"A grande latte of air and the new Paul McCartney CD please!"

Urgh! Starbucks 'does' music of its own...

The 'coffee shop' chain that opens a new branch around the world every 0.05 seconds - as you read that, another three just did - now plans to launch it's own record label. They'll distribute the music digitally within the said shops to burn onto CD. Erm. Can't we just go in there and burn the store instead?

Listen to this statement from, Ken Lombard, the Starbucks bloke in charge of setting the whole thing up: "This announcement is a natural next step in our entertainment strategy. Hear Music will add tremendous value to the content offerings (!!!) and distribution of great music Starbucks customers have come to expect." *slaps palm on forehead then walks over to a newly painted wall to watch it dry*

Actually, alongside the rumoured Paul McCartney signing, I've got a few suggestions: what about the fabulous Joss Stone? With her 'youthful soul' she'll get the 20-30 demographic? Or the really edgy Sean Paul? There's your 'urban' demographic sorted without alienating anyone. Westlife can grab the grans and grandads. Coldplay can mop up the 'indie' mums and dads and Beyonce can just mop up the floor. We all know they need a good clean. Filthy holes.

Speaking of which, here's a lovely shot of the Leicester Square branch to end on. Note the user-friendly 'crowd control' queuing barriers. Nice. They LOVE their customers.