Starbucks considers music download service

Starbucks may consider entering the music download market, according to its chief executive Howard Schultz.

Speaking to the Financial Times as he unveiled plans for more stores in Dublin, Schultz said that the coffee chain might consider providing download facilities to complement the Wi-Fi services already available in many stores.

The chain has been selling standalone CDs since 1994, and in 1999 acquired Hear Music, a small chain of US music stores which now creates music programming for Starbucks stores and forms partnerships with artists to make CDs sold at Starbucks.

Its biggest success was a CD by Alanis Morissette which sold 60,000 copies in its first week in North American stores.

Starbucks is the world's leading coffee chain with 10,500 stores globally, 3,000 of which are outside North America. Although it does not provide country figures it claims that it became profitable in the UK last year for the first time since opening here.