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Burnt Coffee and Burnt CDs
senzafine writes "Cnet reports that HP and Starbucks are jointly working on Storefront Coffeeshops which will allow people to browse and listen to music from a digital library...and have selected songs burned to cd. Sounds really cool...wonder how long before Starbucks and HP get John Doe lawsuits in the mail. --- But does this seem like an idea that would work?"
the prices are:
You get 5 tracks for $6.99 and $1 per each track after 5. With your CD you get a custom designed cardboard package with user designed 4 color insert) plus a four color image (and your CD title) printed on the CD itself (no sharpies used here).
Actually Starbucks has been in the music business since before 1999. In 1999 they aquired a small company called Hear Music. Hear Music prides itself on being a small group of people who really know and love music. Hear Music are the same people who program the music you hear in the Starbucks stores and the same people who create the starbucks compilations.
Hear Music also has a few record stores in California. The store in Santa Monica re-opening on tuesday has been on the third street promenade for over 6 years.
So where is the synergy? How about picking up a latte and then listening to any CD in the store -- full length CD, not 30 second samples.
I'm not sure where you went to law-school (probably not Cornell) but section 1008 mentions nothing of the importation or distrobution of the actual copyrighted material. Section 1008 simply protects CDRs Inc. from being brought to court because their customers were selling copyrighted music on their CDs.
In short: It states that the manufactures are not responsible for what the customers choose to do with their products. I don't know where you drew from this that the customers therefore have the right to "the "sharing" of digital music files".
It says right on their site that they're using an HP branded version of iTunes. I'm not sure if this will extend to the Starbucks deal but it seems extremely likely. Why would they choose Apple, iTunes and the iPod and then offer a service that competes with that?