Jukebox with customizable avatar

Abstract

A digital downloading jukebox system including a mechanism for delivering custom services to a recognized user is provided. For example, information specific to a recognized user may be stored and optionally may include a recognized user avatar representative of the recognized user. The user avatar may be an image, video, and/or animation, which may be displayed on and/or played through the jukebox. The user avatar may be associated with transactions associated with the user. For example, an avatar may be displayed when a playlist of the recognized user is played, when a message is sent, etc. In other examples, the avatar may introduce instances of media by playing an audio and/or video message, and the avatar may sing, dance, etc. while an instance of media is playing.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pay-for-play digital jukebox, comprising:
 at least one processor;   at least one audio output;   a network interface; and   a display;   wherein the at least one processor is configured to control the pay-for-play digital jukebox to at least:
 present a user interface, the user interface configured to facilitate recognition of a jukebox user, 
 retrieve user information associated with a recognized user from a user database of recognizable users of the pay-for-play digital jukebox upon a recognizable user logging into the pay-for-play digital jukebox, each said recognizable user in the user database having associated user information; and 
 enable a recognized jukebox user to (1) play one or more instances of media according to a playlist over the at least one audio output of the pay-for-play digital jukebox in accordance with an amount of money or credits associated with the jukebox user in a collection mechanism which collects an amount of money or credits for playing instances of media from the media database, (2) send messages relating to the playlist to other recognizable users for accessing the messages on said pay-for-play digital jukebox or on other pay-for-play digital jukebox communicatively coupled over the network interface to said pay-for-play digital jukebox, and (3) when a sent message relating to the playlist is received on said pay-for-play digital jukebox by another recognizable user, providing for said another recognizable user to play one or more instances of media according to the received information related to the playlist on said pay-for-play digital jukebox in accordance with an amount of money or credits associated with the another recognizable user in the collection mechanism.