Starbucks won’t sell ‘Devils’ CD

Starbucks Corp., a growing force in the music scene, said it chose to keep Bruce Springsteen’s new album, “Devils & Dust,” off the menu at its coffee shops, partly because of concerns about its explicit lyrics.

The album is the first CD by Springsteen to get an advisory label because of steamy lyrics. The single “Reno” describes an encounter with a prostitute.

Newsweek reported this week that Starbucks retreated from a deal with Springsteen’s label, Sony BMG’s Columbia Records, to distribute the CD in its stores.

Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment for the Seattle-based operator of 4,400 North American coffeehouses, stressed the decision was mostly based on other considerations, including plans to stock other CDs, but said content was a concern.

He said Starbucks’ two Hear Music stores in Santa Monica and Berkeley were selling “Devils & Dust,” even though the CD would not be stocked in coffee shops.