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THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2002
COVER STORY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 9
Jukeboxes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
John Nowak/Kansan
Traditional jukeboxes may become a thing of the past with new digitaljukeboxes becoming available Digitaljukeboxes have the ability to tap into online servers and thousands of songs that are updated monthly.
boast jukeboxes that fit perfectly with the bars' atmospheres. The Sandbar offers songs that transport revelers to the beach —almost a quarter of the jukebox is Jimmy Buffet.
Jukeboxes that cater to a niche audience face the challenge of becoming irritating for regulars. Fox loves going to The Wheel but gets annoyed hearing the same songs over and over again.
"They have some really good songs, but every time you go in there you only hear the stereotypical fraternity and sorority music," he said. "U2, Dave Matthews Band, Van Morrison are the only songs I ever hear there. They have Billy Ocean in there but you never hear Caribbean Queen."
Variety seekers should consider the emergence of digital jukeboxes, which are able to offer much larger selections by tapping into online servers. Servers usually update their song lists every few months.
Jeff Allmon, Wichita senior, said digital jukeboxes were a big tease.
"Digital jukeboxes are big lies because they appear to have a huge selection of good CDs," he said. "Then, when you select the disc, you find out that they only
offer the single so it turns out to be a huge let down because your favorite song isn't an option."
The $8,500 digital jukebox at Johnny's, installed earlier this week to complement a new sound system, offers more than 50,000 songs updated every three months and access to every song title on featured CDs.
Johnny's manager Arron Hoare said he was willing to upload CDs from local bands to the jukebox and the bar still
offered its traditional jukebox in another part of the bar.
While some digital jukeboxes may mislead people, the jukeboxes do offer a few options the traditional models lack. For people irritated by waiting for their selection to play, digital jukeboxes offer the option to cut in line by playing a song as the very next tune for an extra dollar.
What if you spent your last dollar on drinks? Don't worry, they have figured out yet another way to take advantage of
They hear your requests. All the time. For bartenders of eclectic tastes, it's all good. But for others, some of it gets old. Area bartenders we talked to...
...HATE hearing
Madonna
Nelly
Frank Sinatra
O.B.," by Outkast
Named Sue," by Johnny Cash
ne," by Bob Dylan
ing
Costello
drunk college kids. The digitals will take credit cards, so you can just swipe your card and be on your way to hearing all your favorite songs.
Whether traditional or digital, jukeboxes serve the same purpose — to set the musical tone for your evening out. So check out Lawrence's diversejukebox collection. Who knows — you might find a new favorite bar, complete with people who love the same music that you do.
Contact Black at pblack@kansan.com. This story was edited by Lauren Beatty.
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