching peoples daily lives.Store Manager - Starbucks Hear Music™ Coffeehouse hmcommunications@starbucks.com Thu, 18 May 2006 01:48:41 +0100