Did I Really Just Say That?

I’ve no problem with Starbucks as record label or McCartney’s ability to add to his billions… their partnership will undoubtedly be fruitful for both. But to suggest that aligning with Starbucks won’t hurt McCartney’s creativity is disingenuous… of course it can’t hurt when your last 3 releases were Run Devil Run, Driving Rain and Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. Could aligning with any entity damage that creative black hole? And the reason commercial radio doesn’t play the latest by Paul Simon, Elton John, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and John “Chevrolet” Mellencamp is two fold… their recent records are mere shadows of former glories and commercial radio has always catered to teenagers since the dawn of the rock era. That hasn’t changed in 50 years.

If (when?) Starbucks becomes a more dominant musical tastemaker as its retail power continues to grow, consumers’ choices will wilt faster than Michael’s chances of winning the NCAA pool. Their extremely limited music selection coupled with their rabbit-like ability to birth outlets on every other corner will give them access to 87% of the coffee drinkers in the free world. Soccer moms and yuppies-in-training coming in for a $5.00 half-caf, re-caf, mocha latte grande will be subjected to the latest McCartney “product” on an I’ll-bet-my-life-on-it-it’s-in-the-contract guarantee of airplay in every Starbucks outlet. And they’ll buy it. And that’s a shame… unless he makes a good record. And if he does that, I’ll eat cheese.