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This might be the definite end of the beloved compacts discs. Starbucks has announced that it will stop selling CDs at the end of March in its 21,000 stores worldwide. This doesn’t mean that the world’s largest coffee-house chain has lost its interest in music. Spokeswoman Maggie Jantzen said:

“We will stop selling physical CDs in our stores at the end of March. Starbucks continually seeks to redefine the experience in our retail stores to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Music will remain a key component of our coffeehouse and retail experience, however we will continue to evolve the format of our music offerings to ensure we’re offering relevant options for our customers. As a leader in music curation, we will continue to strive to select unique and compelling artists from a broad range of genres we think will resonate with our customers.”

This decision is in tune with their consumers. The company has realized that people aren’t consuming CDs the way they used to. According to Billboard, CD sales nationally have been declining; they dropped another 15% in 2014. Starbucks will continue its Pick of the Week, in partnership with Apple, that offers free downloads for those who use the Starbucks app.

Starbucks’ first CD in 1995 was a compilation CD dubbed Blue Note Blend. Starbucks acquired the record label Hear Music in 1999. Over the years, Starbucks has sold CDs by major recording stars including Paul McCartney, Beyoncé, Sam Smith, Ray Charles, Taylor Swift and, recently, the soundtrack to Frozen.

[Hypetrak]