Starbucks Boots Bruce

From Reuters:

Starbucks puts lid on Springsteen CD, cites lyrics

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp., a growing force in the music scene, on Thursday said it chose to keep Bruce Springsteen's new chart-topping album, "Devils & Dust," off the menu at its coffee shops, partly because of concerns about its explicit lyrics.

The album is the first CD ever by Springsteen to get an advisory label because of the steamy lyrics on the single "Reno," which includes a description of anal sex and an encounter with a prostitute.

Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment for the Seattle-based operator of 4,400 North American coffee houses, stressed the decision was mostly due to other considerations, including plans to stock other upcoming CDs, but said content was a concern.

"There were a number of factors involved. It (the lyrics) was one of the factors, but not the only reason," Lombard told Reuters.

He said Starbucks' two Hear Music stores in Santa Monica and Berkeley, California were selling "Devils & Dust," even though the CD would not be stocked in coffee shops.

Newsweek this week reported Starbucks retreated from a deal with Springsteen's label, Sony BMG's Columbia Records, to distribute the CD in thousands of its stores.

...Springsteen's new album sold 222,000 copies in the week that ended Sunday, May 1, making it the artist's second album in a row to debut at No. 1 on the sales charts, according to music retailer tracker Nielsen SoundScan.
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I guess Springsteen, anal sex, prostitutes, and coffee just don't mix well.

In the end, this publicity will probably generate more sales for the CD. It's likely there are many in the "adult imagery by aging rock stars fan club" who weren't aware of "Reno" before the Starbucks thing. Springsteen may be tapping into a fan base he didn't have prior to this.