Which company launched the Hear Music record label with Starbucks in 2007?

Concord Music Group launched the Hear Music record label with Starbucks in 2007. The partnership formally created the label on March 12, 2007, turning Starbucks’ existing interest in music retail into a conventional recording operation.

Hear Music began in 1990 as a Cambridge, Massachusetts, catalog company and was acquired by Starbucks in 1999. Under Starbucks, the brand expanded into in-store CD sales, dedicated coffeehouses, music programming, and custom “media bars” where customers could make mix CDs.

The label’s first major signing was Paul McCartney, who left EMI in March 2007. Joni Mitchell joined later that year, followed by artists including Carly Simon and James Taylor. Starbucks later transferred day-to-day management to Concord, and the label was effectively shut down in 2008 as the company retreated from entertainment ventures. A common mix-up is naming Starbucks alone: Starbucks was the retail and branding partner, while Concord Music Group was the established music company behind the label.