News & UK Play Chart

In March, Facebook overtook Google to become the most visited site on the Web. And what’s more, according to recent statistics, a whopping 50% of its 350 million plus users log into it every single day. More than 35 million of its users update their status everyday too – that’s a lot of active engagement – and it means their friends need to be able to access the web to stay up to speed with the latest goings on in their social circle.

Add to the mix rapidly-growing upstart Twitter, business essential LinkedIn and photo-hoster Flickr, itself a resource for over four billion images (and counting), and a picture soon emerges of a growing number of must-visit sites, whose dedicated users can’t be out of the loop for too long.

Thanks to the wonders of wi-fi there’s no need to be left out in the cold anymore, meaning terminal tweeters can share their latest musings, Facebook fiends find out what their friends got up to on their holidays as soon as they touch back down and budding Alan Sugars can do a bit of networking over lunch, via LinkedIn. It doesn’t take an entrepreneur to know that wi-fi connectivity is paramount in our new social networking age. Wi-fi in your pub, bar, cafe or hotel is as necessary as the furniture customers and patrons sit on.

Creating the right ambience in a venue’s a tricky thing. Get it right and it’ll feel like a home from home, get it wrong and you’ll set people’s teeth on edge as they battle to have a conversation over a blast of highly inappropriate Hip Hop, or cover their ears to avoid another Rick Wakeman solo.

Luckily, the days when you had to rely on your staff bringing in music from the more questionable corners of their CD collection, or having the same mix-tape stuck on a loop day-in, day-out, are gone. Thanks to Soundnet’s free background music software you can create the perfect environment for your customers, whether they’re into hair metal or acid jazz, and remove the risk of hearing the same song every day for a month all at once.

It’s also interesting to note that background music can, and does, influence customer behaviour. A French study conducted in 2008 showed that customers, on average, order an extra drink, and drink more quickly, when there is faster or louder music on in the background. And you don’t need any studies to tell you that making your venue seem welcoming, and playing the music your customers want to hear, will make it a far more appealing, inviting place to spend their time (and money).

Amy Winehouse’s long-awaited follow up to 2006’s hugely successful Back To Black is finally on its way, with an expected release in January 2011. Amy’s going back to the influences which made her last album a huge success, telling journalists her forthcoming release will be "another jukebox album".

This has given fans and critics reason to hope for more hits like Rehab and Tears Dry On Their Own, recalling the glory days of Motown and darker 60s Soul. Here’s our look at some of the influences we can expect to hear on Amy’s third album:

Etta James

One of the undoubted queens of soul, Etta had the voice and the diva attitude on show in Amy, not to mention her fair share of demons, including a substance abuse problem.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hear: At Last

The Specials

The Ska kings have recently reunited and Amy’s been known to cover their version of Toots and the Maytals’ Monkey Man in her live shows. Expect a bit of sun-kissed Ska on the new LP: a hangover from her months in St Lucia.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hear: Too Much, Too Young

Phil Spector

Another troubled music star, Spector produced some of the greatest pop songs of all time, masterminding the Ronettes and a whole host of other girl bands whose influence is evident on Back To Black.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hear: Be My Baby

Motown

The Motown sound defined young American pop in the 60s, and from the sample of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough on Back To Black, to Mark Ronson’s love of brass, Motown’s never too far from Amy’s mind.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hear: Heard It Through The Grapevine

Amy’s new album will be available on Soundnet’s digital jukeboxes in the New Year

With Soundnet’s Smart Quiz application on your digital jukebox you have everything you need to host a brilliant pub quiz, without the need for expensive quiz masters or mobile PAs. Here are our top five tips for a great quiz night.

Promotion

Quiz nights are a huge draw, so spread the word about yours in advance, giving would-be masterminds plenty of chance to pencil the date in their diaries (in between learning England monarchs by heart...).

Have a break

With Soundnet’s pub quiz software you can run an automated quiz, building in breaks so punters can pause for drinks and to dust off their thinking caps. If you’d rather be hands-on, there’s an option allowing a staff member to push all the right buttons using the intuitive interface.

Make it immersive

Aside from saving you a fortune, the Soundnet Smart Quiz application allows you to take full advantage of your digital jukebox, seamlessly integrating music and video clips to illustrate questions and make your customers feel fully immersed in an ultra-modern quiz experience.

Keep it fresh

Soundnet’s Smart Quiz comes with an initial bank of a thousand quiz questions, and thanks to being hooked up to the Internet it boasts monthly updates of a further 250 questions. That’s not all – the smart technology randomly selects questions which haven’t been used before, ensuring you don’t repeat yourself and give regulars an easy ride.

Keep it regular

You’ve got a packed-out venue, and everyone’s talking about your slick, immersive quiz – so why leave it there? Turn it into a regular monthly, or even weekly, event and watch the regular, loyal customers flock in.

So, Apple has another gleaming hit on its hands with the iPad. Within four weeks of its launch in the US, over a million high-tech tablets were snapped up. Interestingly, the wi-fi enabled units provided the key sales. The alternative, 3G iPads are costlier to buy and maintain.

The success of the wi-fi iPad is yet another sign that wireless connectivity is fast becoming essential for any commercial business wanting to maximise customer dwell time.

On another note, the San Francisco Chronicle reports the iPad is popular among OAPs – it seems older folks find it easier, more readable and better for people with basic computer skills than a laptop. Maybe that’s why I’ve got to get my hands on one when the iPads finally storm these shores!

With an estimated 22,000 taking place in the UK every week the pub quiz has gone from occasional money-spinner to pub mainstay. Not only do quizzes foster a loyal, and regular, base of customers – they’re also the perfect way of boosting the coffers.

Creating a stimulating and engrossing quiz experience is easier than it’s ever been. Gone are the days when the only option was a hired quizmaster or the plucky landlord trying their hand at light entertainment – thanks to Soundnet’s quiz package you can have a fully automated quiz at your fingertips.

The automated option saves on overheads and allows you to seamlessly blend audio and video content from your digital jukebox, creating an enhanced, immersive quiz bound to keep people coming back, win or lose.

Even landlords formerly averse to the idea of quizzes have started to come around to the benefits of a regular event on their quieter nights, with some even opting to take out their satellite TV and swapping it for a quiz machine – with lucrative results.

Find out more about Soundnet’s quiz package and see why we’ve got all the answers you need to provide a cutting-edge quiz experience.