Outlets Pull Alanis Morissette CD

Alanis Morissette is causing quite a stir north of the border for choosing to sell her Cheap Rosetta Stone latest release, the tenth-anniversary, acoustic version of her blockbuster Jagged Little Pill, exclusively through Starbucks in North America. As of yesterday, the CD is available for its first six weeks only at the coffee chains cafes. In response, HMV Canada, that countrys largest record retailer, has removed the native Canadians entire catalogue from its shelves."It will last for an indeterminate period of time," says HMV Canada president Humphrey Kadaner, who personally wrote a two-page letter to Morissette explaining HMVs position. "We have not decided if and or when we might consider restocking Alanis product in our stores, as we will want to gauge the opinions of our consumers."The company also boycotted the Rolling Stones and Elton Johns products when they respectively struck exclusive DVD arrangements with Best Buy. Online HMV polls revealed that "the vast majority" of respondents felt the chain should not restock the artists, agreeing that the exclusive releases were "unfair to consumers." Kadaner, who also heads the Retail Music Rosetta Stone V3 Association of Canada, claims that more than 2,000 customers participated in the surveys. "For me, it was just about coming up with a creative new way for people to share this music," Morissette told the Toronto Star. "If people dont choose to go into a Starbucks and take that few minutes between the time they order a coffee and receive their coffee to focus on music, then theyre welcome to get that music where they typically get it. Or not get it at all. Its really their choice." Morissettes Canadian label Warner Music Canada, which had no say in the Starbucks deal, would not comment on how the exclusive release or the boycott might impact sales.Starbucks jumped into the music business last year, selling 700,000 copies of Ray Charles posthumous release, Genius Loves Company. The 65,000 copies the chain moved of a Rosetta Stone Spain Spanish subsequent release, Tina Turners hits compilation All the Best, helped push the album to Number Two on the chart. Joni Mitchell also put out a collection through Starbucks, and Bob Dylan is currently in talks to exclusively release a coveted series of 1962 live recordings, The Gaslight Tapes, through the company.But there are signs that the averse response to Morissettes Starbucks deal may be trickling south. Susan Lecuyer, senior spokesperson for the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, whose members represent national chains such as Best Buy Cheap Rosetta Stone V3, Virgin and Wal-Mart, adds, "Im aware of what Starbucks is doing, and traditionally some segments of the retail community dont look favorably on those types of practices."

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