News & Jukebox Chart

Recognising that each venue has its own very special set of requirements when it comes to background music, Soundnet are committed to fully researching each establishment to suggest the best jukebox system for their needs.

In the case of the soon to be legendary bar and live music venue, The Zombie Hut in Corby, for example, it was instantly obvious that The Rockbox was the right option. With major name rock artists already lined up to play at the newly opened venue, including Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen and The Libertines’ Carl Barat, it was crucial the jukebox offered a credible rock music selection. As the Zombie Hut’s owner, Ari Watkins emphasises, “We needed a jukebox but didn't want mainstream chart music.”

Watkins was immediately impressed by the variety of alternative music styles offered by The Rockbox, covering all sub-genres of rock including punk, indie and metal. In Watkins’ own words, “It's perfect as we are a very music orientated crowd and our customers enjoy a wide range of diverse music. It's been well received.”

Understandably, sound quality was also an important factor for Watkins, so the jukebox was connected up to the venue’s existing powerful sound system to offer an invigorating listening experience throughout the two-story venue.

This whole set-up was installed in record quick time to beat the countdown to The Zombie Hut’s big opening night, to the delight of the venue’s first ever customers. In fact, the Rockbox proved such a massive success with the crowd that the machine’s takings stacked up to an impressive £200 within the first two weeks.

Watkins was overjoyed with this result, concluding;

“No need to pay for background music when we have a jukebox that makes money as opposed to costing us money.”

Contact the Soundnet team to learn more about the extensive variety of background music packages available and find the one that’s perfect for your venue.

Hospitality industry publication, Scottish Licensed Trade News, is warning bar and club owners not to fall behind in terms of background music technology, as online streaming services like Spotify shift consumer expectations for music variety.

In a recent article featuring Soundnet’s Marketing Manager Toby Hoyte, the trade journal informs readers of the numerous benefits digital background music systems and jukeboxes can have for their venues. As Hoyte explains;

“Sites that have held on to their CD jukeboxes are finally seeing the value in changing over and benefitting from automatic music updates with the latest tracks, profiled to their venues.” This option gives pub and bar owners the chance to offer their customers the most popular tracks without having to continuously purchase and install new CDs. In turn, this can have a dramatic effect on jukebox takings, since chart and new releases typically represent over 80 per cent of jukebox play counts.

Beyond profit from song selections though, background music systems have also been proven to boost overall cashbox levels. As Laura Ferguson of official music licensing body the PPL confirms;

“In addition to providing a key point of difference for licensed premises, our research has shown that music can also contribute to a business’s overall success. This is particularly true for those operating in the licensed and hospitality trade, with 73% of bars and pubs questioned agreeing that playing music increased sales.”

Hoyte goes on to add that prices are no longer a factor to dissuade landlords from embracing new background music technology, especially as Soundnet offers a profit share pricing option with no rental fees.

“The cost of entry-level digital jukeboxes and music packages is now so low,” reports Hoyte, concluding, “There really is no need to rely on background music or an old CD jukebox for entertainment.”

Contact Soundnet to learn more about upgrading to the latest jukebox background music system in your pub, bar or club.

Through conducting a series of experiments using MRI scanners, Canadian scientists from the Montreal Neurological Institute have discovered listening to new music has a positive effect on brain activity.

Despite the fact music represents an abstract concept, the researchers observed that when played new tracks, the participants’ brain reactions mirrored those in situations where a subject expects to receive a reward such as food or money.

For Soundnet’s team of music enthusiasts, this finding was hardly surprising. We have always been passionate about discovering new music, from uncovering forgotten treasures or unknown independent artists to hearing the latest releases from big name artists. Of course, we know we aren’t the only ones, which is why our background music systems include a number of innovative features designed to aid music discovery.

Firstly, Soundnet hold an agreement with the Official Charts Company making us the only jukebox operator to feature the weekly chart on our jukeboxes. This partnership, combined with regular automatic updates of new releases and exclusive pre-release tracks, allows pubs to remain at the forefront of new music, with a knock-on effect on jukebox takings.

Stumbling across a new favourite song shouldn’t be limited to the latest artists though. With over 7 million songs available to access online through the latest VenueHub jukeboxes, there are thousands of music history’s biggest talents that you never realised you loved. Landlords even have the option to request additional tracks such as undiscovered local bands to add to the jukebox library.

This may sound like an overwhelming degree of choice, but Soundnet have solved this dilemma with a variety of intuitive ways to browse the music collection, a Last.Fm link-up and the clever Music Spider app. This last feature asks jukebox users to enter their favourite artist and automatically returns branches leading to other similar musicians, creating a trail of exploration specifically tailored to each customer’s tastes.

Through these engaging features, we’re proud to be able to say that digital jukeboxes help create a positive ambiance in pubs up and down the country by introducing patrons to great new music.

As self-confessed music obsessives, the Soundnet team were incredibly pleased to hear that the AIM Music Awards will return for a third year, paying tribute to the most talented independent artists in the business today.

Soundnet firmly believe in the importance of events like the AIMs to help unsigned artists gain vital recognition; just imagine where music would be if influential artists like The Beatles or Elvis had never been discovered.

High profile awards ceremonies are hardly the only way to raise awareness for promising independent musicians though. Soundnet are also working to use our position as the UK’s leading jukebox operator to support both landlords and local musical artists.

Through our specialist Venue Favourites service, Soundnet invites pub or bar owners to make their own specific requests to add to the VenueHub jukebox’s already extensive library of over 30,000 tracks. This serves as a great way for landlords to showcase up-and-coming artists from the local area, and can help them earn a significant rise in jukebox takings as the artists’ friends and families select their tracks.

Holding live music nights featuring these independent musicians within the pub or bar can then extend this fan-base further, benefiting both the artist and the venue as new crowds are drawn in.

Many landlords might presume that a jukebox competes with live music, but in fact the opposite is true. Soundnet’s jukeboxes can be programmed to keep crowds entertained during intervals or while events are being set up, preventing a lull in the ambiance. More importantly, the jukebox’s touchscreen display serves as a perfect medium for advertising a calendar of upcoming events and providing preview tracks from the artists involved.

Used together, these strategies enable a pub to establish itself as the hub of local music, creating a sense of community that sets it apart from the competition.

Soundnet are delighted to report that our background music serviceshave been featured in national industry publication, Music Week, as the only jukebox operator to partner with the Official Charts Company.

Given the magazine’s reputation within the music industry, running for more than fifty years and read by over 5000 sector members, the piece represents a real recognition of Soundnet’s efforts to become the UK’s leading jukebox service provider.

As the Music Week article conveys, Soundnet’s recent deal with the Official Charts Company aims to solidify this position and prove Soundnet’s commitment to providing customers with a more engaging jukebox experience. The partnership sees Soundnet become the exclusive jukebox operator to feature the Official UK Singles Chart, giving landlords the opportunity to offer pub-goers the latest Sunday chart entries the very next day.

This has particularly important consequences for landlords’ cash box levels, given that Soundnet research shows Chart and New Releases represent eighty per cent of jukebox selections. As Giles Jones, Head of Commercial at the Official Charts Company, explained at the time of the deal;

“For many music fans, an evening out wouldn’t be the same without the UK’s latest hits as a soundtrack. We are delighted to renew and exclusively extend our agreement with Soundnet and significantly increase the reach of the Official Singles Chart to the consumer.”

In support of this on-going partnership with the Official Chart Company, Soundnet have been working on developing a number of new jukebox features to help pub-goers discover fresh chart tracks and emerging artists.

“The Official Charts Company is fully committed to expanding its reach of the chart,” asserts Soundnet’s Managing Director, Simon Davis, concluding, “This will only benefit our customers and the income in the jukeboxes.”

Take a look at Soundnet’s jukebox information pagesto learn more about why major brands including the Arcadia Group and Marston’s choose our innovative background music services for their venues.

Here are Soundnet, we were amazed last week to learn that legendary British rock ballad singer, Bonnie Tyler, will be representing the UK in this year’s Eurovision song contest in May.

In recent years, the international musical competition has become something of a novelty for British viewers, not least because political motivations seem to have quashed any hope that the UK might win.

Seeing an iconic artist like Tyler taking up the challenge for our country however, we were reminded that Eurovision hasn’t always been quite so much of an exaggerated spectacle. In fact, a surprisingly large number of well-known artists have entered the competition since it began over fifty years ago, and this week we’ve decided to dedicate the blog to some of the most memorable.

Undoubtedly the most recognised band to ever gain fame from the contest is Swedish pop sensation Abba, who won the contest in 1974 with their first ever single; ‘Waterloo.’ The enduring popularity of this pop classic, including on jukeboxes across the country, is proof that the characteristic upbeat, catchy style of the contest doesn’t have to mean bland pop songs.

Five years before Abba’s win, British treasure Lulu claimed a joint win with Spain, France and the Netherlands, singing Boom Bang-a-Bang. The song not only won the attention of Eurovision fans though, it also reached second place in the UK singles chart.

The 2000 song contest saw a surprise winner from Denmark’s Olsen Brothers, bucking the trend of young performers as two of the oldest artists to enter, with their traditional ballad, ‘Fly on the wings of love.’ What makes this entry more memorable though, is the fact it was later covered to become an international dance hit in nightclubs across Europe.

Looking ahead to this year’s competition in two months’ time, we hope that Bonnie Tyler’s entry might repeat the success of these tracks in the nation’s pubs and bars, if not in the contest itself. Who knows, perhaps one day we may even see a return to the days when Eurovision just stood for great popular music.