Fresh from AP: Starbucks is set to unleash a new marketing campaign that involves giving away millions of free song downloads. The elaborate plan involves point-of-purchase giveaways, cards, and an exclusive, free wi-fi signal that generously grants onsite customers access to iTunes. (Starbucks, of course, is infamous for charging for its regular wi-fi, whereas even the dumpy pizza shop down the street offers it for free.) Some of the artists whose songs will be given away are Paul McCartney and Joni Mitchell–both signed to Starbucks' fledgling record label–as well as Bob Dylan, Joss Stone, Dave Matthews, Annie Lennox, John Mayer, KT Tunstall, and lapsed anti-monopolist Eddie Vedder. Also with the program is Sub Pop's Band Of Horses, who raised a few hackles with their recent admission that they unabashedly licensed a song to Wal-Mart, saying that they "don't really care where [their music] goes."
Useless factoid learned while "researching" this Newswire post: I am a dirty, sellout!-crying commie who hates artists and thinks everyone should drink mud instead of coffee.