Carly Simon complains that Starbucks didn't adequately promote her 2008 album

Carly Simon says the album wasn't available in "a substantial number" of Starbucks stores in the early months of its release. Later, when the CD was stocked, the coffee chain slashed the price, and "by doing so, Starbucks stigmatized Ms. Simon's album as an album that could not be sold at full price," according to Simon's lawsuit. Starbucks says the title "received tepid response from music consumers" and "other retailers faced the same fate with this CD." || Read "Carly Simon sues Starbucks over album deal"

Comments

[east coast mgr]

do we really need to discuss this at all ... cd kind was ok at best .. thats it.

It just didn't sell very well, get over it!

[Get over yourself Simon]

tsk tsk Carly

You're so vain..........

[drive]

Original piece from the nytimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/arts/music/12simon.html

[Tired of this]

So no one wanted a Carly Simon album? Wow, I bet that has happened to her every day for the last 20 years.

[nycstoremanager]

We sold this?!

[pnwguy]

every person who came in and looked at that cd and was shocked...SHOCKED that either a)carly simon was still putting out albums or b)that carly simon was still alive.

maybe if she had done a good job promoting herself for the 20 years prior to that cd's release it would have done ok.

[William]

Hello?
This Kind Of Love debuted at #15 on the Billboard charts.
It sold 23,000 copies the first week.

That is anything but tepid.....

well, I'll take a Carly Latte hold the cream!

I love this album....It's inventive, original and real. How many other posters here actually have heard it?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

I think we should sell the Greatest Hits of Glee.

[OR SM]

I agree with BSR. )

[Bdan]

Hmmm...what else was happening in April 2008 that might have distracted Howard and company from doing what they probably promised Ms. Simon they would do?

[Gilgamesh]

She's probably right, since I don't even remember selling her CD.

[LV]

I remember our store carrying it... And not selling one, as far as I can remember.

[SBUCKS DRONE LOS ANGELES]

I am happy we actually sold Beatles albums in the stores. THAT was awesome (I am guilty of buying all of them, at 30% off, it was a bargain!!).

[Will]

Yeah, I guess its all Starbucks fault. Clearly, we don't want to make money, and would buy copies of her CD only to NOT sell them. Howard Schulz must be leading some kind of grand conspiracy against Carly Simon! BOO HOO

[PunkIsNotDead]

Desperately seeking attention, are we, Carly? Tsk tsk.

In an age of pop stars too young to drive, you would need to create the masterpiece of your life to get a rise out of the masses, especially in a post-record company world in (what was then) the beginning of a recession.

Sue Starbucks all you want. Knock yourself out. Write little lyric sheets to Howard all day if it makes you happy, but is that really how you want to go out?

[Herman M.]

Was this an exclusive to the stores? No? So...

[Jonnysf]

I bought her CD last year. It was on sale. Would never had bought if it was full price.

[Bill]

I walked into my Starbucks
It is my usual coffee stop
Soy milk strategically added into my cup
My coffee was piping hot
I had one eye on the food case
As I watched myself go by
And I had to think if I’d get a muffin
I’d get a muffin and…

I’m so lame
I bought this CD by you, Carly
I’m so lame
I thought perhaps that it would sound gnarly
It don’t! It don’t!

You had me thirty years ago
When you were still young and hot
And I thought that you sung such a pretty song
With the talent that you got

But you wouldn’t sing those pretty songs
The ones that people loved
You had some dream
You could sell it like coffee
Sell it like coffee and....

You're so lame
You probably think it would go platinum
You're sixty two
And we all knew
That nothing like would be happ’nin
It won’t, It won’t

Well I oncehear you hooked up with
Warren Beatty and Kris Kris-toff-er-SON
And even dated ole’ Cat Stevens
Before he was Taliban

Well, you're 62 and all washed up
And no longer a top act
People prefer
Girls like Miley and Britney
Miley and Britney

You're so lame
You probably hate this song is about you
You're so lame
I'll bet you hate this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you? Don't you?

[nyuk nyuk]

Wasn't that around the same time Starbucks (surprisingly) dropped CD carrousel displays?

She did do the late night promo rounds.

~ecm: >>> You're so vain....

Good one!

[Michelle]

OMG Jonnysf! So well done! Clapclapclap.

(Please post on FB - I'm not sure how to do so from here w/out you receiving the proper credit.)

Carly IS so vain and has been whining for years re: her declining sales and lack of attention from the music industry. Poor her!

[SM4life]

carly simon doesn't sell records so it is now the fault of hear music?! what a sense of entitlement she has. there are millions of records made every year that don't sell, regardless of the past success of the artist. people aren't interested in her new music and that is a fact she has to absorb on her own. the music buying public is fickle...and they didn't like her new record. suing won't make her last record any better...

[spence]

Hey Carly,
We promote coffee; not CD's.
We are Starbucks Coffee Company. I thought you knew that.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Carly Simon should've paid a personal visit to Uncle Howie, if you know what I mean...

[ex-HM]

Interesting item included in the NYT article - Carly Simon's current manager is Alan Mintz. He was the Vice President, Content Development/Head of A&R at Starbucks Entertainment/Hear Music (according to his Linkedin profile) in the days before the CD was released.

Also worth pointing out - Simon has a new CD coming out later this month. Is this a lawsuit with teeth or just a publicity stunt?

The NYT article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/arts/music/12simon.html

[CamSpi]

What's strange is I remember getting Carly Simon cardboard coasters from Starbucks. If anything, that's the most I've ever seen Starbucks promote an album.

[Bill]

@Michelle

I am the "author" of the song parody. I am a *$$'s customer not an employee, and I spent maybe 15 minutes on this song.

If you want to post it on any other site, feel free. All you need to say is "Some guy named Bill posted this as a comment on starbucksgossip.com"

Perhaps a link to Jims site would be nice too.

[Melody]

I vaguely remember hearing some of the 2008 Carly Simon CD in the stores. I thought it was an improvement over Artic Tale! LOL!

[me]

so william...

23,000 copies the first week? not so good. Thats 3 in each starbucks store if starbucks were the only place selling it... We just received 14 cds from buele or something and sold 5 in 2 days. if each starbucks sold five in a week (not just 2 days), thats over 30,000 sold. so yeah... 23,000 isnt that great.

[me]

anyone think that maybe shes suing BECAUSE the cds tanked? because she sucks and needs money? So she put out a terrible cd, and it didnt work.. so she still wants money... hence the suit?

[DARKROAST]

Utterly lame, Carly.
Pulling a "Kanye", are you?
Just lame.

[milkwhiz]

I remember when we sold this cd. Everyone (partners AND customers) thought it was just terrible. Like nails on a chalkboard. It's not Starbucks' fault she doesn't know how to write songs AND can't sing!!

[Mike S]

Carly Simon was a great singer, but due to age or whatever she has lost her voice. But her records were great in the 70's, 80's and 90's. You ignorant people who are saying she hasn't put out anything good in 25 years need to go back to 1995 for "Letters Never Sent," which contains the GREAT SONGS "Born To Break My Heart," "I'd Rather It Was You," "Touched by the Sun" and "Like A River." Now that you've been schooled, treated and punked you need to keep those ugly snouts of yours shut.