AN OPEN LETTER TO STARBUCKS FROM COALITION IF INDY MUSIC STORES HEAD DON VANCLEAVE
Dear Starbucks,
Hey guys. I actually think it is a great thing for you to be actively selling new releases. You have the right kind of customers that are a dream to those who are marketing music to adults. I mean, how many copies of the recent Ray Charles did you actually sell? 500,000? 600,000? That is really a powerful testament to your marketing savvy and shows a really great understanding of your core 
customer. This industry needs more outlets selling music at a profit. Good job.
When I travel, which is usually every week, I often slip into your stores because I am assured of a really strong wireless signal that lets me stay in touch. I know that I should really shop Indie since that is my job, but, sometimes you are just so damned right on the corner I am on. I usually will buy a Venti coffee of the day with room for cream, fire up the laptop, and spend 30 minutes dealing with firedrills.
One thing I started noticing over the past few weeks were your attractive browser racks for
compact discs. Usually they are stocked with your artist pick compilations which are excellent. Last week I saw that those were replaced with Madeline Peyroux, John Legend and Beck. BECK? Hey wait a minute, I was thinking. Street date is not till NEXT week. And almost instantly, the cell and Blackberry started blowing up. Indie store owners were losing their minds. Don, Starbucks is breaking street date on my most important release of the first quarter!!!! SHIT, another firedrill.
After some frantic phone calls and emails to Interscope, UMVD, and Beck’s management team, I was assured that everyone was on it. Seems that the Starbucks stores got their Beck product all sealed up with a clear sticker that said DO NOT SELL UNTIL MARCH 29. I guess when you have thousands of stores in the US and you get them into a new business, snafu’s are bound to happen. Some managers can’t read. Some managers just don’t care to read. I get it.
As of Friday, the problem seemed contained. But, then the questions started.
How did Starbucks get their product so damn early? How come some indies did not have Beck even yesterday, which was streetdate? How many did they sell?
Are they Soundscan? Will Beck show up in this Wednesday’s chart?
While I am chatting with you, I also have to say that your Alanis plan is not very cool. You showed the world how bad ass you are in moving units with the Ray Charles. Securing yourself a six week window of exclusivity on the Alanis before everyone else gets it is only gonna make you a moving target.
The Ray model was correct. The Alanis is not.
So, Starbucks, welcome to the music industry spotlight. If I am an artist manager or a product manager with an artist that you choose to push, I would be a happy camper. But, you have to be careful to play by the rules and not piss off the rest your retail partners. Then, instead of being seen as a GOOD thing for the industry, you just become a big ugly bully like Best Buy.
Love,
Don
CLICK BELOW FOR THIS WEEK’S CIMS CHART
Coalition of Independent Music Stores’ Top 200 for Week Ending 3-27-05
Label Pos. Artist|Title
INT 1 QUEENS OF THE S|LULLABIES TO P
UNJJ 2 JOHNSON*JACK|IN BETWEEN DREAMS
KILL 3 DECEMBERISTS|PICARESQUE
VRCS 4 BLOC PARTY|SILENT ALARM
UNIV 5 MARS VOLTA|FRANCES THE MUTE
INT 6 50 CENT|MASSACRE
TMLG 7 COPELAND|IN MOTION
XLIN 8 M.I.A.|ARULAR
V2 9 MOBY|HOTEL
ISL 10 KILLERS|HOT FUSS
SCRS 10 BRIGHT EYES|I’M WIDE AWAKE IT’
WAR 12 GREEN DAY|AMERICAN IDIOT
ATLG 12 LOUIS XIV|BEST LITTLE SECRETS
CAP 14 DOVES|SOME CITIES
SUBP 15 IRON & WINE|WOMAN KING
OLE 16 YO LA TENGO|PRISONERS OF LOVE:
UNIV 17 KAISER CHIEFS|EMPLOYMENT
RCA 18 KINGS OF LEON|AHA SHAKE HEARTB
WRPR 19 PREFUSE 73|SURROUNDED BY SILEN
ESL 20 THIEVERY CORPOR|COSMIC GAME
BARS 21 DEATH CAB FOR C|JOHN BYRD E.P
MERG 22 ARCADE FIRE|FUNERAL
EPIC 23 AMOS*TORI|BEEKEEPER
V2 24 BENSON*BRENDAN|ALTERNATIVE TO
RCA 25 KASABIAN|KASABIAN
EPIC 25 GARDEN STATE|SOUNDTRACK
ROUN 27 EDWARDS*KATHLEE|BACK TO ME
BNTE 28 LEE*AMOS|AMOS LEE
LAVA 28 BUTLER*JOHN TRI|SUNRISE OVER S
TEL 30 LOS SUPER SEVEN|HEARD IT ON TH
RCA 31 KILLS|NO WOW
AANC 32 STARS|SET YOURSELF ON FIRE
UNIV 33 SOUNDTRACK OF O|ORIGIN V1
INT 34 GAME|DOCUMENTARY
MUT 34 CAVE*NICK & BAD|B-SIDES AND RA
SCRS 36 BRIGHT EYES|DIGITAL ASH IN A D
MERG 36 WARD*M.|TRANSISTOR RADIO
VRGN 36 DAFT PUNK|HUMAN AFTER ALL
SUBP 39 POSTAL SERVICE|GIVE UP
LHWY 40 GAUTHIER*MARY|MERCY NOW
CAP 40 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM|LCD SOUNDSYSTE
ISL 42 BLUE MERLE|BURNING IN THE SUN
COL 43 LEGEND*JOHN|GET LIFTED
INT 43 U2|HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC
SUBP 45 SHINS|OH INVERTED WORLD
CEME 46 STRAPPING YOUNG|ALIEN
RHR 47 LAFAVE*JIMMY|BLUE NIGHTFALL
ANIT 48 FRAMES|BURN THE MAPS
RCA 48 LAMONTAGNE*RAY|TROUBLE
CNCO 50 CHARLES*RAY|GENIUS LOVES COMPA
SNCT 51 IDOL*BILLY|DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
OLE 52 INTERPOL|ANTICS
EPIT 52 FRANCIS*SAGE|HEALTHY DISTRUST
COL 54 AQUALUNG|STRANGE & BEAUTIFUL
DRMW 54 LIFEHOUSE|LIFEHOUSE
DEFJ 56 PERCEPTIONISTS|BLACK DIALOGUE
INT 56 STEFANI*GWEN|LOVE.ANGEL.MUSIC.
SNCT 58 TEGAN & SARA|SO JEALOUS
EPIC 59 JUDAS PRIEST|ANGEL OF RETRIBUT
EPIC 60 LAMB OF GOD|BURN THE PRIEST
UNIV 61 SCISSOR SISTERS|SCISSOR SISTER
ARTR 62 WYLDE*ZAKK/BLAC|MAFIA
OMR 62 FARINA*MARK|MUSHROOM JAZZ 5
AMNA 64 VARIOUS ARTISTS|THIS IS AMERIC
EPIC 64 OSBOURNE*OZZY|PRINCE OF DARKNE
SPIT 64 OVERKILL|RELIXIV
DEF 67 LUDACRIS|RED LIGHT DISTRICT
INT 67 KEANE|HOPES & FEARS
VFOR 69 BRAZILIAN GIRLS|BRAZILIAN GIRL
ROUN 69 PEYROUX*MADELEI|CARELESS LOVE
VIT 71 SPITALFIELD|STOP DOING BAD THI
RCA 72 CITIZEN COPE|CLARENCE GREENWOO
VRCS 73 DEATH FROM ABOV|YOU’RE A WOMAN
RYKO 73 ROUSE*JOSH|NASHVILLE
IPEC 75 LOCUST|SAFETY SECONDBODY LAST
WAR 75 EISLEY|ROOM NOISES
RBR 77 DIFRANCO*ANI|KNUCKLE DOWN
RBR 77 BIRD*ANDREW|MYSTERIOUS PRODUCT
HIPD 79 NELSON*WILLIE|SONGS
SUBP 80 SHINS|CHUTES TOO NARROW
GEFN 81 TRUSTCOMPANY|TRUE PARALLELS
HEIN 82 PINK MARTINI|HANG ON LITTLE TO
OCTJ 83 MAROON 5|SONGS ABOUT JANE
WAR 84 FUTUREHEADS|FUTUREHEADS
SUBP 85 LOW|GREAT DESTROYER
EPIC 86 MODEST MOUSE|GOOD NEWS FOR PEO
EPIC 86 BEN FOLDS FIVE|WHATEVER & EVER
ATLG 88 RAY|SOUNDTRACK
WAR 89 MY CHEMICAL ROM|THREE CHEERS F
KOCH 90 C-MURDER|TRUEST S— I EVR SAI
SUBP 90 IRON & WINE|OUR ENDLESS NUMBER
T&N 92 NORMA JEAN|O’ GOD AFTERMATH
INT 92 EMINEM|ENCORE
UNSO 92 JENNINGS*SHOOTE|PUT THE ‘O’ BA
NWWT 92 LEE*BEN|AWAKE IS THE NEW SLEEP
SSCR 96 ANTONY & THE JO|I’M A BIRD NOW
OLE 96 YO LA TENGO|PRISONERS OF LOVE:
UNJJ 98 JOHNSON*JACK|ON & ON
ISL 98 MARLEY*BOB & TH|LEGEND
MBL 98 SIX FEET UNDER|13
YROC 101 DOE*JOHN|FOREVER HASN’T HAPPEN
THJK 101 PREKOP*SAM|WHO’S YOUR NEW PROF
NWWT 101 CHESNUTT*VIC|GHETTO BELLS
SHTF 104 ERICKSON*ROKY|I HAVE ALWAYS BE
ASWE 105 CHEMICAL BROTHE|PUSH THE BUTTO
EPIC 105 FRANZ FERDINAND|FRANZ FERDINAN
MERG 105 DINOSAUR JR.|YOU’RE LIVING ALL
HOL 105 LOS LOBOS|LIVE AT THE FILLMORE
NDSC 109 MF DOOM|LIVE FROM OUTER SPACE!
UNIV 109 3 DOORS DOWN|SEVENTEEN DAYS
GEFN 109 SNOOP DOGG|R&G (RHYTHM)
INT 112 LYNN*LORETTA|VAN LEAR ROSE
ATLG 112 CROSBY STILLS &|GREATEST HITS
LGND 114 LIVING LEGENDS|CLASSIC
BNTE 114 GREEN*REVEREND |EVERYTHING’S O
SHTF 114 BURKE*SOLOMON|MAKE DO WITH WHA
EEG 117 TWEET|IT’S ME AGAIN
EVR 118 ARMOR FOR SLEEP|WHAT TO DO WHE
COL 118 FRANKIE J|ONE
INT 118 TRAIL OF DEAD|WORLDS APART
SCRV 121 STONE*JOSS|MIND BODY & SOUL
MSCM 121 TECH N9NE|VINTAGE TECH
UNEJ 121 JOHNSON*JACK|BRUSHFIRE FAIRYTA
EPIC 121 LOS LONELY BOYS|LIVE AT THE FI
ATLG 121 T.I.|URBAN LEGEND
AAM 121 SNOW PATROL|FINAL STRAW
EPIC 127 LOS LONELY BOYS|LOS LONELY BOY
DEFJ 127 DEFINITIVE JUX |DEFINITIVE JUX
NETR 127 IVY|IN THE CLEAR
RCA 127 VELVET REVOLVER|CONTRABAND
PSO 127 ABK|ROAD FOOLS
UNIV 132 MARS VOLTA, THE|DE-LOUSED IN T
OLE 132 INTERPOL|TURN ON THE BRIGHT LI
SPNA 132 CLEM SNIDE|END OF LOVE
RHMS 135 ATMOSPHERE|HEADSHOTS: SE7EN
ROUN 135 HUBBARD*RAY WYL|DELIRIUM TREMO
WAR 135 WILSON*BRIAN|SMILE
DEFJ 135 AESOP ROCK|FAST CARS DANGER FI
CAP 135 PINK FLOYD|DARK SIDE OF THE MO
VAN 135 CARBON LEAF|INDIAN SUMMER
ATOR 141 GRIFFIN*PATTY|IMPOSSIBLE DREAM
WAR 141 WILCO|GHOST IS BORN
EEG 141 HANDSOME BOY MO|WHITE PEOPLE
LAF 141 CIARA|GOODIES
BRBU 145 RILO KILEY|MORE ADVENTUROUS
HOL 145 LIFE AQUATIC|SOUNDTRACK
OHB 145 SNIDER*TODD|EAST NASHVILLE SKY
BBG 148 PURPLE CITY|ROAD TO THE RICHES
SUG 148 DUHKS|DUHKS
ANIT 150 SMITH*ELLIOTT|FROM A BASEMENT
ROUN 150 KRAUSS*ALISON &|LONELY RUNS BO
WAR 150 MUSE|ABSOLUTION
EPIC 150 LOPEZ*JENNIFER|REBIRTH
ISL 154 BROUSSARD*MARC|CARENCRO
HLCT 154 DROPKICK MURPHY|VOL. 2-SINGLES
TOU 154 PINBACK|SUMMER IN ABADDON
VIT 154 STRAYLIGHT RUN|STRAYLIGHT RUN
NUB 154 SOILWORK|STABBING THE DRAMA
WAR 159 METHENY*PAT GRO|WAY UP
RLWD 159 BLIND BOYS OF A|ATOM BOMB
ROAD 159 TRIVIUM|ASCENDANCY
WAR 159 YOUNG*NEIL|GREATEST HITS
WAR 159 RICE*DAMIEN|O
UNIV 164 BABY BASH|SUPER SAUCY
OLE 164 MOGWAI|GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONS:
EPIC 164 NOW 18|NOW 18
DBV 164 THEY MIGHT BE G|HERE COME THE
MERG 164 DINOSAUR JR.|BUG
ATLG 169 EVERYTHING BUT |ADAPT OR DIE:
MANF 169 WEDDING PRESENT|TAKE FOUNTAIN
ATLG 169 GRATITUDE|GRATITUDE
COL 172 AUTOLUX|FUTURE PERFECT
DEF 172 WEST*KANYE|COLLEGE DROP OUT
RHI 172 CHARLES*RAY|VERY BEST OF RAY C
RCA 172 CLARKSON*KELLY|BREAKAWAY
DSC 172 EVENS|EVENS
RDIK 177 WILLIAMS*SAUL|SAUL WILLIAMS
QRTR 177 SHIPPING NEWS|FLIES THE FIELDS
AAM 177 BLACK EYED PEAS|ELEPHUNK
INT 177 BECK|SEA CHANGE
TVT 177 LIL JON & THE E|CRUNK JUICE
TBRE 182 SOCIAL DISTORTI|SEX LOVE & ROC
INT 182 50 CENT|GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’
WAR 182 DITTY BOPS|DITTY BOPS
MERG 182 CROOKED FINGERS|DIGNITY & SHAM
LAF 182 USHER|CONFESSIONS
WAR 187 SHORE|SHORE
HIPD 187 MOTLEY CRUE|RED WHITE & CRUE
ISL 187 U2|BEST OF U2-1980-90
UNRF 187 AKON|TROUBLE
V2 187 BUCK 65|THIS RIGHT HERE IS BUC
KKY 187 OUT HUD|LET US NEVER SPEAK OF
VRGN 187 PERFECT CIRCLE|EMOTIVE
VIT 187 COMEBACK KID|WAKE THE DEAD
J 195 KEYS*ALICIA|DIARY OF ALICIA KE
SUSQ 195 HELLA|CHURCH GONE WILD/CHIRPIN
FUER 195 ACADEMY IS|ALMOST HERE
MOT 195 WONDER*STEVIE|DEFINITIVE COLLE
ULTA 195 ULTRA MUSIC FES|VOL. 1-ULTRA M
GEFN 195 SUBLIME|40 OZ. TO FREEDOM
GEFN 195 SUBLIME|SUBLIME
COL 195 CROSSFADE|CROSSFADE
c) 2005 by SoundScan, Inc. All rights reserved
Don VanCleave
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
Suite 101
1776 Independence Ct
Birmingham, AL 35216
205-879-9023 x201
205-879-2889 (fax)
