The futurists never stood a chance. Even a decade ago, as publishers were wringing their hands over the death of print, who would have thought that one version of saving journalism would look like the app you also use to pay for your coffee.
Yet, in a funny way, that's the kind of future suggested by Starbucks' new partnership with The New York Times. Beginning early next year, Starbucks' loyalty club members (of which there are millions) will be able to read the Times' top news of the day as well as some select articles for free on the Starbucks mobile app. In effect, Starbucks becomes a kind of publisher.
Not that the Times is exactly new to Starbucks.
"We have proudly sold millions of copies of the paper in Starbucks stores for more than a decade, and are excited to bring this experience to the next level by enabling Starbucks loyal customers to take the best of The New York Times with them wherever they go, whenever they want it," Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks, said in a statement.
And yet integrating Times content into its app is more than Starbucks acting as a digital version of a print newsstand. Yes, Starbucks loyalists gain "stars" by purchasing a subscription; the "stars" will be redeemable for food and beverages at the company's shops.
But Starbucks says it plans to add articles from other news sources over time, making its app effectively a news reader. While it's unclear whether the stories will live natively in the Starbucks app or be accessible via some kind of proprietary link, adding Times content to its app puts Starbucks at least in the ballpark of initiatives like Facebook Instant Articles or Apple News.
Sound farfetched? Maybe, if not for the wild popularity of the Starbucks app. The coffee giant has said millions of customers use it to pay for in-store purchases with their phones. They can use it to order ahead, tip baristas, and download Starbucks' free song of the week. It's a huge audience, and they already have the app open. Why not give them something to read? And Starbucks itself will be acting as a kind of editor: the app will include Times articles recommended by the company itself.
Ok, but what's in it for the Times and other news organizations that may potentially make Starbucks into another front page? Well, those same millions using the Starbucks app to pay for their coffee may also want something to read while they drink it.
"This is another in a series of arrangements we have made recently in order to ensure that the Times continue to expand the reach of our journalism to new and interesting pools of readers," Mark Thompson, president and CEO of the Times Company, said. If the Times can capture the staring-at-phones-while-waiting-in-line demographic, maybe news really does have a future.
