The Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in Miami, an Innovative New Destination to Discover and Purchase Music, Opens on South Beach's Lincoln Road

-- Sergio Mendes and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas to Attend Private Opening Event to Announce Sergio Mendes' Timeless, a Concord Records/Starbucks Hear Music Co-Release

-- Sonya Kitchell, Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Debut Artist, To Attend the Launch Event

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Hear Music announced that its thirdStarbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse, located at 605 Lincoln Road inSouth Beach, will open to the public today at 1 p.m. ET. Thisinnovative retail store blends the classic Starbucks coffeehouseexperience with an extensive selection of physical CDs and the nextgeneration of the Hear Music(TM) media bars which provide customerswith an easy, fun, self-service way to discover and customize music onCDs drawing from more than 1 million digital tracks -- offering afully integrated coffee and music experience. The opening of theStarbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in Miami follows the launch ofthe Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in San Antonio, which openedin December 2005, and the flagship location in Santa Monica, Calif.,which opened in March 2004.

On hand for a private media-only preview of the Starbucks HearMusic(TM) Coffeehouse in Miami this morning will be Sergio Mendes andwill.i.am -- leader, producer and chief writer of the The Black EyedPeas -- who will make remarks about their collaborative album,Timeless. The highly anticipated new album will be co-released byConcord Records and Starbucks Hear Music and was produced by andfeatures will.i.am as well as an exciting array of guest artistsincluding The Black Eyed Peas, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, JustinTimberlake, Jill Scott, John Legend, Q-Tip, and india.arie. Timelesswill be available at Starbucks Company-operated locations andtraditional music retail beginning February 14, 2006.

In addition, Sonya Kitchell, the second artist to be featured inStarbucks Hear Music(TM) Debut CD series, will perform acoustic songsfrom her upcoming album, Words Came Back To Me, which will beco-released by Starbucks Hear Music and Velour Music Groupsimultaneously at both traditional retail and StarbucksCompany-operated locations in the U.S and Canada beginning on April 4,2006.

"Miami is not only one of the world's great cities, but it is hometo a rich and diverse music community, which makes it an ideal placefor the newest Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse," said KenLombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment. "We're excited to be apart of this vibrant community, and look forward to becoming animportant new destination on Miami's cultural scene. We are thrilledthat three of the artists with whom we'll be launching significant CDprojects in the coming months -- Sergio Mendes, will.i.am and SonyaKitchell -- will be on hand to celebrate the opening. Theirparticipation reflects Starbucks Hear Music's ongoing commitment tointroducing our customers to the most unique and compelling newreleases from established and emerging artists alike."

About the Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in Miami

Like the Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse which recentlyopened in San Antonio, the Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse inMiami further extends the concept of the initial Starbucks HearMusic(TM) Coffeehouse in Santa Monica, California. Starbucks assessedmany different variables when selecting Miami for the next StarbucksHear Music(TM) Coffeehouse, including location, foot traffic, themusic culture of the city, population of tourists and residents, andvisibility for these unique stores. Based on these criteria, theCompany found Miami's Lincoln Road to be an ideal location.

Additionally, Starbucks sought out prominent architects CharlesGwathmey and Kang H. Chang of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates to designboth the San Antonio and Miami Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouses.Their imaginative approach takes the original concept to a new leveland offers a music retail environment that transforms the wayconsumers discover and acquire music and represents the fullintegration of a classic coffeehouse experience.

The Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in Miami was alsotailor-made for its specific market, not only through thearchitectural design, but also with music selected by the Hear Musiccontent team with regional preferences in mind. The unparalleledcombination results in a compelling third place destination forcustomers to connect over coffee as well as explore, discover,personalize and buy quality music in a warm and inviting environment.

With more than 3,300 square feet of retail space, the StarbucksHear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in Miami offers customers the ability tobrowse through the extensive physical CD inventory, which includes amusic selection that has been hand-picked by the Hear Music contentteam to appeal to the local and regional tastes of Miami. Customerscan also explore a digital inventory of more than one million digitaltracks featured on the more than 25 Hear Music(TM) media barsthroughout the store.

In addition to burning custom CDs using these next generationmedia bars -- which boast new technology with increased capacity, atouch screen interface and new features, such as the ability to storea song list on a Starbucks Card to be burned at another visit --customers can also sample songs from any CD in the store by simplyscanning the bar code. These new Hear Music(TM) media bars featurescreate an unparalleled overall user experience and make it even easierfor our customers to discover music. As at all Starbucks HearMusic(TM) Coffeehouses, the price to burn a custom CD at the Miamilocation will be $8.99 for the first 7 songs, and $.99 for eachadditional song.

About Timeless

Sergio Mendes' Timeless, which is Mendes' first new album in morethan eight years, further builds on a growing relationship betweenConcord Records and Starbucks Hear Music and is the fourth album thecompanies have co-released since 2004. The other titles include theGRAMMY(R) Award-winning Ray Charles album Genius Loves Company, CaroleKing's The Living Room Tour and Zucchero's Zucchero & Co.

Produced by and featuring will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas,Timeless is a wholly original blend of music (fifteen tracks) from oneof the most internationally successful Brazilian musicians of alltime, Sergio Mendes, who -- 40 years ago -- brought Brasil '66 and"Mas Que Nada" to the world. will.i.am and Sergio Mendes brought inThe Black Eyed Peas, one of hip-hop's premier artists, and alsorecruited some of pop music's biggest artists, each a Sergio fan, tocontribute to various tracks, including: Justin Timberlake, StevieWonder, Erykah Badu, india.arie, Black Thought of The Roots, JohnLegend, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Jill Scott, and Q-Tip, among others.

"From the beginning, will and I decided to revisit many of theclassics of the Brazilian songbook that I had recorded in the past,"said Sergio Mendes. "The combination of those great melodies andwill.i.am's urban vision inspired me to bring those classics to a newdimension and to the streets of the world. I'm excited to becollaborating with Starbucks on this album. It's more important thanever these days to develop innovative ways to market and distributemusic."

"Hip-hop is urban to America, but samba and bossa nova are urbanto Brazil," adds will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. "These are twourban cultures clashing and fusing together beautifully, because theyshare a lot of the same qualities. I'm excited that we have this greatopportunity with the opening of the Starbucks Hear Music(TM)Coffeehouse to introduce Miami music fans to the album -- it's a greatvenue to discover new music."

Of working with Sergio Mendes, Justin Timberlake said, "Sergio'screation of chord progressions has heavily influenced modern R&B,specifically now. He is a legend and a beautiful person. It was apleasure to work with him (on Timeless)." Black Thought of The Rootsadds, "I've had the opportunity to work with just about everyone I'vedesired to work with and now the legendary Sergio Mendes! It was anhonor to be able to collaborate with such a cool, unorthodox, timelessand well-rounded musician. He's quite an inspiration."

The album's first radio track, "Yes, Yes Y'all" (featuring BlackThought of The Roots and Chali 2na of Jurassic 5) has already hitnumber 1 on the Top 50 Airplay Chart at KCRW, the influential LosAngeles public radio station. KCRW Music Director Nic Harcourt callsTimeless, "A new spin from a timeless master. will.i.am's brilliancewill bring Sergio's music to a whole new audience." Sergio andwill.i.am performed their song, "Surfboard" on NBC's "The Tonight Showwith Jay Leno" on Thursday, February 2, 2006, representing the firstnational broadcast performance in support of the album.

About Sonya Kitchell's Words Came Back to Me

Words Came Back To Me, the debut album from singer, guitarist andsongwriter Sonya Kitchell, will be released on April 4, 2006 as acollaboration between Velour Music Group and Starbucks Hear Music. Acollection of twelve original songs (all penned by Kitchell) thatcritic Anthony Decurtis calls "extraordinary...a remarkablysophisticated collection of songs that belies the age of its creator,"the new album represents a dazzling debut by a remarkable youngartist, blending pop, jazz, folk and blues into a thing of soulfulbeauty."

Though only sixteen, Kitchell has built a formidable reputationboth as a performer and recording artist. "Her engaging voice is onlyone part of the package," raved Don Heckman in a L.A. Times feature inMay. "Add to that her songwriting, her expressive interpretations, hersophisticated musical choices and her slender, blond beauty. It seemsonly a matter of time before this fascinating performer moves into thenational spotlight."

Recorded in Vermont, New York City and at home in the Berkshires,Words Came Back To Me features Kitchell on acoustic guitar and vocals,backed by musicians from her regular band of roots/jazz aces, allunder the age of 30.

Sonya Kitchell is only the second artist to be selected for theStarbucks Hear Music(TM) Debut CD series, which was created tointroduce emerging artists with great talent and long-term careerpotential. Words Came Back To Me will be available at StarbucksCompany-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada beginning April 4,2006. It will be simultaneously released in record stores and musicretailers nationwide.

Similar to the multi-platinum, eight time GRAMMY(R) Award-winningRay Charles album, Genius Loves Company and Herbie Hancock's GRAMMY(R)Award-nominated album, Possibilities, Starbucks Hear Musicparticipated in many facets of Timeless and Words Came Back to Me'slifecycles, including the marketing and distribution of the albums.

About Concord Records

Concord Records merged with Fantasy, Inc. in 2004 to create theConcord Music Group, strengthening its preeminent position as one ofthe largest independent record companies in the world and keeper of anextraordinarily rich and, in many cases, historically significantcatalog of recordings. They include titles from some of the mostadmired and enduring names in music, including Rosemary Clooney, JohnColtrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald,Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Thelonious Monk, Tito Puente, DaveBrubeck, George Shearing, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson and Mel Torme. Thegroup's current roster of world-class artists includes: KarrinAllyson, Regina Belle, Peter Cincotti, Michael Feinstein, NnennaFreelon, John Fogerty, LaToya London, Sergio Mendes, Ozomatli, EddiePalmieri, The Rippingtons, Sonny Rollins and Poncho Sanchez. Late lastyear, Concord acquired Telarc International, renowned for their rosterof artists including Tierney Sutton, John Pizarrelli, Ladysmith BlackMambazo and Spyro Gyra.

About Starbucks Hear Music

Founded in 1990, and acquired by Starbucks Coffee Company in 1999,Starbucks Hear Music is the voice of music at Starbucks. StarbucksHear Music is dedicated to creating a new and convenient way forconsumers to discover, experience and acquire all genres of greatmusic through its CD compilations and music programming for Starbuckscoffeehouses worldwide, as well as its innovative partnerships withother music labels to produce, market and distribute both exclusiveand non-exclusive music. In 2004, Starbucks Hear Music launched a24-hour digital music channel with XM Satellite Radio (XM Channel 75),the Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in Santa Monica wherecustomers can select from over 15,000 CDs or burn their own custommixes, and the Starbucks Hear Music(TM) media bars, a service thatoffers custom CD burning at select Starbucks retail locations inSeattle and Austin. In 2005, Starbucks Hear Music opened the StarbucksHear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in San Antonio, Texas. Starbucks HearMusic(TM) CDs are featured at Hear Music and Starbucks retaillocations, as well as online at www.starbucks.com/hearmusic.

About Starbucks Coffee Company

Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster andbrand of specialty coffee in the world, with more than 10,500 retaillocations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East andthe Pacific Rim. The Company is committed to offering the highestquality coffee and the Starbucks Experience while conducting itsbusiness in ways that produce social, environmental and economicbenefits for communities in which it does business. In addition to itsretail operations, the Company produces and sells bottledFrappuccino(R) coffee drinks, Starbucks DoubleShot(R) coffee drink,and a line of superpremium ice creams through its joint venturepartnerships. The Company's brand portfolio provides a wide variety ofconsumer products -- innovative superpremium Tazo(R) teas andexceptional compact discs from Starbucks Hear Music enhance theStarbucks Experience through best-of-class products. The Seattle'sBest Coffee(R) and Torrefazione Italia(R) Coffee brands enableStarbucks to appeal to a broader consumer base by offering analternative variety of coffee flavor profiles.

About Velour Music Group

Founded by Sean Hoess and Jeff Krasno in 1999, Velour is a hybridrecord label and management company focused on quality,adult-alternative music across various genres, including pop, rock,soul and jazz. Velour seeks out "music with soul" -- not soul music,but rather music with heart, music that hearkens to the core values ofgreat songwriting and performance, both live and in the studio. Bycombining management and label functions under one roof, Velour hascreated a holistic, stable home for artists that is focused on longterm career development yet remains able to nimbly respond to changingindustry conditions.