Total booking is a feature that allows you to make a booking for a collection of songs, where each individual song can be booked for a set amount of time. The idea is to allow users to make group bookings, where songs can be played back-to-back for an enjoyable experience. It started as a UK-only feature, but has since been made available in other countries.
It would be fair to say that Total Booking isn’t for everyone. For those who dislike groups of people hanging out and enjoying themselves, this feature may not be the best option. However, for anyone else who likes their music to be interactive and doesn’t want to miss out on a single song, this is the perfect solution.
How Does It Work?
The concept behind Total Booking is to give users the ability to block out parts of a song. Imagine if you come across a track you like, but there are parts that you don’t like. You can mark the parts you like and ignore the rest, or you can make the whole song available for booking while still keeping the highlights for yourself. This is similar to what happens when you play a record in your stereo: you can either play all of it or you can skip to your favourite parts.
When you make a booking for a song, the parts you’ve chosen have the potential to be played together as seamlessly as possible. However, this depends on how the person who made the booking structures it. If the song has a clear beginning, middle, and end, you can be certain that the parts will flow nicely from one to the next. If not, then you’ll need to take care to ensure that the parts fit together well enough to form a coherent whole. This isn’t always possible, but it’s much more practical than attempting to fit multiple highlights into a single song.
When Did It Launch?
Total Booking launched in the UK in 2016, after being trialled successfully in a private club called Moshi Moshi. Since then, it’s been expanded to other parts of the world including Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
It remains to be seen whether or not this feature will catch on outside of the UK. The concept is excellent, but not necessarily for everyone. If you’re looking for a way to socialise and have some laughs with your music, you can always head to a karaoke bar instead.