News & Jukebox Chart

Salford Landlord, Ken Devereaux, is keen to announce that jukebox takings have doubled for the Salford Arms since the venue began using its digital jukebox to promote local music. “We've been advised how to use this jukebox to the full potential and I put that down to the success we've had to date,” Devereaux comments.

The Salford Arms has always taken pride in championing talented local artists through hosting regular live music events, Devereaux explains. Recently, however, this support was taken to the next level, as Devereaux began using the jukebox’s ‘What’s on’ feature to provide customers with a digital calendar of upcoming events.

“The jukebox is in a fantastic position so it's great for advertising what's on and promoting special events such as our increasingly popular open mic night,” affirms Devereaux.

What’s more, Salford Arms pub-goers can now enjoy local music even on nights when no band is playing, thanks to advice on making the most of the Soundnet’s Venue Favourites option by adding local artists’ tracks to the jukebox library. As Devereaux puts it,

“We have had the jukebox profiled to play the right music to cater for our regulars. Local bands that play love the fact we can help promote their music via the jukebox.”

One such artist, award winning local songwriter, Sarah de Warren, showed her appreciation at having her tracks featured on the Salford Arms’ jukebox, commenting,

“Thanks so much for putting them up for me, so excited to hear them on there! I'm re-recording a bunch of my songs over Christmas, so when they're done I'll definitely email them over for the jukebox.”

The pub’s customers seem similarly excited to have the option to listen to local music, to the extent that the latest offering by Salford-based band Buffalo, is now the jukebox’s most played track, causing Devereaux to assert that, “The jukebox is the heart of our venue.”

To find out how Soundnet’s musical expertise could help drive community spirit and improve jukebox takings in your venue, contact the Soundnet team.

In a special end of year blog, Soundnet’s marketing manager, Toby Hoyte, reflects on how music has shaped 2012:

For me this year’s big musical event, the one that got everyone talking, was Danny Boyle’s Olympic opening ceremony, ‘The Isle of Wonder’. As I was watching the ceremony, people were commenting live on Facebook and Twitter. Friends who don’t usually have an opinion on music were online giving their thoughts on the Arctic Monkeys doing The Beatles or asking questions about why Oasis or the Smiths were not really featured. The following morning there were Spotify playlists doing the rounds and then a week or so later the official CD album came out.

It was great; I loved it. It gave me the chance to show off about how much I have always loved one of the tracks featured in the ceremony, ‘Surf Solar’, and how I had been coincidently pushing people to listen to it online in the weeks previous to that evening. What I liked most, though, was how everyone was rabbiting on about music and how people were then sharing playlists via Spotify and posting Youtube links on Facebook or Twitter.

In fact this legitimate sharing of music was what inspired us to decide to create our Soundnet Fave Tracks of 2012 list. It was Simon Davis, my MD here at Soundnet, who emailed everyone a couple of weeks ago and asked us to email back our favourite tunes of the year.

So here is our list:

It took a little editing but I think we have created a great little on trend, mix of 2012’s biggest pop hits, ground-breaking new alternative artists and what is probably the best Rolling Stones track of the last 20 years.

If you want any of these songs, or the complete playlist, for your background music or jukebox, get in touch.

List of tracks:

SBTRKT FEAT. SAMPHA – HOLD ON

ROLLING STONES – DOOM & GLOOM

GRIMES – OBLIVION

CAT POWER – CHEROKEE

JACK WHITE - SIXTEEN SALTINES

ALT-J – BREEZEBLOCKS

MUSE – PANIC STATION

BIFFY CLYRO – STINGIN’ BELLE

ALUNA GEORGE – YOUR DRUMS, YOUR LOVE

GRIMES – GENESIS

SANTIGOLD – DISPARATE YOUTH

PLAN B – ILL MANORS

LANA DEL RAY – BORN TO DIE

MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER – I FOLLOW YOU

RICHARD HAWLEY – LEAVE YOUR BODY BEHIND YOU

GAURAV WADHWANI – GOD IS LOVE

JAKE BUGG – LIGHTNING BOLT

RICHARD HAWLEY – SHE BRINGS THE LIGHT

TAME IMPALA – ELEPHANT

SHEFALI ALVARIS & KAVITA SETH – TUM HO HO BANDHU

ORB FEAT. LEE SCRATCH PERRY – GOLDEN CLOUDS

ADELE – SKYFALL

DAVID GUETTA FEAT. SIA – TITANIUM

EMELI SANDE – READ ALL ABOUT IT (PT III)

FUN – WE ARE YOUNG

GARY BARLOW & COMMENWEALTH BAND – SING

GOTYE – SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW

Despite the fact the jukeboxes of today represent sophisticated digital entertainment systems, pub-goers still seem to see the jukebox with a hint of fond nostalgia. In honour of the jukebox’s on-going vintage appeal, this blog post will take a sentimental look back at the evolution of the humble jukebox, from its invention back in 1889 to the present day.

The jukebox’s story begins over a century ago in the Palais Royale Saloon, San Francisco, where the first ever jukebox was developed by the Pacific Phonograph Company.

This early machine was formed of four stethoscope-like tubes, used in the same way as modern-day headphones, connected to an Edison Class M electric gramophone housed inside a wooden cabinet. This original jukebox was given the not-so-memorable name of ‘nickel-in-the-slot player’, as it functioned by inserting nickel coins, worth around $1.08 in modern currency.

Fortunately for the Palais Royal, the new machine was an overnight success, and quickly became so popular that it soon replaced the self-playing piano as the background music system of choice for most pubs and bars.

Over time, the mechanisms behind the jukebox began to change, with amplification technology allowing whole bars worth of customers to enjoy their favourite songs, instead of the four patrons served by the original machine.

Alongside the evolution of this much-loved invention, the machine’s name also changed as consumers began adopting the term ‘jukebox’, as they are known today. The reason behind this change in terminology is still largely undetermined, though it may relate to the slang term ‘juke house’, used at the time to describe a rowdy public house.

There’s no doubt that modern digital jukeboxes are a world apart from these original models, but as the lively meaning behind its name might suggest, the jukebox’s ability to captivate a crowd dates right back to its initial creation and seems likely to continue well into the future.

To step back from the past and look towards the future of background music systems, read up on the numerous special features offered by the latest digital jukeboxes here.

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 this week, is a product of Start-Up Britain and Pub is the Hub. The campaign askes pub patrons to submit eye–catching business ideas on the back of specially produced beer mats. The pub which returns the most entries will be given the title of  'Britain's Most Entrepreneurial pub' and will win a laptop, as well as expert advice from one of the country's leading entrepreneurs.

Commenting on the launch of the scheme, Pub is the Hub chief executive John Longden said:

"When we launched Pub is the Hub in Essex somebody told us, ‘I actually use my local pub to find out who is the best plasterer, joiner or builder in the area — so if I do need any business advice I go down the pub and I ask them. It demonstrated to us the hidden role of licensees in their communities."

The team at Soundnet agree with John's comments; pubs are the centre of many communities, providing punters with an opportunity to network, share stories and discuss the news topics of the day. The Beermat Entrepreneur initiative is an ambitious scheme and we wish it every success.

This scheme (and others like it) relies on a good community pub to succeed. Indeed, a pub must offer a warm, welcoming atmosphere in order to be this centre of the suburb, village or town.

And the background music of a pub plays a big part in this. The right background music in a pub can create an atmosphere vital to attracting the right sort of clientele. Discover more about the best pub background music here.

Despite the fact Mariah Carey's festive tune All I Want For Christmas Is You never actually made it to number one in the singles chart, it has topped a poll to find the decade's most played Christmas song. The poll was carried out by the PPL, the body behind collecting royalties for artists, and they discovered that Mariah pipped The Pogues' Fairytale Of New York and Wham!'s Last Christmas to the post as the most-played festive ditty. Like the Mariah Carey song, both The Pogues and Wham!'s efforts also stalled at number two in the charts when released as singles.

Mariah's anthem was released in 1994 and has since become a mainstay of radio and music channels' yuletide playlists, making it a bona fide modern classic. Its position at the top of the PPL poll means it's a must-have for any Christmas soundtrack, alongside older festive hits like Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody and Bing and Bowie's Little Drummer Boy. Make sure your venue is ready for the season with Soundnet's Christmas song package, and give your customers' Crimbo drinks or seasonal dos the perfect tinsel-tinged atmosphere.

On the 23rd of November, 1889, the world's first ever jukebox was installed in San Francisco's Palais Royale Saloon, and a craze that was set to sweep venues across the world was born. The brains behind this new device were the Pacific Phonograph Co. and while it wasn't quite as sophisticated as a modern digital device it quickly became a word-of-mouth hit.

The machine was made of four tubes which looked a little like stethoscopes and were attached to an electric phonograph, all contained within an oak cabinet. It wasn't called a jukebox at the time – the man who brought it to the Palais Royale, Louis Glass, christened it a 'nickel-in-the-slot-machine' – but it could cater to up to four customers at a time, thanks to its separate listening tubes. There was even a towel provided so listeners could give their tube a quick wipe before listening.

The success of this first ever jukebox (the name jukebox came later, possibly as a reference to juke houses – the slang name for rowdy nightspots) signalled the death knell for the player piano, which up until this nickel machine was the most popular way for drinkers to sample the hits of the day.

Colombia might not have qualified for this year’s World Cup in South Africa, but they’ll still be represented at the showpiece tournament thanks to their most famous singing export – Shakira.

She’s been picked to provide the official song for the tournament, alongside South Africa’s Freshlyground, and with football in the blood in Colombia we’ve no doubt she’ll be up to the task.

The Hips Don’t Lie star has teamed up with the Afro-fusion band from Cape Town to record the track called Time For Africa, which is available for download from 26 April. She’ll perform it live with the band at the World Cup’s opening ceremony in Soweto on the 10th of June, in front of a global audience of billions. She’ll reprise it before the final on July 11 (hopefully in front of a stadium full of England fans).

Let’s hope Shakira doesn’t pull a Diana Ross at the US 1994 opening ceremony and miss a penalty from close-range – that moment’s still one of my favourite footy gaffs.

Get your venue in the mood for the World Cup with the track, and a whole host of other football themed songs in Soundnet’s bespoke football package.
 

The issue of online copyright law was brought into focus when a pub owner in the UK was faced with an £8,000 fine in November last year after its open wireless Internet connection was used to illegally download copyrighted material. The Cloud, hotspot provider to the pub, declined to name its location.

With the passing of the Digital Economy Bill it looks like this large fine, the first of its kind in the UK, won’t be the last. Under the new legislation the owner of the copyright which has been infringed will only need to target the address which owns the Internet connection used – in this case the pub in question.

Bringing a case against someone infringing on copyright isn’t a new thing, but targeting the Internet hotspot rather than the individual is – and makes clear the need for anyone providing web access to their customers to ensure there are filters in place.

The increasing crackdown on illegal downloading means Internet usage will be under more scrutiny than ever, and it’s absolutely essential to go down the proper channels when providing music, video and web content to your customers, or risk being punished for their misdemeanours.

Soundnet’s James Luck found himself trapped in Spain after his holiday, here’s his tale of how wi-fi saved the day:

I found myself trapped in Spain this Easter holiday, thanks to the volcanic ash cloud grounding flights back home last week. Luckily, with various iphones, itouches and  the power of wi-fi, we were able to find alternative ways home, plot the final drive, organise accommodation and even keep up with work.

Being two adults and two teenagers with five Internet-enabled devices between us, we first found out about the volcanic ash cloud and its effects on flights via email and Facebook updates.

When the flight was officially cancelled we immediately booked a ferry from Le Havre online and the family were on the road in our hire-car, checking regularly for updates on departure times, traffic situation and of course the route itself – with maps accessed in wi-fi hotspots saved as screen grabs there was never any danger of getting lost.

On the two-day journey home every McDonald’s wi-fi hotspot was met with cheers – not only could the teens keep up to speed with friends via social networking, I could cancel meetings, check emails and ensure we were on target to make the departure time. We made it to Le Havre with three hours to spare. The boat didn’t have wi-fi but we were online again as soon as the white cliffs were in view – the 3G miraculously making it out to us from good old Blighty.

It isn’t just tourists, or our own James Luck, who were grounded by the volcanic ash clouds last week. The glitzy US festival Coachella had a good few notable absentees thanks to the weather, with a host of British musicians unable to travel for their scheduled shows.

The fact Gary Numan couldn’t make the event is maybe the most ironic of all – he’s got a pilot’s license! Even under his own steam, however, the Cars star was no match for the dust – and neither were fellow 80s icons Bernard Sumner or Johnny Marr.

Former New Order frontman Sumner has a new band, Bad Lieutenant, but they had to cancel their big US show. Marr meanwhile, currently lending his jangly chords to Wakefield’s Cribs, was stuck in Blighty. It’s almost as if the skies have no respect for our indie heroes – don’t they realise he was in The Smiths...?

If you want to create a festival feeling without the need for mud or long queues for the toilet it’s simple – just load up your digital jukebox with Soundnet’s MIM or Rockbox package and experience all the hits with the added bonus of having a comfy seat and no risk of rain.

This month music lost one of its biggest characters, and revolutionaries, with the death of Malcolm McLaren. Having overseen the birth of British Punk, McLaren changed the face, and the dress-code, of pop culture and not only gave the world the Sex Pistols, but made sure they were suitably attired to boot.
Kicking music up the backside, McLaren’s unique vision meant he was always a few steps ahead of the game, and whether that meant kitting out his group in bondage gear or staging a Situationist style protest gig on a boat, he always knew how to create a stir.
McLaren wasn’t a one-hit wonder either. He constantly innovated, pioneering early Hip Hop, managing Bow Wow Wow and almost running for London Mayor. Well, Boris got it off the back of a TV show. 
His influence can clearly be seen in any band who try to shock, who dress to impress or who know that three chords and a melody pinched from ABBA is all you really need.
He was a one-off, and even when he didn’t get it right he was never less than fascinating. What better way to remember him than sticking on some Punk and partying like it’s 1977?
 

A survey on drinking habits in Europe has found Britain is the binge drinking capital of the continent, with none of our European counterparts consuming as much in one sitting as us Brit

The survey, carried out by Eurobarometer, found 12% of the British population confessed to consuming up to 10 drinks in a session, a figure which puts us way ahead of the rest of the 27 EU member nation

Only Malta and Finland came close, with one in ten surveyed able to match our single-session intake. The good news was that, while we might drink the most in one go, we aren’t top of the pile when it comes to frequency of boozing.

Brits drink four times a week on average – less than many nations polled. With Europe at the top of the world’s per capita alcohol chart, and Britain way out in front in Europe, it’s a worrying sign for the state of the nation’s livers, not least when alcohol costs over £100 billion in European healthcare annually.

The balance between enjoying a drink and drinking to excess is a fine one, but with more under-18s binging it seems like the time is right for more education on the matter, to ensure we Brits enjoy a drink sensibly, and safely.