Starbucks switching to Spotify
Baristas will now be DJs
Starbucks has announced that they are moving away from physical media. They will no longer be selling CDs at the counter, and instead of piping in the in-house music, they will be hooking up Spotify to each of their cafes - then giving the keys to the baristas at the counter.
This may seem like a small thing on the face of it, but I predict that it is going to be a big change for Starbucks cafes across the nation. And like all big changes, it will have mixed results.
The music being played in each Starbucks is going to change from town to town, and shift to shift. You could end up listening to classical music, experimental jazz, twee indie fare, or country music, depending on who's in charge.
This also opens the door for customers to argue with staff about which song is playing. I imagine a lot of baristas are less than thrilled at the prospect of taking requests from customers. Not only do they have to remember and prepare your order correctly, they have to be a jukebox, too!