Ondrej Holzman The jukebox, or jukebox if you prefer, is a traditional part of many pubs and bars where we go to have fun with friends. Although it is a very archaic-looking device, it has its popularity. Who doesn't want to play their favorite song at a party? However, everything can be done in a more modern, convenient and easier way - it's called a new generation jukebox BarBox and attacks all businesses that want to have anything to do with music.
Barbox is perhaps more than a slot machine new generation an appropriate device for today's era, which is intertwined with smartphones, the Internet and our dependence on these technologies. The old-fashioned jukeboxes standing in the corner of the bar, where you have to drop a coin and select your favorite song in a user interface similar to that of the first computers, often seem like a real punch in the eye today.
At a time when everything is done over the Internet, with mobile phones ordering food, buying flights and booking hotels, it seems as if time has stood still when it comes to music reproduction in entertainment establishments. An ambitious project by Czech developers called BarBox wants to change all this, which removes unsightly boxes, destroys the need to carry coins (who has them in the era of contactless payments?) and brings a modern way to have your favorite song played in a popular establishment.
[do action=”citation”]BarBox brings a modern way to have your favorite song played in your favorite restaurant.[/do]
BarBox uses modern trends in the form of music streaming services as well as today's commonly available achievements such as Wi-Fi network and smartphones. You come to your favorite establishment, connect to its wireless network, launch the BarBox application and choose any song from the endless selection of the Deezer service. It will either start immediately, or it will be placed on the waiting list if someone was already faster than you. Everything works the same as a classic jukebox, only thanks to Deezer you always have the most up-to-date selection in your hand, you operate everything from the comfort of your sofa and this time no one can accuse you of just staring at your iPhone screen and not paying enough attention to your company. After all, you are choosing a musical background.
Not much is known about BarBox yet. However, it is gradually starting to expand in Prague, and the most famous dance and entertainment venues report enthusiasm after the first months of operating the new generation jukebox. We personally went to test BarBox in Prague's Café Baribal on Rašín nabřeží, and the only thing we needed to know was the password to the Wi-Fi network. Then everything was under our control. In the clear interface of the BarBox application, we searched for our favorite songs and "put them on the waiting list". Since no one else was using the BarBox at that moment, the currently playing music stopped immediately and our first selected track started.
Of course, you always have the selected playlist in front of you, so you can follow the tastes of the other visitors to the bar and what you can look forward to. Unlike classic jukeboxes, adding songs is always free, you only have to pay in case of overtaking, when you want to play your song immediately and don't want to wait until it's your turn in the long list. This is a relatively reasonable solution and will definitely attract more customers when there is no need to enter any credit card in advance or even pay immediately. A win-win situation for both parties, the customer and the business owner. The first-named will not distrust the service if he does not ask for confidential information from him the first time, and thus the service operator will also benefit from this.
Moreover, this is not a stupid service. Of course, BarBox manages to function smoothly, even if no guests are currently using it. Hand-selected music genres are played, or the business owner has the option to choose from playlists compiled by well-known personalities, musicians and editors. Everything is powered by the Deezer streaming service, which is the backend of BarBox, which then brings its own interface. The creators decided on the French Deezer for the reason that it came first, had a working API and its developers were most willing to communicate and join the BarBox project. Spotify is also being worked on, but the Swedish company has not yet opened up its service enough for BarBox to use it. When that happens, the owner of each business will be able to choose which database they prefer. However, it will not change much for the end user, the libraries of both services are very similar.
Streaming music in businesses, where tens of people can be connected to the wireless network at one time, may seem like a risky business, but the developers of BarBox assure that their jukebox is only minimally demanding on data and transmission. In the event of an internet outage - which was our case during a strong storm when we tested BarBox in the center of Prague - BarBox immediately switches to a "backup playlist", i.e. a list of songs that each business stores in its memory so that it can be accessed even in offline mode .
For visitors to bars and clubs as well as their operators, BarBox is extremely easy to operate and control, and thanks to it, the business will appear to be a modern device that goes with the times, which will be appreciated especially by today's young generation, who only very reluctantly detach themselves from mobile phone displays. As already mentioned, BarBox is still in its early days, but the first responses already collected clearly indicate that this could be the way to move music reproduction in the entertainment industry forward. Dance clubs may be particularly interested in the DJ mode, thanks to which BarBox connects the dance floor with a disc jockey. The club will set the time when the BarBox switches to DJ mode, which should be when the DJ comes on. All visitors will see a message in the application that they can send the DJ their suggestions of what they would like to play. For the DJ at that moment, BarBox is only an information platform on which he finds out the moods and wishes of the audience, but he still plays music from his devices. However, this is a very original interaction between the visitors and the DJ, which can be a pleasant addition to the evening.
In just a few weeks since we first met BarBox, several bars have been added to the map. In addition, the jukebox of the future is already slowly spreading beyond our capital. When will BarBox come to your city, to your favorite restaurant?
Good, I tried Barley. But it's really embarrassing when it's in a company with password-protected WiFi, asking for the password bothers me. Then I have no idea how much it costs to skip to the start of the playlist in terms of the price of the purchased BB KORUN.
Hello,
the prices of BarBox crowns are listed in the BarBox crowns section, including a description of how many skips you can afford for them. This is only an average estimate because the prices vary according to the order from which you want to move the song.