Adele enters record books
British artist Adele has entered the Guinness Word Record Book after breaking several landmark records following the phenomenal success of her second studio album 21. The singer, recently confirmed to be recording the theme tune to the new James Bond film, Skyfall, broke seven records in total, including the first female, first UK artist and…
Bestival to be streamed live across YouTube
Coverage of this year’s Bestival music festival will be broadcast live over the internet after a landmark deal. The event, which is held annually on the Isle of Wight, will be broadcasting across video site YouTube, with 40 acts set to be available to global viewers during the event. It is the first time a…
Pubs and restaurants most welcome for UK holidaymakers
Foreign holidaymakers to Great Britain feel the most welcome in restaurants and pubs, according to a new study from tourist body VisitBritain.com. The study, which questioned 9,000 overseas travellers visiting the country for a holiday, found that 21 per cent of all visitors felt ‘most welcome’ in restaurants, while 13 per cent stated they felt…
Digital jukebox X Factor
Last week saw the return of ITV flagship music programme The X Factor. This, the ninth season of the Simon Cowell brainchild, began on Saturday as judges Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger, Tulisa Contostavlos and Louis Walsh started to sift through the thousands of performers vying for a record deal. There are high expectations surrounding the…
Sheffield’s winning ways continue with Summer of Sport
Hot on the heels of Jessica Ennis’ Olympic gold medal, Sheffield continues its winning streak by claiming the July Summer of Sport title with Darran Wheelhouse, a regular of the Malthouse pub, claiming the second iPad prize of the contest. The Summer of Sport, a monthly competition which runs until the end of August, gives digital…
Background music systems, radio, YouTube: how consumers discover new music
Radio is the most popular way consumers discover new music, according to a new study. A survey by market research company Nielsen found that 48 per cent of music fans in the United States found new songs and artists via radio stations, while seven per cent went to YouTube for their search for tracks. 10…
Scheme launched to help pubs kick-start UK economy
A new campaign designed to put pubs at the centre of the economic recovery was launched this week. The Beermat Entrepreneur initiative, backed by influential industry publication The Morning Advertiser, is designed to harness the power of the pub-going general public in order to jumpstart the UK economy. The initiative, which was launched in London…
Old records outsell new releases
Old records are outselling new releases for the first time since records began in 1991, according to industry body Nielsen Soundscan. The music industry body discovered that the first six months of 2012 saw 76.6 million “catalog” records (those albums released more than 18 months ago) sold, compared to 73.9 million current releases. The top…
Background music systems for an increasingly diverse market
The rising popularity of cocktails across the country means that the spirits category is now worth £5 billion in pubs and clubs and £4 billion in hotels and restaurants. The growing cocktail consumption in the UK has been attributed to a growing shift in consumer behaviours, as well as an increasingly diverse market. Here at…
Roll out the barrel for background music systems in pubs
This week, the Soundnet background music team came across an interesting piece on The Guardian music blog; an article asking readers to share their favourite tracks with a connection to beer and alcohol. The piece, which you can read here, highlighted the rich and diverse collection of music dedicated to beer. “Plenty of music has been…