In this week’s instalment of our ‘Ask Marc’ blogs, Karen Pain from Manchester wants to know about making the move into the digital jukebox age, writing;

“We have a digital jukebox but it’s not getting updated very often. The customers have requested an online jukebox. Is this something you do?”

The answer to Pain’s question, quite simply, is a resounding yes.

While many landlords may look back nostalgically to the days of having to manually upload new CDs to the pub jukebox, times have certainly changed in the jukebox industry. With the rise of online streaming services, customers now expect to be able to listen to songs as soon as they are released, and are unwilling to wait for tracks to be added to the jukebox.

To meet this demand, every jukebox model from Hire Jukebox now features an online connection, providing automatic twice-weekly playlist updates. Not only does this save the venue owner the inconvenience of having to purchase and upload songs, it also has a dramatic effect on cash box levels.

New entries to the Sunday chart appear on the jukebox on Monday, and a second round of updates on Thursdays offers customers exclusive access to pre-release content and full chart albums. This means pub-goers gain access to songs at the peak of their popularity, not several weeks later, and are encouraged to check the jukebox for new additions on each visit.  Given the fast-paced nature of the music industry, this can lead to a major increase in jukebox takings over traditional CD jukeboxes.

Beyond simply a question of revenue though, the pub or bar also benefits from a more engaged customer base who appreciate the venue’s ability to stay on top of current music trends.

If you have any questions on the music needs of your venue, don’t hesitate to get in touch; your question could even be featured on our next blog.

Author: Marc Bird