AMI Entertainment, the broadband music service affiliated with jukebox maker Rowe International, recently deployed its latest jukebox system software. The release of Version 2.7 (v2.7) introduces a variety of enhancements that improve jukebox functionality and reliability.
One of the most powerful new features in AMI's v2.7 is attract-mode processing. It plays attract-mode clips individually, determines jukebox genre based on play data and retrieves clips from the AMI server that complement those genres. This enables jukeboxes running AMI software to update attract loops more frequently and release them without a software update. It also helps match specific genre-based attract loops to the appropriate locations. The result: patrons will experience fresher promotional content targeting their music tastes.
Ron Richards, AMI VP of software engineering, asserted that attract-mode processing illustrates how a digital jukebox can better manage user data. "We are excited about the ability to promote music releases with a far more dynamic attract loop tailored to the music played in the bar," he said. "This feature allows the AMI network to introduce artists and highlight new releases to our listeners."
Also new in this version is automatic album substitution. The new software automatically replaces an older album version with a newer one, which is delivered by AMI's central server. In the past, when a record company released a new album version to AMI, the older copy was removed from the server and jukeboxes. But it was the responsibility of AMI operators to restore those albums to their jukeboxes. With the new software, the removal and reinstallation process requires no intervention on the part of the operator.
Another useful advancement is "Do Not Disturb" scheduling, which prevents certain actions from interrupting normal jukebox activity. The factory default "Do Not Disturb" setting is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. when jukebox traffic tends to peak. During this period - or whatever schedule is programmed by the operator - software updates, catalog processing and database maintenance, among other routine system operations, will not run, making sure patrons enjoy uninterrupted listening pleasure.
The new software introduces database error detection, an advanced backup and recovery processing tool. It allows a jukebox to automatically detect and repair a corrupt database. Previously, a corrupt database caused a jukebox to go out of service, requiring a call to the operator and then to AMI technical support.
Hard-drive conservation and perpetuation can save operators time and money, and v2.7 gives AMI's technical personnel the ability to clone an orphaned drive for music operators. The new feature enables the creation of a new drive that retains a local music configuration that is identical to another drive running on the AMI network. The cloning procedure can occur while a box is operating on location, gradually swapping out local music. And the duplicate can be an operating drive on the network or a new device that has been swapped in the same jukebox.
The cloning feature, according to Richards, was designed to address two circumstances. In the case of a hard drive crash, it allows an operator to swap a hard drive and then quickly restore the local music configuration to match previous settings. It also permits the operator to make an identical drive with the same local music programming to be used in a jukebox at another location.
To meet the special needs of AMI's growing international market, the new system launches with greater support for digital music operations in Canada and Ireland. A new Canadian catalog is now available for Rowe-built jukeboxes distributed north of the border. AMI is also partnering with Ireland's Almotech, a jukebox manufacturer, to develop a music catalog tailored for the Irish market. Almotech selected AMI's system software for its new Eclipse, a slim wall-mounted jukebox, and the two companies announced a partnership in January.
"This release contains a nice mix of features aimed at improving our operator's efficiency while at the same time expanding our ability to promote and expand the AMI brand," Richards concluded.
The v2.7 software downloads with several visual enhancements, including a pop-up window to acknowledge bill and coin deposits, along with new green skins for LavaLamp and PostClassic templates.
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