The Barrel is a traditional pub near Crewe town centre. It provides a wide range of beers and has built up a good reputation for live music nights.

Shaun is a local who has worked in pubs around Crewe since he was a teenager – starting out as a glass collector and working his way up the trade until finally running his own pub.

The Barrel previously had its own CD jukebox but it wasn’t getting much use. Hire Jukebox then installed a Milestones in Music jukebox that proved to be a great success. Now the pub has taken it one step further by upgrading to the new VenueHub jukebox.

What made you decide to install a touchscreen jukebox?

We previously had a CD jukebox but it just wasn’t getting used. The demand was there for music but when customers looked at the selection they usually just walked away. I started buying a number of Now That’s What I Call Music albums and other compilations to see if that would help but it was becoming expensive and we still couldn’t cater for everyone’s taste in music. After listening to the customers, I asked a local landlord where he got his pub jukebox and he advised me to call Hire Jukebox. Marc came to see me, saw the potential and installed a new digital jukebox within a week.

What was the best advantage of changing to a digital jukebox?

It was a number of things really. The biggest advantage is the amount of choice – there are that many different songs on there, it’s impossible not to find something you like. Then there is the fact that we get new music updated every week. I’ll be honest, I’m no music expert but I don’t have to worry about what CDs to buy any more. This jukebox has all the latest music automatically without me doing anything. It’s amazing.

How would you compare the sound to your previous jukebox?

I used to think the sound quality on our old CD jukebox was good but I didn’t have anything to compare it too. With these new touchscreen jukeboxes, the music sounds crystal clear. Looking back, I can’t believe we actually used to put up with skipping CDs as though it was the norm. I’m also pretty impressed with the new speakers that were installed with our new jukebox. We can turn the volume right up with out any distortion.

How did your customers take to the new jukebox?

Oh they love it. They had all been going on about how I need to get a digital jukebox in and move with the times! Now they tell me we have the best jukebox in Crewe!

What type music are your customers playing?

I would say in general mostly new releases but it all depends who’s in. During the day they tend to play a lot of sixties but in the evening it tends to be a bit more up-tempo chart music. They can be playing anything from Stone Rose to Cliff Richards. As long as they are happy, that’s all that counts.

How does it work for you as a background music system?

Great. We were advised to have the jukebox play a song every few minutes with a couple of minutes’ gap in between the songs. The gap is to encourage people to put some money in to play a song and it works. During quiet times it adds a bit of atmosphere to the place.

How much does it cost to play a song on your jukebox?

We have is set to 50p for one song, 3 songs for a £1 and 7 songs for £2. Most people chuck in a couple of quid in at a time as it’s good value for money.

Has the jukebox been profitable?

The jukebox has exceeded my expectations in terms of what it takes a week but it wasn’t about the money really, it was always to keep the customers happy. We have definitely noticed an increase in wet sales since we had the jukebox installed as well. The customers tend to stay longer when the music is in full flow. Believe me, we’ve had some good nights with that jukebox!

What is your favourite feature on your new jukebox – the VenueHub?

It’s go to be “Music Spider”. You enter a band or artist and the jukebox suggests something else you may like? We’ve all tried it and I have to say it’s very accurate. It saves having using your brain when you’ve had a few!

Finally, what would your advice be to any pub landlords considering installing a jukebox?

Just do it, what you got to lose? I’ve got the best jukebox on the market and it doesn’t cost me a penny. How can you go wrong with that?