Though this story is way out there, hopefully you will find it interesting. How many of us at some point in time, have not placed a coin into a jukebox to listen to a tune with our friends? Possibly at a popular pub or hang out. If so, the odds are it was a Rock-Ola and it is simply amazing to learn the evolution the device has gone through over the decades. This exerpt was taken directly from the Rock-Ola webpage: "In 1936 the Queen Mary made her maiden voyage from New York City. She was the newest and most luxurious ship afloat. Capturing the moment, David C. Rockola delivered one of his 12-Selector Jukeboxes to her decks, and the headlines read "The Queen Will Have Music Wherever She Goes." At the time he had been making jukeboxes for only a few years, but in his lifetime David C. Rockola would leave an indelible mark on the industry that literally echoes his name."
Now, we are in the 21st century and yet, this venerable jukebox company is still holding it's own. Check out these capabilities, from this Press release listed over at Music Industry News, it's plain to see that the Rock-Ola company is not setting still:
Starting today, the new Peavey sound system, which features a PV® 900 power amp, will come standard in all E-Rock and Wall-Rock broadband-enabled jukebox product lines, which have been renamed the E-Rock PV and Wall-Rock PV. Both jukebox models can be upgraded with PV 1500 and PV 2600 power amps to accommodate larger venues. E-Rock PV jukeboxes also come with a custom-crafted internal Peavey cabinet speaker with two 10" woofers and two horn tweeters. All PV Series power amps feature built-in 150 Hz crossovers and Peavey's Distortion Detection Technique™ (DDT), which virtually eliminates distortion, as well as the company's patented Turbo-V™ cooling, which cools power transistors more evenly than traditional heat-sink designs. |
In addition, these jukeboxes all sport Windows XP embedded and have Intel 1.2 Gz processors. With their new partner Ecast, who supplies the proprietary interface software, look what this machine can do:
Vast Music Selection
Only Ecast powered Internet enabled jukeboxes, offer fully licensed music from all five major record labels (BMG, EMI Recorded Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal and Warner Music Group), as well as music from important independent labels such as DreamWorks, Ultimatum Music and Fearless Records. Ecast offers top Latin music from Sony Discos (Ecast exclusive for digital jukeboxes!) and leading Latin labels such as Fonovisa, Discos Fuentes/Miami Records, Musical Productions and J&N Records, bringing music fans everything from Salsa and Meringue to Rap and Rock En Espanola. And, Ecast-powered jukebox hard drives can store up to 300 DIGITAL ALBUMS (5,000 songs!) - two to three times the capacity of a CD jukebox."
Download and Play
Patrons have the ability to select music from albums stored on the jukebox hard drive or, through Ecast's exclusive Download & Play feature, they can select additional songs from the entire, growing Ecast Music Library (140,000+ songs). For additional credits, Download & Play selections can be available in less than five minutes, giving customers instant access to the music they want and operators access to additional revenue streams. Within minutes they have the song they want and operators' cashboxes fills up that much quicker!
Make Mine First
If you've ever put money into a traditional jukebox and waited a L O N G time to hear your selection, then you can appreciate Ecast's pioneering Make Mine First feature. For additional credits, patrons can jump their song selection to the front of the line. There's no longer the need for them to wait to hear their music - they can play that song NOW!
300+ New Albums Added Every Month
No more waiting for a new album to be added to the jukebox. Ecast adds over 300 new albums to the download library each month.
Credit Card Acceptance
Ecast-powered broadband enabled jukeboxes are the only jukeboxes that lets patrons pay using cash, coin or credit card. Customers will pay more if they have more choices and the whole process is EASY. And, credit card purchases can increase operator revenues by up to 5% - 10%.
E-Commerce Coming Soon
If a patron is playing a song they love on the jukebox and would like to buy the album that the song comes from, they can just click on Ecast's "Buy the CD Now" button to be transported to an e-commerce website where they can purchase the CD.
Spanish User Interface
Spanish music play accounts for ~ 30% of all jukebox revenue and Spanish-only locations comprise 20% of jukebox locations in the U.S. Ecast allows Spanish-speaking patrons to search for and select music in their own language.
Interactive Video Music Promotions
Ecast-powered jukeboxes have the exclusive ability to promote artists and music through interactive, full-screen video and featured album placement on jukebox hard drives and main user interface. These video attract loops can recommend play of new releases or back catalog albums. Ecast's promotions are proven to increase play of albums and songs by established artists, heritage/classic catalog artists and increase awareness of developing bands.
I don't know about you, but this all seems pretty cool and innovative to me. If you would like to read more about this company and take a look the products they offer, take a peek at the Rock-Ola Website. It's
commendable what they are doing with such a wonderful old concept. How
many credits does it take to pull my song to the top of the list though? Who cares? Cheers to Rock-Ola!
Source: Music Industry News
