Now I’m in my mid forties (did I admit that out loud?) I can certainly say that I’ve seen many changes over the years in the way that we access music within the home. Some of the changes I’ve liked, and some others not so and as a mum I’ve found some developments of concern! Recently I’ve been trying out Electric Jukebox, a brand new streaming service and device that turns your TV into a jukebox. Would I be able to give it the thumbs up?
My Troubled Music Journey
I just about remember the transition from vinyl records to tapes when I was very young. In my teens music moved again, from tapes to CD’s. I actually really liked tapes and was sad to see them go! I liked being able to easily record myself and my friends singing and mucking about. I liked being able to rewind a track to exactly the place I wanted and I liked being able to make mix tapes. They were huge parts of my teen entertainment that were lost with CD’s!
I did get to grips with CD’s in the end and appreciated their durability. No more melted tapes on the dashboard! I steadily built up a collection of favourites that my kids generally laugh at now!
Now it seems that music has moved on yet again and it’s all about streaming and headphones! I have to admit I’ve not been a fan and have been struggling to keep up!
Why I’ve Steered Away From Streaming and Headphones
Call me old fashioned but streaming music has seemed like a complication I could readily do without. I don’t want to have to pay out for a monthly subscription and spend ages learning to navigate my way round to find my listening choices. I don’t want to have to buy some new fangled iPod or the such like and then additional speakers to be able to listen to and share music in the home!
When it comes to my kids I don’t want them constantly detached from the rest of the family listening to music through head phones. I want to know what my children are listening to, who their favourites are and to be able to sing along with them. I want to steer them away from unsavoury lyrics and to talk with them about the morals and stories behind them. If they are constantly on headphones then I lose all that!
For me music is about sharing! Streaming, new equipment and headphones just hasn’t cut it for me and my family.
Why I’ve steered Away From Music TV Channels
I was really excited about the idea of music channels on the TV when they first became available to us. My excitement didn’t last long when I saw my young daughter thrusting her funky dance moves across the living room copying the raunchy videos! We’ve not been back to music channels since!
Is Electric Jukebox The Answer?
I’ve been trying Electric Jukebox for a couple of weeks now and am still smiling! I didn’t expect to be! I thought I’d cast it off like all the other music sources I’ve tried. But no, Electric Jukebox seems to have been tailor made for me and my family and is a perfect fit for the way I want to bring music into the home. I’m thrilled!
What Actually Is Electric Jukebox?
Electric Jukebox is Britain’s first and only music streaming service and device, backed by Robbie Williams, Alesha Dixon, Stephen Fry and Sheryl Crow. With a simple 2 minute setup it brings music right into the heart of your home by turning your TV into a modern jukebox with millions of albums!
Why Electric Jukebox Beats Other Streaming Options
For me, in a battle with other streaming options like Spotify, Electric Jukebox wins hands down for so many reasons!
Why I love Electric Jukebox:
- It plugs into my TV so I don’t need any new equipment.
- It’s easy to set up in literally a couple of minutes. You plug it into your HDMI port and type in your wifi access code and it’s up and running. #MusicMadeSimple
- There’s no monthly subscription. You initially buy it for £169 which includes a £52.00 Premium Music Pass for 12 months. After the 12 months are up a further 12 month pass will only cost £52.00, much cheaper than £9.99 monthly subscriptions for Spotify. At the equivalent of £1 a week it makes music accessible to everyone. (There is a free ad version too.)
- It’s really easy and intuitive to use. I’m a technophobe but was whizzing about it finding everything I needed with no problems at all. It’s super easy for kids to use too.
- You can control it by voice or click. I LOVE the voice control it’s great for lazies like me and fantastic for young kids too.
- It can find things really easily and you can search by artist, album or song. I was telling my children how I used to listen to some old stuff by somebody Martyn in my uni years and I couldn’t for the life of me remember his first name. I spoke “Martyn” into the controller and Electric Jukebox found John Martyn for me! What a delight. I hadn’t listened to his music for years.
- It has a fantastic range of over 29 million songs across the genres so there’s something for everyone and it’s ad free!
- You can store your favourite music and create playlists. (It’s like having my old mix tapes back!)
- It has a discovery section full of the latest and best music and playlist suggestions.
- I can protect my children from inappropriate songs with its optional explicit lyric filter.
- It brings music back right into the heart of the modern home. We can enjoy listening to and sharing music together and my kids are unplugged from their blasted headphones!
Would you enjoy Electric Jukebox and #MusicMadeSimple too? I think it would make a great Christmas gift for any music lover.
(I received Electric Jukebox free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.)