Starbucks Sticks to Coffee; Ditches Music Label

Refocusing its sales efforts towards the product that made them a retail giant and a lifestyle brand, Starbucks has passed on the reigns of its record label Hear Music, to the Concord Music Group. The label had released albums by Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, among others. No word as to whether the artists will continue with Hear Music, which was formed in 1990 and acquired by Starbucks in 1999, but was only formally and actively part of the coffee retailer's business plan since last year.