How Starbucks Won A Grammy Award

Starbucks, it seems, is everywhere these days. The global brand, known for its many coffees, teas, snacks, and collectable cups has no doubt changed the world. You can find its products stocked in almost any supermarket and "We Proudly Serve Starbucks" stores in various locations. And its app, chock-full of rewards, serves almost as a veil for Starbucks' operation as a bank. But did you know that Starbucks has a history in the music industry? Well, it does, and it's a rich history at that. In fact, Starbucks even has a Grammy to its name. 

Yes, in 2005, the coffee chain actually won one of the most prestigious awards in music all thanks to a musical collaboration with the one and only Ray Charles, a legend and trailblazer in soul music. In 2004, Starbucks teamed up with Concord Music Group to make an album called "Genius Loves Company," featuring twelve duets between Charles and various well-known artists. The album was released two months after Charles' death, and went on to win eight awards at the 2005 Grammys. Now, this may seem surprising to those with only a passing familiarity with the company. However, those in the know are probably aware that Starbucks has a rich history of musical collaboration. 

In 1971, when Starbucks first opened at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, it was a far cry from the coffee chain we all now know. There wasn't a swarm of baristas blending Starbucks branded Frappuccinos and concocting iconic Starbucks iced coffees. Instead, there was one employee working the small shop, making coffees and teas for Pike Place customers. Since then, of course, Starbucks has grown beyond its humble beginnings. And along the way, it has earned a reputation not only as a coffee business, but as a force in the music industry as well. Its foray into music didn't begin with its 2004 collaboration with Ray Charles, however. Perhaps this melding of brews and tunes began in the 1980s when smooth jazz saxophonist, Kenny G, started investing in Starbucks. In 1994, Starbucks began selling Kenny G albums at its locations, marking its first real move into music distribution.

However, it wasn't until 1995 that Starbucks began selling collaborative CDs. The first mix was called "Blue Note Blend" — which featured the music of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong — and was the brainchild of Timothy Jones. Jones began working at Starbucks in 1987 and, up until his retirement in 2014, was responsible for a good amount of the chain's in-store music. Before working at Starbucks, Jones worked at a record store and often picked the music that played there. Throughout his career at the coffee chain, his music choices continued to be beloved and influential.

So how did Ray Charles, the artist dubbed a unique genius by fellow musician Frank Sinatra, come to make an album for Starbucks? According to Charles himself, he chose the project because he had never done an album of duets. As he explained to Concord Music Group, "I thought it was time to have some of the friends that I love and the artists that I admire come into my studio and sing with me live." And that's how the "Genius Loves Company" album came to be. The album was produced under Concord Music Group in collaboration with Starbucks, which also distributed the record at its many locations. 

The record featured collaborations with Natalie Cole (daughter of music legend Nat King Cole), Norah Jones, Elton John, James Taylor, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald, Van Morrison, Diana Krall, Gladys Knight, and Johnny Mathis. Charles' musical versatility was evident in every track, as he melded seemingly disparate genres such as R&B and country. Ultimately, the album would be one of Charles' final works. It was released two months after his death on June 10, 2004, and featured many warm and nostalgic songs such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Ultimately, this work earned Charles eight posthumous Grammy awards. It represented what may have been the height of Starbucks' entry into the world of music, and was most likely a key factor in the creation of the brand's now-defunct Hear Music record label in 2007. 

All good things must come to an end, or so they say. And this adage rings true for Starbucks' time in the music industry. Still, the coffee chain certainly had its time in the sun during the 1990s and 2000s, when the soundtrack to coffee culture melded into the American zeitgeist as smoothly as milk foam melted into flavored lattes. 

Of course, this peak was not permanent. Starbucks dissolved its Hear Music record label in 2008, only a year after it was initially launched. There are a multitude of reasons behind this collapse, but one of the most notable was probably the declining economy. Like many other companies, Starbucks was impacted by the recession and decided to step away from many ventures. That same year, Starbucks faced criticism for casting too wide of a net in its music selection, showcasing increasingly mainstream artists rather than sticking to its eclectic roots. In 2015, Starbucks stopped selling CDs entirely, signaling the end of an era which may always be missed for its jazzy, hush-toned glory. But, hey, fans still have the memories — and Starbucks still has that Grammy award.