two new rental deals launched

NEWSLETTER FOR CUSTOMERS OF SOUNDNET
EAG & ICE SHOW SPECIAL I EDITION 10
TWO NEW RENTAL
DEALS LAUNCHED
Jukeboxes have moved centre stage in
recent years, competing and even beating
other forms of pub retail pay per play
equipment for cashbox take.
Canny operators have recognized that
jukeboxes are far from being ancillary
equipment, and make the jukebox their
flagship product in many venues.
Recent significant orders from the UK’s
two largest operators Sceptre and
Gamestec for Sound Leisure jukeboxes
illustrate this point.
We are keen that all operators have
a chance to invest in the latest
jukeboxes in order to realize the
benefits, so we have launched a hire
purchase scheme which will allow all
UK operators to upgrade their estates
for no capital downlay.
There are two standard offers, both
including the cost of the music and
culminating in operator ownership of
the jukebox.
1. A Vhub P32 for £31.28 per week, for
three years and a final payment of
£50 and the jukebox is fully paid for.
2. A Music Milestone for £26.27 per week,
for three years and a final payment of
£50 and the jukebox is fully paid for.
“We trialed this offer last year and without
exception it has proven to be a huge
success. We are now making this offer open
to everyone,” says Toby Hoyte of Soundnet.
“It is now possible to get a brand new
Sound Leisure jukebox within a week for no
capital cost. Operators can use this offer to
grow or establish their business while keep
existing sites happy with the latest machines.“
Welcome
to the first issue of Soundwaves for 2014.
The Soundnet team has just returned from
two very successful exhibitions, EAG and
ICE at London’s Excel. On the first day of
EAG, we announced a landmark agreement
with The Official Charts Company, Gamestec
and our jukebox partner Sound Leisure,
for the supply of 250 unique jukeboxes.
This is obviously a great way to start the
year and follows on from a large order
from Sceptre Leisure for 100 jukeboxes at
the end of 2013.
As jukeboxes increase in importance as
a revenue generator for UK pubs, we are
launching our new rental deals to ensure
that even the smallest operators are able
to invest in the latest technology.
The other major news for this year is
the launch of our soundjack app, which will
enable customers to choose and pay for
their music choices using their smartphones.
We previewed this at the shows and will soft
launch in late April. We estimate this could
increase jukebox income by as much as 30
per cent. Contact one of the team today to
find out how your business could benefit.”
Simon Davis Director
BACKGROUND MUSIC MADE EASY BY SOUNDNET
Finding the right background music to
suit your venue at all times of the day
and ensuring it is properly licensed can be
time consuming. There are still sites that
rely on CD players, which can get stuck,
irritating customers – or lead to piles of
unsightly CDs cluttering the place up.
Soundnet’s background music system is
as simple as loading an app and choosing
the type of music you think would suit
your venue. If you need to make tweaks or
change the tone of the music at any stage,
Soundnet is always happy to help.
The music on our background music
system is fully legal with all the dubbing
rights paid. All you will need to pay is the
PRS/PPL site licence. Then plug your PC into
the site amplifier and you are good to go.
As the Soundnet software is completely
automated - there is no need to worry
about new tracks or the wrong style of
music being played. You can set up timed
playlists to ensure the correct style of music
is played throughout the day and we
can help set
this up for you
if you wish.
ICE GIVES SOUNDJACK
A WARM RECEPTION
The International Casino Show (ICE) was the perfect opportunity
for us to demonstrate our new soundjack app.
soundjack will allow customers to choose and pay for the music they
want to hear in pubs and clubs – either via the jukebox or background
music, using their mobile phones.
We believe that soundjack will enable operators to see an uplift in
music revenue of around 30 per cent.
Seventy-five per cent of the adult population of the UK will have a
smartphone by the close of this year. We are confident that an app
will bring a new demographic to pay-per-play music. Our research
shows that more women will use it, and a greater number of under-34s.
The soundjack app will be available on all online-enabled Sound
Leisure jukeboxes and for customers to download onto their
smartphones from April this year. soundjack will be provided for free
to all online Milestones In Music, Starburst and Vhub jukeboxes with
5% of any mobile income as an administration retained by soundjack.
Soundnet has partnered with mobile payment specialist PayForIt;
which is a mobile payment solution and Paypal; a web based solution
- both options allow customers to make quick, easy and secure
payments with only a mobile number or a Paypal account.
By using the data provided by Soundnet’s exclusive deal with the
Official Charts Company,
soundjack is able to bring
exciting functionality to the
mobile.
Customers will be able to:
· Choose and pay for music
while they are away from
the jukebox – for example
queuing to play pool or
outside in the smoking area.
Mobiles effectively become
mini jukeboxes.
· Interact with Official Singles
Chart based data – and use it as a knowledge base
· Find the nearest locations with a soundjack-enabled jukebox
via their phones
· Make music choices remotely – for example if they know friends
are in a venue
· See the queue of tracks and move their music choice up the list
· Engage with other people and their music selections
NEXT GENERATION SOFTWARE
UNVEILED FOR V-Hub
The record-breaking V-Hub revealed its
overhauled user interface at the London
shows. While V-Hub has undoubtedly
performed incredibly in some sites,
others did report that it was quite
sophisticated to use.
Sound Leisure addressed these issues with the V-Hub 2nd Gen software update, which
is now available to all V-Hub customers free
of charge. V-Hub 2nd Gen will completely
overhaul the design and look of the user
interface of the jukebox, making it much
more intuitive for the
customer. It is based on a
new software platform that
speeds up the processes,
to create a slicker, quicker
experience that also means
Sound Leisure can add
greater functionality
going forward.
The new software update
includes two major new
apps:
Twitter – this allows a
pub or club to have their
own Twitter feed, with a
dedicated hashtag, which
can be accessed on the
jukebox as a timeline and
via a full-screen advert.
This is a fantastic way for a
site to promote their presence by
encouraging customers to Tweet their
location and that of their friends
while out having fun.
Flickr – another huge social media
phenomenon, this time based on images.
Customers to the site are encouraged to
upload their photos onto the site’s flickr
feed. If they tag their pictures #fs – they
will be able to see their pictures full
screen in the pub!
We also unveiled the flagship HD
V-Hub in January. This has got to be
seen to be believed – it benefits from
the new interface and a secondary HD
screen that shows the news feeds,
Twitter timeline and flickr photos local to
the machine. The incredibly popular
Dance Me feature will always be on
display on the secondary screen as well.
This has been further improved in the
new V-Hub software update for all
V-Hub jukeboxes.
MASSIVE ORDER
GETS EAG OFF
TO GREAT START
TOP
TEN TIPS
TO GET THE MOST
FROM OPWEB
During the shows, we unveiled new features
for OPWeb – the online remote management
system for Sound Leisure jukeboxes.
OPWeb is designed to give operators
complete visibility and control over online
jukeboxes by accessing live
and historical
data. Operators will now be able to access
information on their VHub jukeboxes as well.
We have put a lot of work into improving
the interface on OPWeb in order to make it
more intuitive. Here is our list of top ten tips for
operators to get the most of the system.
From left: Stefan Podolanski (Gamestec) Chris Black (Sound Leisure) Peter Davies (Gamestec) and Soundnet’s Simon Davis
During January’s EAG show, the UK’s
largest machine operator, Gamestec,
signed a deal for a minimum of 250
Official Charts Company branded
jukeboxes, to be manufactured by
Sound Leisure and
provided with music
by Soundnet.
The jukeboxes will
have Official Charts
Company front glasses
and will feature not
only the UK singles
charts since they began
but also the album
charts as well. In
addition, the jukeboxes
will stream music news
from The Official Charts
Company.
Chris Black,
Managing Director of
Sound Leisure said, “Once again jukeboxes
are being talked about and are being seen
not only as a viable commercial option for
the operator and retailer, but also as an
essential piece of equipment for the pub.”
The new jukeboxes were unveiled at a
special event at the O2, attended by
leading pub retailers and trade press.
Peter Davies, Commercial Director of
Gamestec Leisure Ltd said, “We have
worked with Sound Leisure and Soundnet
closely over the years as our preferred
suppliers of content and hardware. We
recognise the product quality, investment
in research and development and
professionalism shown by both
organisations as market
leading. We are excited
to be able to extend this
relationship to include
the Official Charts
Company.”
In addition, Giles Jones,
Head of Commercial for
Official Charts Company
spoke of his company’s
relationship with
Soundnet. “Official
Charts Company first
partnered with
Soundnet in 2006,
and since that time
our business together
has grown steadily. In 2013 Soundnet
doubled the presence of The Official
Singles Chart within its estate to 13,000
jukeboxes, covering 65% of the UK
market. We’re thrilled to further build
upon this key partnership and add the
Official Albums Chart to Soundnet’s
jukebox estate, and also work with
Gamestec, the UK’s largest national
machine operator to exclusively launch
The Official Charts Jukebox.”
1. Reboot the jukebox remotely – this is useful if
a jukebox needs a full reset to operate correctly
and accept coins, or to catch up on updates after
a period of no connection.
2. Create a dedicated playlist for a themed
evening and save it to any number of onlineenabled jukeboxes on their estate. Also hide
or delete songs remotely if they are becoming a
problem.
3. Securely access individual Site Data including
jukebox income, to check on the latest releases
and Music Profile to ensure that the right
settings have been placed on the jukebox.
4. Monitor the money – see how well the
machine is performing or not. If the cashbox is
down it is an opportunity to ask why, are the
settings correct for example? Also make sure
the machine is always switched on!
5. Change the background music settings
remotely – saving unnecessary call outs.
6. Save a site’s settings onto a local hard
drive from wherever you may be. You know
they are safe for future use.
7. Use OPWeb to put on remote credits until
you can repair a coin mechanism.
8. Use OPWeb to set managers’ menu access.
9. Tweak the background music settings
using OPWeb.
10. Remove out of date special categories
remotely using OPWeb.
Please note the version of software 2.7.10
needs sending before the latest VHub settings
can be accessed on the new OPWeb.
For more information on
OPWeb please contact Toby
or James on 020 7644 8888
for more details.
CHARTS OF 2013
REVEAL KEY TRENDS
Every year, Soundnet compiles three charts
of most played tracks, artists and classic
tracks. These charts create an interesting
picture of the music people pay to listen to
while out in pubs and clubs.
As expected, chart hits are dominant on
this year’s Most Played Tracks Chart, which
is broadly in line with the top-selling tracks
of last year as compiled by The Official
Charts Company. Blurred Lines, by Robin
Thicke (featuring TI and Pharrell) were
number one in both, although Get Lucky by
Daft Punk – once again featuring Pharrell
– drops down in the Soundnet chart to 4th
place, while in the Official Charts Company
Top Ten it is in 2nd place.
Avicii – the Swedish DJ sensation – is our
number 2 and our overall most played artist
on Soundnet-powered jukeboxes in 2013.
In fact, his single Wake Me Up proved to be
something of an anthem for our customers
with this one track beating all the tracks
from previous favourite band Oasis.
Classic tracks is always the most interesting
category, as it can throw up all sorts of
surprises. For example, AC/DC appears twice
on this chart with Thunderstruck and Back in
Black respectively. In fact, AC/DC even make
it to number four on the top 10 artist
chart for last year – not bad for a band
founded in 1973!
Perhaps the popularity of our RockBox jukebox
designed for alternative music locations has
contributed to this success. But to put it into
perspective against the dominance of chart
tracks - Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines was
played more times than the entire catalogue
of AC/DC in the past 12 months!
“These charts prove the popularity of chart
music on our jukeboxes and demonstrate
how important it is to update them
regularly,” says Toby Hoyte. “Those customers
with online enabled jukeboxes can relax in
the knowledge that their music is updated
automatically with all the latest chart tracks.”
TOP 10 NEW
TRACKS OF 201
3
1 Blurred Lin
es
Robin Thick
e feat. TI & Ph
arrell
2 Wake Me Up
Avicii
3 Let Her Go
Passenger
4 Get Lucky
Daft Punk
feat. Pharrell
Williams 5 La La La
Naughty Bo
y feat. Sam Sm
ith
6 Burn
Ellie Gould
ing
7 Waiting All
Nig
Rudimental ht
feat. Ella Eyre
8 Dear Darlin
’
Olly Murs
9 Love Me Ag
ain
John Newm
an
10 Roar
Katy Perry
GOODBYE & GOOD LUCK GREG
We were sad to say goodbye to our studio manager Greg Seller
last month. Greg has been with Soundnet for over 30 years. He
was responsible for overseeing the build, edit and dispatch of
jukebox updates in the studio.
Greg is originally from South Africa and he has returned there to
start a business with a family member. You never know, you might
see a Soundnet outpost in South Africa one day! Greg is pictured
(left) with Toby at his leaving party.
Founded in 2000, Soundnet specialise in
bespoke music and video compilations that
capture a brand’s unique personality.
From mainstream pop to hardcore rock, every
programme is carefully compiled from our
exclusive library of digital audio, video and
karaoke tracks delivering atmosphere to your
venue, inspiring the right customers to come
back for more.
Q&A
Kirsty Lauchlan
CUSTOMER SERVICES
ADMINISTRATOR
How long have you worked at Soundnet?
I’ve been here for just 8 weeks so far.
What’s the best part of the job?
The best part of the job has been getting
to know our customers and clients, we
work with some real characters with whom
I have built good relationships and who
are often telling us their interesting and
bizarre tales. We also have a great buzz
in the customer services liaison office and
we are a close team, which really makes a
difference to the work environment.
What was your previous work?
I was working in Wales (Cardiff) as a
successful recruitment consultant for a
few years before being headhunted. So
I moved to London a year ago. I quickly
got tired of the high-pressure, targetdriven environment and the long hours so
decided to leave and do something that
I would enjoy and where I would have a
better quality of life!
What kind of music do you like?
I like: La Dispute, Touche Amore, Pianos
Become The Teeth but also Die Antwoord,
Kap Bambino, Crystal Castles, Brooke
Candy, Wiz Khalifa – quite the mix!
What do you like to do outside of work?
Being relatively new to London, I still love
that there’s always something new to do
in the evenings and weekends. I like to
hang about Camden a lot with friends and
find new eateries and bars to go to. I’d be
lying if I said I didn’t spend a lot of the time
shopping too...
Soundnet
4 Greenland Place, Camden, London NW1 0AP
t: +44 (0)20 7644 8888
f: +44 (0)20 7644 8889
e: info@soundnet.net
www.soundnet.net