Starbucks is partnering with streaming music service Spotify to put a new spin on music in its stores. The coffee chain announced today that My Starbucks Rewards members will soon be able to use their Starbucks rewards points for a subscription to the streaming music service.
This will be the first time that My Starbucks Rewards points can be redeemed for something outside of a Starbucks store, what Starbucks is calling “Stars as Currency.” A Starbucks spokeswoman says this is “just the beginning” of Starbucks expanding the reach of rewards points in this way.
Starbucks and Spotify say they will roll out their partnership starting in the U.S. this fall, followed by Canada and the U.K. As part of the partnership, Starbucks will allow loyalty members to use their My Starbucks Rewards “stars” toward an ad-free subscription to the music-streaming service. This allows users full-featured access to Spotify from mobile devices, as well as offline listening.
The companies aren’t yet saying how many rewards stars will be required to claim a Spotify subscription.
Spotify will also power the music experience in Starbucks’ corporate-owned stores. To kick off the partnership, Starbucks employees will get to help shape in-store playlists starting this fall, which customers can access from anywhere through the Starbucks app. Spotify will also have a dedicated section with new playlists from Starbucks.
Starbucks has historically partnered with Apple on music and other media. iOS users can currently get free apps, music and books on a rotating basis through the coffee giant’s app. This program is expected to continue as the Spotify partnership gears up.
