Starbucks Pushes Music To Back Burner

A year ago Starbucks moved more aggressively into music with releases by Paul McCartney and others that many saw as hopeful signs for a struggling industry. Now SVP Entertainment Ken Lombard is out and day to day control of the Hear Music label is moving to partner the Concord Music Group. The changes are  part of a company effort to re-focus on the core coffee business.

Chris Bruzzo, chief technology officer, has been promoted to senior vice president and will assume the leadership helm of the Entertainment category as part of his responsibilities.

Starbucks will continue its relationship with the William Morris Agency to identify book projects as well as the Apple and AT&T strategic relationships designed "to enhance the customer experience through the use of wi-fi and other in-store technology".

“As part of our ongoing transformation, we are committed to examining all aspects of our business that are not directly related to our core,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and ceo. “We have had numerous successes in music and books including eight GRAMMY® Awards and three No.1 books on the New York Times bestseller list. However, now is the appropriate time to restructure our Entertainment business to better align our efforts with our overall business strategies.”