iTunes Wi-Fi store launches in Bay Area
updated 02:50 pm EST, Fri November 9, 2007
iTunes Wi-Fi store in CA
Apple and Starbucks this week launched the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at around 360 Starbucks coffee shops in the California Bay Area. Starbucks customers can wirelessly connect for free with iTunes to shop for music as part of the plan announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs during a special event in San Francisco on September 5th. The Bay Area launch includes stores spanning from Santa Rosa to Gilroy, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, and Apple's vice president of iTunes Eddie Cue eluded to broad coverage with very few Starbucks stores lacking the service.
Starbucks in late September unveiled an iTunes song promotion giving away more than 50 million free tracks to help promote the new "Now Playing" service that began rolling out earlier this week. The deal between Apple and Starbucks will cater to 600 locations across the U.S. when all is said and done, and Starbucks offered its "Song of the Day" for free each day across its 10,000 Starbucks locations up until November 7th when the promotion finally ended.
The "Now Playing" feature allows customers using the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at Starbucks locations to instantly preview, buy, and download the music currently playing over the sound system. Starbucks is also offering the Starbucks Card Plus Two, a limited edition re-loadable Starbucks card with added bonus value. When a Starbucks Card Plus Two is registered online the cardholder will receive two complimentary song downloads of their choice on the U.S. iTunes Store.










Seems silly
11/09, 03:39pm reply
I will never walk down the street and think, "Oh. I need to buy that Backstreet Boys album. Where's Best Buy?" And then realize I can walk into Starbucks because it's more convenient.
dmsimmer
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2005
how many cities?
11/09, 04:13pm reply
This is the third, right? After NYC and Seattle?
dennisobell
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2002
pretty cool, imho
11/09, 04:15pm reply
I know where the Starbucks' are near my two jobs and my home. Being able to get songs "for the road" is a nice feature, another possibility that increases the usefulness of the iPhone.
tindrum
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2004
But
11/09, 08:29pm reply
How often do you get in your car without Backstreet Boys, though?
I think it's an odd use of time/energy. Both for them, and for the consumer.
dmsimmer
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2005
watch the keynote
11/10, 01:29am reply
the average starbucks customer visits one of their retail stores 18 times per month. smells like opportunity brewing..
looking forward..
there are an excess of 10K stores in 40+ countries that will implement this feature over time.
50 new starbucks stores open per week.
Rezzz
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2006