Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by HoodooOperator on Jan 30, 2008 19:09:43 GMT -5
Is Starbucks a band?
Is it something that you discover and revel in, tell all your friends about and then abandon when the hoi polloi partake?
All I hear about Starbucks is the coffee tastes burnt.
And if you dig a bit deeper, everybody who testified about the vibe now tells a different story. How instead of being a hangout for the hip, it's the last stop for the unemployed, the losers.
How did a high-flyer fall so quickly?
Via overexpansion, via relentless search for the dollar, via straying from its core product, coffee.
In case you think Starbucks is a music company and are not following the stock market, you may be unaware that the coffee company's stock tanked by 42% last year. And now instead of dabbling in Hollywood, Howard Schultz has retaken the reins. Instead of expanding in the U.S., stores are closing. You see the company took its eye off the ball. It lost track of its core values. Even forgot what it was selling, a hand-built drink that the public was willing to pay a hefty premium for.
People aren't going to overpay forever, especially if they don't think they're getting value. Kind of like the concert business, if you think about it. The hoi polloi are going to see the Stones at exorbitant prices, but the hard core has tuned out. And now every gig doesn't sell out. You see the show isn't cool, it's tired. It's only about the money. It's creepy.
Starbucks isn't creepy yet... Then again, maybe it is.
Was the turning point "Best In Show", when the yuppie couple talked about eyeing each other from Starbucks stores on opposite sides of the street? That was the cultural high point. From there, it was downhill.
If I were to give advice to Howard Schultz, I'd say IT'S THE COFFEE, STUPID!
People don't go to Starbucks to buy music. That's an afterthought.
A band needs to focus on the music. That's why people are fans. Not because of the cool merch, not because of the fare at the gig. The more you try to nickel and dime the fan, the more you turn him off. Fan clubs? Glorified ticket fees. Fan clubs have a deservedly negative rep. Maybe if you're at the top of the pyramid, you can get away with it. Otherwise, the fan club has got to offer more than a few pictures and a message board. You've got to make people feel like they're getting a deal! Being allowed to buy tickets in the upper deck is not a deal.
As for expansion... It's your core audience that keeps you in business year after year. The more you try to reach the casual buyer, the more you alienate your core, you shorten your career. Leave that money on the table now, so you can reap even greater rewards down the line.
The label will tell you to take every opportunity. Do every TV show, be in commercials. But at what cost? Pearl Jam has it right here. They don't give a shit about the casual fan. They're only playing to the core, and doing quite nicely. An arena only holds 18,000 people. You don't need everybody in a city to come and fill it, only a small fraction of the populace. And by charging a reasonable ticket price, people will continue to come back.
That's another challenge Starbucks is facing. Pricing. Dunkin' Donuts and McDonalds are selling coffee cheaper. Is it as good? You decide. But only the ultra-dedicated are not price sensitive. And Starbucks has abandoned this hard core. Casual drinkers could go somewhere else quickly. Especially after they realize the beautiful people have moved on.
A Starbucks featured handmade espresso. People loved the handmade records, with the mistakes, with the vibe. Once we auto-tuned everything, once we made it perfect, once the machines took over, public interest waned. And why go to the show? It's not going to be real. These acts lip-synch not only on television, but at the gig! A show is an extravaganza as opposed to something that touches your heart.
Starbucks is still making money.
Maybe your act is still on the road.
But if you want your act to continue to be on the road, focus on your customers, focus on your fans. Give them tons of info on your Website. In order to insure they come back. Give away free tracks. Maybe live shows. A dedicated fan doesn't care if there are mistakes, he doesn't need perfection, he just needs that hit, to feel close. And instead of pursuing an acting career, instead of spending time diversifying, creating new avenues of wealth, just write and play more high quality music. THIS is why people are dedicated to you. This will keep them dedicated. Falter here, and you're fu*ked.
I'm in nursing school... there's these two girls in my class that are attached at the hip. They are never more than 2 feet from each other. They giggle together during conference and during lecture, interrupt the class with stupid arguments, and generally drive me nuts. Not a day goes by that they don't mention going to Starbucks. They go there EVERY day. Ugh. Real coffee snobs do not brag about going to Starbucks. I prefer my coffee unburnt, thank you. I seriously want to slap them every time they say it. A Starbucks cup in your hand does not make you cool.
Now, within a mile of the hospital where we have our clinicals are 4 local independent coffee shops. There will soon be 2, maybe 3 more. There's also a St. Louis Bread Co. (Panera) on the same road. It's a strange little phenomenon, but one I support. But they're driving 5 miles out of the way so they can say "Starbucks" like a mantra all day long.
Post by spookymonster on Jan 30, 2008 22:41:11 GMT -5
Here's something funny, yet very telling about Newark, NJ:
Montclair, a suburb of Newark, has 2 Starbucks.
Newark, home of some of the largest NJ-based corporations, only has 1 (not including the 3 in the airport and 1 kiosk in the train terminal).
Why?
Newark rolls the streets up after 5pm... there is almost no nightlife or cultural centers. The company I work for keeps shelling out millions in arts centers and arenas, trying to bring people into the city. Of course, the cops are making a mint in overtime patrolling the 2 blocks between Penn Station and the new Pru Center and a 1 block perimeter around the NJPAC.
57th and 3rd - 58 between 2nd and 3rd there are 3 starbucks.
its ridonc.
wait actually then on 60th and 3rd there is another.
SORRY this is so off topic but sparklybecca how do you like living in new york city? I've never been but really want to visit and I think it sounds fun (yet expensive) to maybe live there for a bit!
i'm looking into working at a coffee shop (NOT starbucks) i actually put on my applications when they ask why you want to work there "because i would never even consider supporting starbucks"
*i like coconuts, you can break them open they smell like ladies lyin in the sun** *Hell I don't even know where I am** *for now I must sit here and ponder the yonder: The herbivores did well cause their food didn't never run** *We listen, if it feels good We shake** *You made a big impression for a girl of your size, Now I can't get by without you and your big brown eyes.**
i've never been to one. i love good coffee but don't want to go broke. McD's is going to put a hurt on *$'s anyway. have you all seen that yet? McD's is getting capps, fraps, late, and all that stuff. even baristas!
i'm looking into working at a coffee shop (NOT starbucks) i actually put on my applications when they ask why you want to work there "because i would never even consider supporting starbucks"
i've never been to one. i love good coffee but don't want to go broke. McD's is going to put a hurt on *$'s anyway. have you all seen that yet? McD's is getting capps, fraps, late, and all that stuff. even baristas!
In Rainbows is being sold at the starbucks by my apartment. It was a little bit odd to me. okay. alot bit odd.
I'm wondering why? Starbucks has offered quite a few cd's now of A list artists.
Since Starbucks supports XM Radio, and Bonnaroo does too, i wasn't surprised to see many of the bands who's albums are being sold at Starbucks end up playing at the festival.
A few i can think of right off the top would be:
Feist - Reminder
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
The Police - Hits
Regina Spektor (sp?)
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Lilly Allen
Sonya Kitchell
Gillian Welch
Now let's see.... They're offering Allison Krause & Robert Plant, and they've sold a Beastie Boys album, and now they've got In Rainbows up for grabs, as well as Led Zeppelin - Mothership (reissue)...
Post by terrapinmama on Jan 31, 2008 14:43:06 GMT -5
oh my oh my... where to start?
Ok, well... I work at Starbucks.
I LOVE working there. I too was a supporter of local coffee only, but I needed a job, and Starbuck's hired me at a much better pay rate than any other place could have given me. While I agree Starbucks has taken a few steps back from its prime days... I have no complaints about the people we serve, the coffee we serve, or the music we sell. In fact, I get to listen to Radiohead and Johnny Cash all night long... and get paid for it. Do you? My store was built just over a year ago and continues to build a strong customer base. What does that customer base consist of? College students and professionals alike (yuppie free!). Not jobless losers like someone mentioned before...
Look, I know they're not the BEST coffee, I'll be the first to admit it. But seriously guys, who cares if they're on every street corner? The way I see it, that's just another job for another struggling college student, parent, or whoever needs money. It could be much worse.
So next time you're in Terre Haute, Indiana... Stop by and your next cup of burnt coffee is on me.
It is my understanding that they treat their employees very well. I didn't make jack when I was a barista at a Borders Cafe and I didn't always get to listen to good music. It all depended on who was the manager that day. I did have a lot of fun though. And it totally made me a coffee snob.
Oh, since there aren't any more Borders Cafe's (they're all switching over to Seattle's Best) if you were a fan of the chai at Borders, you can get it online. Do a search for Big Train Vanilla Chai. It's the same stuff. It's just lovely chai.
And it's so true. In my neighborhood, a Starbucks took over a black hole of a location - new restaurant or bar every year - and it's been solid for the past 5. And then maybe 2 years ago (?) a local coffee shop opened just 1 1/2 blocks from me - yay! - and I go there almost every week. But if it weren't for Starbucks, I probably wouldn't care that much about coffee and would just stay at home and make Maxwell House or some other blah grocery brand.
And I have also heard good things about working at Starbucks - like that they offer good health insurance even if you're part time. That's freaking huge.
lol 
