McCartney signs up with Starbucks' Hear Music label

Paul McCartney, one of the founding members of the popular rock band of the 1960’s, the Beatles, on Tuesday left his longtime associate music label Capitol Records to become the first artist signed to Starbucks's new record label Hear Music, to be distributed by Concord Music Group.

Speaking over a surprise appearance made via satellite from London at the Starbucks Annual Meeting in Seattle, McCartney’s latest studio album on Starbucks' new Hear Music label is slated for release in early June and will be available at all traditional music retail outlets and Starbucks locations internationally.

For Starbucks, the world's largest chain of coffee shops founded in 1971, Hear music is the coffeehouse giant's latest entertainment venture partnered with Concord Music Group.

Cataloged as a company in 1990, Hear Music was purchased by Starbucks in 1999. Hear is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept under which the American coffee chain will develop and sell records in its coffee shops and music outlets.

Sir James Paul McCartney, 64, is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who got listed in Guinness World Records as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history, with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles.

Branded as a music legend, McCartney’s award arsenal includes 1970 Oscar award for 'Best Original Song Score' for the film Let It Be.

In February 1990, McCartney was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also won the ‘'British male solo artist' and 'The Sony award for technical excellence' at the 1983 Brit Awards.

Played for over 7,000,000 times on American TV and radio, McCartney's song "Yesterday" is listed as the most covered song in history.

First engaged to actress Jane Asher in 1963, the couple broke after a five year relationship. McCartney then married American photographer Linda Eastman in 1969. Parenting three children, they remained married until Linda's death from breast cancer in 1998.

McCartney then married former model Heather Mills in 2002 and had a child in 2003. However, the couple announced their separation in 2006.