To commemorate the 10th anniversary of “Jagged Little Pill,” Alanis Morissette and the album’s producer/co-writer Glen Ballard are recording an acoustic version of the landmark set, Billboard.biz has exclusively learned.
The as-yet-untitled Maverick album will come out June 13 — exactly 10 years to the day after the original release — and initially will be sold only at Starbucks’ 4,500 North American outlets. The coffee retailer has a six-week exclusive before the set goes to traditional retail and other outlets July 26.
Morissette estimates that she has acoustically worked up 75% of the songs from “Jagged Little Pill” over the years in concert, but she still looks forward to what she can bring to them now.
“My voice has changed over the last 10 years in a way that I’m just loving,” she says. “I have access to notes that I never had access to.”
The new collection will include previously unreleased video footage. Price and format are still being determined. The new version will feature different artwork and title from the 1995 release.
The six-week window “gives Starbucks time to feel they have some ownership, but not full ownership,” Maverick CEO Guy Oseary says. “It was important to me that people could get it anywhere. I think regular retail will understand this is a one-off with Starbucks.”
Starbucks has a small profit participation for all U.S. sales outside of its own outlets, a source says.
Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard would not discuss details of the financial arrangement with Maverick or how much the chain will spend marketing the acoustic record.
“We can’t put a dollar value in terms of what we invest,” Lombard says. “But just as important as our reach of 4,500 stores is the frequency: The core Starbucks customer comes into the store up to 18 times a month. When you think about exposing the artists’ music to that base, no other retailer can provide that level of exposure.”
Morissette, who is booked by Creative Artists Agency, will tour acoustically behind the album, playing theaters in June and July. She will follow the acoustic project with a hits set by Christmas.
“Jagged Little Pill” has sold 30 million units worldwide, according to Maverick. In the United States, it has sold 14.4 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
