Blue Laser Consulting, a company headed by industry vet Bob Cooney, has announced that it’s collaborating with a next-generation, U.K.-based digital background music system called Beatselecta that will be offered exclusively to operators in the amusement industry. Cooney and his company will manage the system’s launch stateside, starting by premiering it at this week’s Amusement Expo.
Cooney and Beatselecta think this service will be ideal for those locations (think upscale or specially themed bars and restaurants) where a jukebox isn’t an option.
“The bar business is moving to serve the millennial generation with high-end micro-breweries and bar/restaurant concepts,” said Cooney. “When a bar owner spends millions of dollars designing and building a bar to meet a very specific brand standard, they are carefully curating the consumer experience, right down to the music. The last thing they want is a jukebox on the wall with an unlimited music selection.” He’s hoping Beatselecta will open — or reopen — those bars and restaurants to operators.
Oftentimes, bar and restaurant owners will resort to illegally streaming music from an iPod or laptop over the locations’ speakers, avoiding necessary licensing for public play. This puts the owner at risk of massive fines, so a system such as Beatselecta could put at ease many latent fears. The system offers a unique platform, licensed through SoundExchange, that gives locations a curated music library with interactive features like browsing, skipping and social sharing.
“Beatselecta is a real game changer in this space,” said Chris O’Farrell, President and Founder of Beatselecta. “We want the amusement operators to be an integral part of our offer. That’s why we decided to launch at the Amusement Expo. We provide the product, and they tailor it to their locations’ needs and offer services and support. We’ve priced it to be competitive with other background music services, but packed it with features that today’s customers really want.”
Look for the system at booth #1322, where you will also be able to sign up and have Beatselecta pre-installed on an Android tablet for $99 with a month of free service.
For more information, visit www.beatselecta.com and www.bluelaserconsulting.com
