Once viewed as a potential heavyweight in the industry, Starbucks continues to scale back on their music presence, this time ridding most stores of their music retail offerings. Instead of those spinner racks that can house a dozen or so CDs, the coffee chain will now only offer four CD “slots” per store, which will likely be devoted to albums released on their label. Additionally, those iridescent iTunes album cards will also be driven out. Starbucks made a splash last year with the creation of Hear Music, the chain’s label that partnered with big names like Paul McCartney, Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell, but Starbucks handed the reigns over to the Concord Music Group. Upcoming high-profile releases from the label include albums from John Mellencamp and James Taylor.

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