McCartney and Starbucks: it's a done deal

I feel bad about this ONLY if people have no Starbucks close to home.

But, from my experience, I'd rather buy a CD in a Starbucks than a Wal-Mart any day. The people who work in my 2 neighborhood Starbucks seem to enjoy working there (and have done so for a while), while I've never seen someone in my Wal-Mart who wasn't completely miserable looking. The only down side is that CDs aren't cheap in Starbucks.

But, on the up side, I happen to like Starbucks coffee. And, any company that plays the new Decemberists CD in heavy rotation obviously has good taste.

 

I wonder what this is REALLY about.

McCartney signs a ONE ALBUM DEAL with a startup label, and is set to release an album of material that he'd already passed on. No back catalog in the deal.

Anybody else think this arrangement is ancillary to McCartney's bona-fide music career? I'd be thrilled at the prospect of my hero moving his catalog to a new venue where old favorites could be properly mastered, issued on high-rez or vinyl, etc. -- but this sounds like a one-shot promotional deal to me to give Hear Music a kick-start.

I almost expect another McCartney EMI release 8 months after this one comes out... a "we're back home where we belong" kind of thing. I "got back to where I once belonged..." for my new album press release.

btw- I am THRILLED that another McCartney record will come out, and much sooner than expected. But I suspect there is LESS here than meets the eye.

I hope not -- I'd really like a SH mastered heavy-vinyl copy of Ram lo get licensed!!

BTW - If this IS a permanent move away from EMI, then I wouldn't be shocked to see Apple strike a new deal away from it's home for a lifetime. If I am not mistaken, they were awarded the Beatles recordings in a court settlement. Would that not enable them to shop the Beatles catalog to other licensors?

-mk

 

Won't the online stores sell these also??

 

Where did you read it's a one album deal?

 

People.....


He Has Signed With A Record Label!!!!!

Not a coffee shop!

 

"The company said McCartney was signing a one-album deal with Hear Music, the partnership between Seattle-based Starbucks and Concord Music Group announced last week. Financial terms were not disclosed."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17724748/

-mk

 

Word. You can get the Ray Charles CD EVERYWHERE.
-mk

 

Dave, it is a one album deal. I'm sure if the partnership works well, then additional albums and perhaps his back catalogue could become part of an enhanced contract. This makes perfect sense for McCartney who wants a new release out before his proposed late Summer/Fall tour. I hate thinking this, but this is probably all tied in to his current divorce proceedings. It wouldn't make fiscal sense for him to receive a huge advance from Capitol/EMI now, nor would it make sense to remaster and release his back catalogue either. AFTER proceedings, I'd expect a massive re-issue program. Ron

PS We need an information sticky on each new page. This new album will be available at Starbucks AND the usual music retailers; including brick and mortar stores and online.

 

From MSNBC...

The former Beatle, who made an appearance over a video feed from London at the company’s annual meeting, said he expects to release his next album on Starbucks’ new Hear Music label in early June.

McCartney said he was impressed with Hear Music’s push to use Starbucks’ 13,500 retail outlets as part of its sales plan. He also praised the company’s dedication.

“For me, the great thing is the commitment and the passion and the love of music, which as an artist is good to see,” he said.

The company said McCartney was signing a one-album deal with Hear Music, the partnership between Seattle-based Starbucks and Concord Music Group announced last week. Financial terms were not disclosed.

McCartney’s rights to his previous song catalog are not part of the deal with Starbucks, said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks’ entertainment unit. McCartney most recently released records through EMI Group PLC.

The label plans to sell albums through traditional and digital music outlets, with no advance sales and no additional content for Starbucks stores.

 

Starbucks spends more each year on health insurance than it does on coffee, and even part-timers are eligible for insurance and stock options. You'd be happy, too...

 

The newly expanded Starbucks label (Hear Music) is in partnership with Concord. Concord is an established jazz label that also owns the Fantasy and Stax labels. McCartney's new album will be available through-out their normal distribution channels (i.e. regular web and brick n mortar retailers) as well as through Starbucks outlets.

 

What's the problem with this deal? It makes perfect sense, Macca is a hell of a smart businessman.

The guy's audience is baby boomers who don't go into record stores anymore, but DO go to Starbucks in droves for lattes and capuccinos, and their tastes run to the AOR/MOR light kind of inoffensive fare that Sir Paul has produced over the past couple decades.

Starbucks is the ideal venue to reach his audience, and Paul knows it. It's deal that gives him front and center huge sales promotion directly to that audience, and yet doesn't bypass the traditional channels. Smart.

You won't hear Macca's new record on the radio, nor will you hear it in Virgin or Best Buy - but it'll get heavy rotation in every Starbucks in the world.

 

Thanks Ron

 

I DO believe that Starbucks is a great venue to reach likely McCartney fans -- the impulse buy for music has all but disappeared at traditional retail outlets. But why not pick up a musical "snack" with your croissant and venti latte? It'll sound great on the ride to the office, after all! This album is sure to be prominently displayed in Starbucks and in heavy rotation on their in-house audio.

I don't think this record will be neglected by radio, btw, any more or less than McCartney's last half-dozen albums. You'll hear it where you heard "A Fine Line." You'll probably get an earful on TV Ads for Starbucks too.

This is VERY clever.

You know, this COULD be a way to take McCartney's catalog OUT OF CIRCULATION pending a divorce settlement. A new contract with a new label established after the breakup of the marriage and no new income from existing releases.

I agree with others here -- the floodgates could open once the divorce is final, including back catalog and tour info. I STILL wouldn't be surprised if this remained a one-off deal, though.

-mk

 

Macca is a businessman running a significant corporation. After the divorce, he will push hard to recoup his losses.

No motivation to push up the income until then, although artificially reducing it is too transparent to work.

Notice that no financial details of this new deal are being given? It's not that it's kept secret to Heather - her lawyers just need to ask to find out. My bet is that it's either largely deferred, or contingent - easier that way to keep it difficult to quantify.

 

That would be a good move...

I sat on this for a while... I don't see this as a bad thing at all. Especially given the way the music industry is at this stage of the game. As long as there's new product, I'm happy.

 

I thought the details were that they were sharing custody, she got one of the houses, and a cool 56 million.

If so, that's no more than .005% of Paul's net worth. He'll recoup that by just sitting on his duff. He'll be fine.

 

It's all internet and gossip show rumour. There's been no offer extended by McCartney, and nothing to accept or reject by Mills as of today. Ron

 

Yeah, he could probably pay that by just diverting some interest income on his investments. Wouldn't need to liquidate anything.

 

Thanks for all of the clarifications: I guess I jumped to the conclusion that this release would be treated like the Dylan Gaslight disc, made available exclusively in Starbucks stores for a time.

 

This isn't some half baked album McCartney is coming out with, he said he's very proud of these songs, so they aren't just tunes that were discarded for the Chaos album!

This is a band album, these are the songs I've been waiting to hear that were done before Nigel took completely over. Chaos was a nice departure, but it's time to rock, and they say it's a rock album.

I don't mind the producer, as long as he gets McCartney rocking! I don't think McCartney would want to tour behind a rushed together album, these are songs he will want to perform live, so he must think they are very good!

As I posted earlier, McCartneys lead guitarist Rusty Anderson said this music is Amazing, dynamic, and colorful!

Sounds like the kind of album we would want from McCartney.

 

That's way too simplistic to be true. I haven't done a divorce in years, but even I remember that you can't simply quit work and then claim you have no income---your earning potential is imputed to be what you could be earning or past history of earnings. Unless the UK does it completely different, I doubt Macca can simply claim he doesn't have a label and isn't earning anything yet.

Is Paul's EMI contract expired now either? What is his deal with EMI? Does he owe them anything new?

 

I think Godrich did a great job on Chaos and Creation, and I know he reportedly "fired" Paul's band early in the recording of that album, but I thought that band did a great job on Driving Rain, and I, for one, would be quite happy to get another album of that quality from Paul and the band.

 

It is different in the UK. Heather is eligible to receive up to 50 percent of his earnings for the 4 years they were married. Not based on potential income, or previous earnings... just the amount he made while they were married. That's why these wild 100 million dollar amounts seen on the gossip pages are ridiculous. She will probably be offered between 25 and 40 million dollars... not too bad, eh

Paul's recording contract has run out with EMI and Capitol. He decided not to renew it, apparently he was very bitter over the lackluster support and promotion of Chaos and Creation. This is one reason he did the AOL and PBS sessions, basically his own self-promotion and a way to widen his audience exposure. I'm not sure of his back catalogue status... this may fall under a separate contract and subject to different status. Ron