Starbucks partnered with Spotify in 2015.
The partnership connected Starbucks’ coffeehouse music program with Spotify’s streaming platform. Starbucks employees could influence playlists, while customers could access Starbucks-related music through Spotify. The arrangement was designed to extend the role music had long played in the coffeehouse experience into a digital service.
Starbucks had a long history of selling and promoting music in its stores. Before the Spotify relationship, the company released recordings through Hear Music, a music company Starbucks acquired in 1999. Starbucks also became known for in-store playlists and occasional artist collaborations.
The partnership is sometimes confused with Starbucks’ earlier work as a music retailer or with loyalty-program partnerships involving other technology companies. Spotify is the music-streaming company specifically associated with the 2015 Starbucks arrangement. The agreement reflected the growing importance of streaming rather than physical CDs.