Not that I was buying any of their tunes anyway, but I generally loved the music they sold at the Starbucks counter. Often the baristas would play them over the sound system, and as long as they weren’t assaulting my ears with their glass-shattering volume, I found them to be awesome introductions to musicians I otherwise would never have heard of. I never bought the CD’s, but only because they were a wee bit above my budget.

So I’m disappointed that musicians have lost one more outlet in which to sell their work. I’ve never been totally sold on the idea of Starbucks as the harbinger of evil, although I can sympathize somewhat with their critics. I generally like the ambiance, the consistently good coffee (except here in GJ, where the low unemployment rate means that the coffee chain can’t be too picky about their barista hiring, and it’s showing in the quality of their java), and the comfy chairs. And yeah, the good music. Sure, some of it was just compilations of old masters, but others were displays of up-and-coming artists who desperately need all the publicity they can get.

Oh well. Maybe they’ll have a big clearance sale before they disappear from the counters completely. If so, head on over to your nearest Starbucks and find yourself a new music love.