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06 September 2008
Last night the bartender took off my jukebox songs. Is this normal?→[More:]She put on her iPod. I got talked out of approaching her about it. I was curious if this was just one of those things, as they say. Even if, I say it's bullshit. You load the jukebox (a CD jukebox), you live with what the customers put in it. That or give them back their money, or at least a free drink.
i can see this if during a usual time frame they don't use the jukebox because it might drive people off because one person might play the same crappy song ad nauseum.
No, the iPod played on. She turned off the jukebox altogether, I guess for the night. I think there were a few people that loaded stuff on after me.
My company made me feel like I was crazy, saying I should just let it go. I take music waayy too personally.
one person might play the same crappy song ad nauseum.
Hey, I've only done that once.
This was in the middle of Mazzy Star song, in what was a fairly country-fied set. I'm sensitive to what a bartender might hear a lot, and try to avoid those tunes. We were actually chatting about that right before it went off. I never play more than one Johnny Cash song, never play Guns-n-Roses, etc.
I would say you deserved your money back, or a free drink. Ideally they would warn people with a sign or something. It's the same principle as putting money in a Coke machine and not getting your Coke.
I find when I'm drinking, and I want to do something, and all my friends tell me not to do it, generally they're right.
While she was wrong to switch off the jukebox without giving you your money back, possibly the bartender was enough of an asshole that the confrontation needed to get the money back wouldn't have been worth it.
Most places don't usually turn on the jukebox during prime nightclub hours on a weekend night unless it's a small neighborhood bar or dive or something.
I find when I'm drinking, and I want to do something, and all my friends tell me not to do it, generally they're right.
This was the assumption I was going with, like maybe they see something I don't. But I wasn't going to be a dick about it to her. I wasn't going to let it ruin my night.
I'd hit the bar and say, "heeeey, yaknow I just loaded five bucks worth of songs in that jukebox that I could have boght drinks fr had I known you are going to turn it off....." and wait for the bartender to pass me a free beer. I'd be real nice about it, but the fact is she cheated you out of money that you could have spent at the bar.
I used to hang out at a metal/biker bar and some yo-yo put "Macarena" on. The bartender leapt over the bar and pulled the plug. He got a cheer from the packed house and a yell of 'You wanna hear that shit go to [yuppie joint across the street]"
I would have complained, probably, but then again I'm a familiar face at most of the bars I frequent that have jukeboxes. If it was a strange bar, I would have chalked it up to some sort of schedule they have and write off the couple bucks.
I used to hang out at a metal/biker bar and some yo-yo put "Macarena" on.
This goes back to my point that if you have something on your jukebox, you have no right to get pissed when someone plays it. Seriously, why would a metal bar even have The Macarena on their jukebox? It's disgraceful, even if it is an internet jukebox.
This goes back to my point that if you have something on your jukebox, you have no right to get pissed when someone plays it.
One, it was on some 'Hits' compilation that had a few metal songs on it. Second, jukebox vending in your lower end bars is often handled by 'Family Men,' especially in the Eastern Seaboard.
I've seen it happen a few times, and I generally notice annoyed faces on bartenders and bar patrons whenever a jukebox starts rolling. Cutting it off is a bit of a jackass thing to do... But if you're going to cut it off sometime, you're going to screw somebody. In fact, I'll put money on it happening every night, and the bartender knowing most people won't say anything.
And I think what jonmc says is true much of the time nowadays... the bar gets a cut but not the lion's share and ultimately isn't responsible for anything the box does or doesn't do.
My vote mighta been for a response along the lines of, "Hey... I had the jukebox loaded up; it's cool, but how about a drink?" Can't say if it would have any shot of succeeding though.
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