Digital downloading jukebox system with user-tailored music management, communications, and other tools
View Patent ↗A digital downloading jukebox system including a mechanism for delivering custom services to a recognized user, including services for creating playlists, communicating with others, accessing other features, etc. is provided. In some exemplary embodiments, after a user is recognized, the jukebox system allows users to access a special front-end via an Internet-enabled device or on an actual jukebox. Then, the user may, for example, create playlists, share songs with friends, send messages to friends, and access other value-added content. Such a system preferably learns about networks of friends, and enables managers to send similar messages to regular customers and/or others known to the system. In some exemplary embodiments, changes via a first user interface on a first device are reflected on second user interface on other properly-configured devices.
1. A method for playing music from a catalog of playable songs in an out-of-home pay-for-play establishment, the method comprising:
enabling a plurality of registered users to execute respective login operations via respective mobile devices to indicate that the respective users are present at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment;
in response to a first logged-in registered user selecting a song, adding the selected song to a queue of songs to be played back at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment, at least a portion of the queue being displayable for the registered users; and
receiving, from a second logged-in registered user via the mobile device of the second logged-in registered user, a vote on one or more of the songs in the displayable portion of the queue; and
causing songs from the queue to be played at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment,
wherein the portion of the queue and corresponding tallied votes for songs in the portion of the queue are viewable via the mobile devices that the logged-in registered users used to execute their respective login operations, and
wherein songs are selectable from a plurality of predefined playlists accessible to users, the predefined playlists including at least one of each of: a playlist generated by a registered user, a playlist of songs popular at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment, and a playlist of songs known to be liked by a logged-in registered user making a selection.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising conditioning the addition of the selected song to the queue of songs to be played back at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment on collection of a predefined non-zero number of credits.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the votes can be either votes for or votes against a song.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
tallying the votes for and the votes against each song in the queue; and
causing display of the tallied votes for and the tallied against each song in at least the portion of the queue.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each said predefined playlist has an associated playlist identifier that identifies the respective predefined playlist.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein playlist identifiers are playlist names.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein an identifier of the user who selected the currently playing song is viewable via the mobile devices that the logged-in registered users used to execute their respective login operations.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein an identifier of the user who voted for the currently playing song is viewable via the mobile devices that the logged-in registered users used to execute their respective login operations.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising limiting the number of votes a logged-in registered user can place on any given song in the portion of the queue.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein playlists of songs known to be liked by logged-in registered users making selections are favorite songs of the respective logged-in registered users.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of predefined playlists further comprises at least one playlist including songs popular across a network of out-of-home pay-for-play establishments.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of predefined playlists further comprises playlists for different genres and/or themes.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of predefined playlists further comprises at least one playlist imported from an external source.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of predefined playlists further comprises at least one playlist imported from a music-related social networking site.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predefined playlists are playable in whole or in part.
16. An electronic device operable to facilitate the playback of music from a catalog of playable songs in an out-of-home pay-for-play establishment, the electronic device comprising:
at least one processor;
a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to at least:
enable users to execute login operations to indicate that the users are present at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment;
in response to a logged-in user selecting a song, add the selected song to a list of songs to be played back at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment;
facilitate the playback of songs from the list in the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment; and
enable logged-in users to vote on at least some of the songs in the list; wherein:
a user interface provided to portable electronic devices operated by respective logged-in users at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment is arranged to display (a) at least a portion of the catalog of playable songs, (b) at least a portion of the list, (c) tallied votes made with respect to at least those songs in the portion of the list, and (d) an indication of a song currently playing at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment; and
the user interface is further arranged to enable songs to be selected from a plurality of predefined playlists accessible to users, the predefined playlists including at least three of the following types of playlists: a playlist generated by a registered user, a playlist of songs popular at the out-of-home pay-for-play establishment, a playlist of songs known to be liked by a logged-in registered user making a selection, a playlist of songs popular across a network of out-of-home pay-for-play establishments, a genre and/or theme playlist, a playlist imported from an external source, and a playlist imported from a music-related social networking site.
17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein each said predefined playlist has an associated playlist identifier that identifies the respective predefined playlist.
18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the playlist identifiers include playlist names.
19. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the tallied votes include tallied counts of votes for, and separate tallied counts of votes against, each song that has been voted on.
20. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein playlists of songs known to be liked by logged-in registered users making selections are favorite songs of the respective logged-in registered users.