Spotify Is Taking Over The Music At Starbucks — & We Got A First Listen

Starbucks and music go way back: Since the company's first store opened 40 years ago, music has always been a part of the experience. There were the days when you might grab a new CD with your latte, then later, an iTunes songs of the week card. Those sonic freebies highlighted new music from established artists to newcomers — like a then-unknown Adele back in 2006.

As our music habits have changed, thanks to streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, the Starbucks musical experience has evolved again. The company's new partnership with Spotify, which launches nationwide Tuesday, further integrates music with your coffee-buying experience. Using the Starbucks app, customers will be able to see what songs are playing in real time at their location from playlists curated by Starbucks' music team in Seattle.

The new app feature will also allow listeners to explore all of Starbucks' playlists to discover more new music as well as save their favorite tunes to their own Spotify playlist with the tap of a button.
The experience is available on both Android and Apple platforms and will also include a feedback mechanism to let Starbucks know what you think of its choices. When we tried it out firsthand last week, we were impressed by how intuitive the new features are, and how well they sync up with the Spotify app. And once a song struck our fancy, it was easy to use Spotify to explore more songs from that band or artist.

If you're curious to try it out, too, you can download the Starbucks app here. Even if you don't discover the next Adele, additional perks of the loyalty program include free birthday drinks and refills— which you won't get by using Shazam.


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