Starbucks teams up with Spotify for curated music playlists —in store and out

Seattle – Director Martin Scorcese is renowned for providing great soundtracks to his films, and Starbucks Coffee Co. is attempting to follow in his footsteps in its stores. Starbucks and music streaming service Spotify will establish a multi-year relationship that will link its 7,000 U.S. company-operated stores in the U.S. and My Starbucks Rewards loyalty members with Spotify’s global users.



This interconnectivity will allow Starbucks MSR members unique access to Starbucks music on Spotify, the ability to influence in-store playlists, and use their Starbucks loyalty stars on Spotify. Spotify will also include a dedicated section on Spotify featuring new playlists from Starbucks and its most popular music from the past 20 years, available to all Spotify users.



Coming first, Starbucks’ 150,000 U.S.-based employees will receive a Spotify Premium subscription, followed shortly thereafter by employees in Canada and the U.K. Starting in fall 2015, Starbucks employees can help shape the in-store music programming using tools provided by Spotify. These partner-influenced playlists will then be accessible on Spotify via the Starbucks mobile app.



As part of the agreement, Spotify Premium will be promoted in participating Starbucks stores.



“For more than 40 years, music has played a vital role in Starbucks Third Place experience, inspiring our employees and customers in unexpected ways that have helped to shape the global pop culture,” said Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks. “And we are delighted and honored to bring Spotify directly to our customers. 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.”

Through a phased rollout in fall 2015 in Starbucks U.S. company-owned locations, followed in Canada and the U.K., Starbucks and Spotify will collaborate on a next generation music ecosystem.