Last Updated on 26 October 2007
While visiting Seattle last week, I was able to experience the Starbucks | Apple iTunes Song of the Day promotion. I mentioned this a few weeks ago when blogging about Apple’s announcement of the iPod Touch.
To build awareness and trial of the new service allowing free use of Starbucks Wi-Fi to download music from iTunes, Starbucks and Apple are giving away a song a day. Well, actually 1.5 million songs a day – totaling 50 million songs. That’s a lotta mp3s! When you visit Starbucks in the current test-markets (Seattle / New York), you receive the “Song of the Day” trading card. As you can see in the image below, cards feature the name of the band and the featured (downloadable) title. The back of the card has a code that activates the download of that specific song.
Additionally, to link and promote the Starbucks Card, partners (Starbucks employees) out-of-store are passing out Starbucks Cards pre-loaded with $5.00… So not only do you get a free latte, but when you register the card on-line you can receive two free downloads. Sweet!
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A cool feature, within Starbucks, is that iTunes displays the music track that is currently playing in-store. You can see the banner below… While I was in-store Joni Mitchell’s “This Place” was playing. If I liked that song, I could click on the title and immediately buy/download it.
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Starbucks Wi-Fi is typically available only with subscription to T-Mobile. Starbucks/T-Mobile have always targeted business users, many of whom have accounts through their workplace. (A criticism of Starbucks is that they charge for Wi-Fi access when so many other coffee cafes don’t. But, Starbucks Wi-Fi isn’t targeted to the “starving artist” or entrepreneur).
The Starbucks and Apple marketing teams have done a great job… You can’t miss the in-store signage… And if you already have access to iTunes (which several million of us do) more than likely you’re going to take advantage of a free song.