1:00 PM -- iTunes, eMusic... Starbucks.

The latest company to plunge into digital music? Starbucks. The coffee giant recently anounced it'll be adding mp3 download stations to their ubiquitous stores. Details beyond that fact are slim, but, as the article notes, the use of the term "mp3" indicates that the store will not be catering only to iPod owners.

Starbucks coffee is pretty good -- especially if you are seeking crack-like caffeine content -- but what about their music? Often the stuff they play sounds like elevator music without the ironic "hey, isn't that Kiss?" moment. How many times can a marketing team successfully combine Sting, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, BB King, and Carlos Santana?

Still, the idea is intriguing, especially as a way to keep brick-and-mortar record stores in business down the road. And if they keep pushing the mp3 angle, maybe somebody with the marketing muscle of Starbucks can help break down the iTunes hegemony.

— R. Scott Raynovich, Editor in Chief, Light Reading