News & UK Play Chart

Their back-story was pure tabloid-fodder, with burglaries, rehab, prison and more break-ups than Deirdre and Ken Barlow, but The Libertines are finally letting by-gones be by-gones and reuniting for this year's Leeds and Reading Festivals. Whether it's the allure of showcasing their back catalogue again, or the reported £1million pay-cheque, there are bound to be fireworks when they take to the stage. Not to mention pandemonium beforehand.

The band's announcement of a one-off warm-up show at London' HMV Forum in Kentish Town set off a virtual scramble for tickets. Their release via a strict ballot system, to prevent touting, hasn't prevented some of the ticket codes being offered on eBay, with bids of up to £20,000 attracting almost as many column inches as the band's antics. But what was so special about this often shambolic band, to inspire such dedication?

Simply put, they were a breath of off-the-cuff, rock 'n' roll fresh air in a stale British music scene, dominated by cosy guitar bands peddling Britpop-lite at the beginning of the Millennium. Owing as much of a debt to Chas 'N' Dave as The Strokes, Pete Doherty and Carl Barat's quintessentially English lyrics, ramshackle arrangements and openness created a social community around the band, fuelled by impromptu intimate gigs announced on fan forums, some of which took place at the duo's own flat. Whether a big-money reunion in a field of thousands is the best way to showcase their punk-skiffle sound remains to be seen, but it's bound to be another fascinating chapter in The Libertines' saga.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hears: Can't Stand Me Now, The Good Old Days, Time For Heroes.

In March, Facebook overtook Google to become the most visited site on the Web. And what’s more, according to recent statistics, a whopping 50% of its 350 million plus users log into it every single day. More than 35 million of its users update their status everyday too – that’s a lot of active engagement – and it means their friends need to be able to access the web to stay up to speed with the latest goings on in their social circle.

Add to the mix rapidly-growing upstart Twitter, business essential LinkedIn and photo-hoster Flickr, itself a resource for over four billion images (and counting), and a picture soon emerges of a growing number of must-visit sites, whose dedicated users can’t be out of the loop for too long.

Thanks to the wonders of wi-fi there’s no need to be left out in the cold anymore, meaning terminal tweeters can share their latest musings, Facebook fiends find out what their friends got up to on their holidays as soon as they touch back down and budding Alan Sugars can do a bit of networking over lunch, via LinkedIn. It doesn’t take an entrepreneur to know that wi-fi connectivity is paramount in our new social networking age. Wi-fi in your pub, bar, cafe or hotel is as necessary as the furniture customers and patrons sit on.

Creating the right ambience in a venue’s a tricky thing. Get it right and it’ll feel like a home from home, get it wrong and you’ll set people’s teeth on edge as they battle to have a conversation over a blast of highly inappropriate Hip Hop, or cover their ears to avoid another Rick Wakeman solo.

Luckily, the days when you had to rely on your staff bringing in music from the more questionable corners of their CD collection, or having the same mix-tape stuck on a loop day-in, day-out, are gone. Thanks to Soundnet’s free background music software you can create the perfect environment for your customers, whether they’re into hair metal or acid jazz, and remove the risk of hearing the same song every day for a month all at once.

It’s also interesting to note that background music can, and does, influence customer behaviour. A French study conducted in 2008 showed that customers, on average, order an extra drink, and drink more quickly, when there is faster or louder music on in the background. And you don’t need any studies to tell you that making your venue seem welcoming, and playing the music your customers want to hear, will make it a far more appealing, inviting place to spend their time (and money).

Amy Winehouse’s long-awaited follow up to 2006’s hugely successful Back To Black is finally on its way, with an expected release in January 2011. Amy’s going back to the influences which made her last album a huge success, telling journalists her forthcoming release will be "another jukebox album".

This has given fans and critics reason to hope for more hits like Rehab and Tears Dry On Their Own, recalling the glory days of Motown and darker 60s Soul. Here’s our look at some of the influences we can expect to hear on Amy’s third album:

Etta James

One of the undoubted queens of soul, Etta had the voice and the diva attitude on show in Amy, not to mention her fair share of demons, including a substance abuse problem.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hear: At Last

The Specials

The Ska kings have recently reunited and Amy’s been known to cover their version of Toots and the Maytals’ Monkey Man in her live shows. Expect a bit of sun-kissed Ska on the new LP: a hangover from her months in St Lucia.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hear: Too Much, Too Young

Phil Spector

Another troubled music star, Spector produced some of the greatest pop songs of all time, masterminding the Ronettes and a whole host of other girl bands whose influence is evident on Back To Black.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hear: Be My Baby

Motown

The Motown sound defined young American pop in the 60s, and from the sample of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough on Back To Black, to Mark Ronson’s love of brass, Motown’s never too far from Amy’s mind.

Soundnet's jukebox must-hear: Heard It Through The Grapevine

Amy’s new album will be available on Soundnet’s digital jukeboxes in the New Year