Starbucks to stop selling CDs

Starbucks has had an investment in music since 1999 (when they acquired music retailer Hear Music), which has resulted in stores playing uniquely-curated playlists, Hear Music’s performance series and Sirius XM station playing “Starbucks-friendly tunes,” and the sale of CDs at Starbucks locations, including exclusive releases and themed compilations. However, according to Billboard, those CD sales will be no more:

Starbucks, the coffee giant with over 21,000 retail stores throughout the world, will stop stocking and selling physical compact discs, Billboard has confirmed, with the CD clean-out due to start next month.

“We will stop selling physical CDs in our stores at the end of March,” a rep for the Seattle-based company tells Billboard, adding: “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.”

The decision follows a tough environment for the format, which saw a sales decline of 15 percent in 2014. Music has been one of the few items offered at Starbucks stores that didn’t have to do with coffee, tea or food, the chain’s main revenue streams, and was often at the center of various programs and cultural initiatives.

Maybe all this means is your mom will no longer spontaneously pick up the new Idina Menzel album with her latte, but Starbucks was sometimes responsible for some pretty cool stuff, like that Sonic Youth compilation.