SEATTLE - STARBUCKS plans to give away 50 million free digital songs to customers in all of its domestic coffee houses to promote a new wireless iTunes music service that is about to debut in select markets.

From Oct 2 to Nov 7, baristas in the company's more than 10,000 US stores will hand out about 1.5 million 'Song of the Day' cards each day. The cards can be redeemed at Apple's online iTunes Store.

Thirty-seven artists with featured songs include Paul McCartney and Joni Mitchell - the first two to sign on with Starbucks' Hear Music label - along with Joss Stone, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Annie Lennox and Band of Horses.

The first song will be Bob Dylan's Joker Man. Also on Oct 2, Starbucks will start selling iTunes digital release cards that allow a full album of music and bonus material to be downloaded online.

KT Tunstall's Drastic Fantastic and the soundtrack to the film Into the Wild with new music from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will be the first two featured albums, retailing for US$14.99 (S$22.50) and US$11.99 respectively.

Starbucks also will offer a limited-edition reloadable purchasing card that includes two free iTunes downloads when customers register their cards online.

Earlier this month, Starbucks and Apple announced a partnership that will allow users of Apple's iPhone and the new iPod Touch to download songs playing in a Starbucks shop directly to their portable devices.

The coffee chain's icon will light up on the iPhone or Touch whenever a user is within range of a Starbucks shop's Wi-Fi signal.

People with the devices - or a laptop with iTunes software - will also be able to use the signal for free to browse and buy other iTunes music.

The service will launch at 600 Starbucks shops in Seattle and New York on Oct 2, then roll out in San Francisco in early Nov.

Starbucks plans to have the service up and running in a quarter of its stores by the end of next year and in all US stores with wireless networks by the end of 2009.

There are no immediate plans to expand the service to international markets. -- AP