Statewide Welcome Center Jukeboxes

Big Heavy World has spent many years empowering, promoting and cheerleading Vermont’s musicians, participating in expanding their audiences and the public appreciation of their art. Many of the projects of the organization have been recognized in the press for their practical benefits to Vermont state culture, but the underpinning world view is less obvious: A fundamental institutional value of Big Heavy World is inclusivity, and in all its efforts to preserve and promote Vermont-made music this world view includes — and makes welcome — every aesthetic within the musical art form.

The Vermont Jukebox Project carries forward this ideal by providing an innovative service to music patrons and Vermont-based musicians alike: It brings Vermont-made music to the welcome centers along Vermont's Interstate highway system. The project's intention is to expand the horizon of options for local and traveling music patrons; cultivate public awareness of the value of Vermont-made music; and celebrate the musical arts originating in Vermont.

The Jukebox Project on Vermont Public Radio, Steve Zind reporting.

The project is made up of hardware that plays Vermont-made music through public address systems in welcome centers administrated by the Vermont Information Center Division of the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services. It was conceived in part as a cost-effective means of exposing regional musical artists to new audiences of music consumers. Recordings by Vermont artists are duplicated in digital format to each jukebox installation. There is no fee to the artists involved.

“This project has already been a tremendous success story and generated strong interest in Vermont’s musician community.

— Steve Cook, Deputy Commissioner, Vermont Dept. of Tourism & Marketing

Vermont Jukebox Project installations direct music consumers to the music shop at bigheavyworld.com to browse or purchase albums. Purchases contribute to Big Heavy World's operational support.

The Vermont Jukebox Project is a collaboration of The Big Heavy World Foundation, Inc. and The Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services and the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Vermont Musicians — Join In!

Vermont artists who would like to have their music included in the programming of the statewide Vermont Jukebox Project are invited to send 6 copies of your CD to Big Heavy World, P.O. Box 428, Burlington, VT 05402. Five will become inventory in the shop while the 6th 'house copy' is scanned, encoded, and entered into the library catalog. To be involved, return these two completed forms with your CD's:

[wolf_button url="/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Consignment_Form.pdf" color="yellow" type="square" size="small" target="_blank" download_pdf="true"]Download the Consignment Form[/wolf_button]

[wolf_button url="/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/jukebox-permission.pdf" color="yellow" type="square" size="small" target="_blank" download_pdf="true"]Download the Jukebox Project Permission Form[/wolf_button]

You'll require the free Adobe Reader to view and print these documents. We're glad to mail copies of the forms to you as well, if that's helpful. Let us know you need them sent and give them your mailing address by phoning (802) 865-1140 or emailing us. Some limitations on musical content within the VT Jukebox Project are imposed by the Dept. of Buildings and General Services but Big Heavy World would like to make your music available in the music shop and in the library catalog no matter what your genre or choice of vocabulary might be.

In The Beginning...

The Vermont Jukebox Project is a collaboration of the Vermont Department of Buildings & General Services and Big Heavy World. Charter funding was generously provided by Advance Music Center.

The VMLS deeply appreciates the support and participation of these individuals: Steve Cook, Lisa Sanchez, Kathy Satterfield & Ed von Turkovich of the Vermont Information Center Division of the Vermont Department of Buildings & General Services; Ginny Joyner; Diane Konrady, Heritage Tourism Coordinator, Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing; and Mike Trombley, Advance Music Center.

Inside the Williston northbound Vermont Visitor Welcome Center. Photo courtesy Eric Bessette, Shadows & Light Design / Vermont Department of Buildings & General Services.