Radio Paradise

Back in XM Radio's good-ole-days Starbucks actually ran a pretty nice eclectic station dubbed "Hear Music" on channel 75. The playlist had jazz, world music, new age and of course typical "coffee shop music". The channel no longer exists (neither does XM really) and what I hear in Starbucks stores from "Hear Music" its pretty much coffee house themed Muzak which probably loops every hour.

Good point. When I first got XM (I got it mainly to listen to baseball - don't have it anymore), that's the station or one of the stations I listened to because while it was a far, far, far cry from RP, it did offer more of an eclectic mix than most of the other XM stations which seemed to me to be too focused on the same thing (new wave, 90's rock, modern alternative, etc. etc.). I was kind of sad to see it go. I think there is something similar to it on XM now, just not as "good."

Quadran

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Location: Belgium
Gender: Male

Posted: May 10, 2013 - 6:05am

Radio_Dweeb wrote:

Why go to Starbucks? It's the MacDo of coffee ;)

Radio_Dweeb

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Location: Maryland
Gender: Male

Posted: Dec 21, 2009 - 7:50am
Back in XM Radio's good-ole-days Starbucks actually ran a pretty nice eclectic station dubbed "Hear Music" on channel 75. The playlist had jazz, world music, new age and of course typical "coffee shop music". The channel no longer exists (neither does XM really) and what I hear in Starbucks stores from "Hear Music" its pretty much coffee house themed Muzak which probably loops every hour.

rachlan

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Location: nyc
Gender: Female

Posted: Dec 8, 2009 - 7:12am

whitebuffalo wrote:

I wear many hats and when I wear my programming hat, I hang out in coffee houses. If there's no independent coffee house with no decent internet around, I often find myself at Starbucks, where I am subjected to their in-house radio station, which I think is called fear music or something. It's good for about half an hour, sometimes, if you go to Starbucks once a week. But, if you hang at Starbucks for more than an hour or two, fear music's relentlessly bland, risk-free merchandising disguised as programming will warp your spine, cause spontaneous hearing loss, and leave you ill-tempered and unable to make love for days. It's the aural equivalent of their soul-jacked push-button espresso. And so, Howard Schultz, I implore you to do the right thing and bring some soul back to Starbucks: shutter fear music, place all of the staff on a raft not unlike the raft of the medusa as painted by Géricault, and turn the programming over to Radio Paradise. That is all.

i used to really dig the music at starbucks. i didn't expect much and i was often greatly surprised. i haven't spend much time there in years though.

DaveInSaoMiguel

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Location: No longer in a hovel in effluent Damnville, VA
Gender: Male

Posted: Dec 8, 2009 - 7:01am
They tried opening a Starbucks here in the small town I live in and it lasted about 6 months. Never tried it. There is one independent coffee shop in town that seems to be lingering on but I always just have coffee at home.

rachlan

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Location: nyc
Gender: Female

Posted: Dec 8, 2009 - 6:55am
its a good meeting point or reference. .. around the corner from the starbucks, or lets meet at the starbucks. a couple of years ago *$ and B&N seemed like the community meet up places. people getting tutored, planning events, business deals.... if i am sitting there a while i might buy a tea.

mem_313

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Location: Beachside, Paradise
Gender: Female

Posted: Dec 8, 2009 - 6:50am
BlueHeronDruid wrote: Burnt. Ick. I love a dark roast. I really do. Just not burnt. always tastes bitter to me. like welly said...

ScottFromWyoming

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Location: Powell
Gender: Male

Posted: Dec 8, 2009 - 6:34am

AliGator wrote:

I used to live in France, right? So after I got the wondrous thing that is called TEH INTERNETS when I bought my first computer back in 2000, I was able to keep closer tabs on American culture. I kept reading about Starbucks. During my first Christmas trip to the US in five years, in 2004, I had a layover in Toronto or Detroit or something. There was a Starbucks there. I ordered a coffee, took my first sip a couple of minutes later, and thought "This is supposed to be good coffee? Pleh."

I still don't like Starbucks (oh, it'll do in a pinch), but give me the stuff we brew at home or the stuff we can buy at the local coffee shops. The soundtrack is better too.

*$ in an airport is just a licensed dealer, where the freestanding stores downtown are owned by the company. FWIW.

Yeah their coffee is pretty nothing to shout about. 10 years ago any independent coffeehouse was sure to be better. Now though when I'm on vacation and I see "Jumpin' Joe's Junky Java" or a starbucks ... I go starbucks. Consistency is a winner, even if it's just consistently average. Nothing sucks like having to throw away a $4 coffee.

Note that in Salt Lake City, the Starbucks Theory did not yield a proper result, but that's not to say that the indy place would have been better, just that they both sucked a lot. In this case look for plan 3, which is to go to the mall and look for a smaller chain. The coffee we had down at railroad square (upper level) was really good and they gave Augusta a cookie.

Zep

Location: Funkytown

Posted: Dec 8, 2009 - 6:13am
I like $. There's a Caribou Coffee in the basement of our building, and that's a nice balance to $.

EleventhMan

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Gender:

Posted: Dec 8, 2009 - 6:07am
never liked it, never will. 'nuff said.

AliGator

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Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 5:51pm

BlueHeronDruid wrote:

I have never cared for the Charbux roasts.

Welly

Location: Lotusland
Gender: Female

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 5:51pm
BlueHeronDruid wrote: Burnt. Ick. I love a dark roast. I really do. Just not burnt. We've been enjoying 49th Parallel lately. Nice stuff.

BlueHeronDruid

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Location: Заебани сме луѓе

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 5:50pm
Welly wrote: Bitter, right? Burnt. Ick. I love a dark roast. I really do. Just not burnt.

islander

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Location: West coast somewhere
Gender: Male

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 5:47pm
BlueHeronDruid wrote: I have never cared for the Charbux roasts. Some are okay, they have recently had an african blend they sell under the red product banner: http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=217355 It's tasty, almost chocolaty when you grind it.

Welly

Location: Lotusland
Gender: Female

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 5:46pm
BlueHeronDruid wrote: I have never cared for the Charbux roasts. Bitter, right?

BlueHeronDruid

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Location: Заебани сме луѓе

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 5:43pm
Welly wrote: I find myself avoiding Starbucks at all costs. For a variety of reasons, this one included. I have never cared for the Charbux roasts.

Welly

Location: Lotusland
Gender: Female

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 5:38pm

whitebuffalo wrote:

I find myself avoiding Starbucks at all costs. For a variety of reasons, this one included.

jagdriver

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Location: Now in Lobster Land
Gender: Male

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 3:14pm
mem_313 wrote: Jacked up starbucks peeps.employees scare me. I buy chock full of nuts and my guy has a French press. AND my itunes is playing... A French press?

cookinlover

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand (former Boston native and Atlanta transplant)
Gender: Male

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 3:06pm
mem_313 wrote: Jacked up starbucks peeps.employees scare me. I buy chock full of nuts and my guy has a french press. AND my itunes is playing... It's all anybody uses in New Zealand, including myself.

mem_313

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Location: Beachside, Paradise
Gender: Female

Posted: Dec 7, 2009 - 3:01pm
Jacked up starbucks peeps.employees scare me. I buy chock full of nuts and my guy has a french press. AND my itunes is playing...

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