A Jukestar alternative that works today
Jukestar’s pitch was right: a social jukebox where no one can hog the playlist. But by its own announcement, Jukestar hasn’t been able to play guest-queued tracks since Spotify changed its API in September 2022. Backseat delivers the same promise — working, free, and without app installs.
The gap Jukestar left
- –Guest song requests have been broken since September 2022, per Jukestar’s own site.
- –It required native apps for hosting.
- –It was built entirely on Spotify.
How Backseat fills it
“No one can hog the playlist” isn’t a moderation feature in Backseat — it’s the whole design. The queue rotates through everyone in the room, one pick per turn, so the order is fair by construction rather than by vetoes and vote counts.
It runs in the browser end to end: the host starts a room in a couple of taps, guests scan a QR code, and the music plays from the host’s device through YouTube (free) or Spotify (Premium). When it’s over, export the night to a playlist.
Backseat vs Jukestar
| Backseat | Jukestar | |
|---|---|---|
| Guest requests | Working — core feature | Broken since Sept 2022 (own announcement) |
| Apps required | None — browser for everyone | Host app required |
| Music source | YouTube (free) or Spotify | Spotify only |
| Fairness | Turn rotation, built in | Voting + vetoes |
How Backseat works
-
1
Start a room
Open Backseat on the phone or laptop that’s plugged into the speaker and pick YouTube (free) or Spotify. Takes a couple of taps — no sign-up.
-
2
Guests scan the QR code
Everyone joins from their own phone’s browser. No app to install, no account to create.
-
3
Everyone takes turns
Backseat rotates through the room in order. On your turn you search any song and it joins the shared queue — no votes, no aux-hogging.
Good to know
- Is Backseat free?
- Yes. Backseat is free to use — no ads, no accounts, nothing to install. Hosting with YouTube costs nothing at all; hosting with Spotify needs Spotify Premium on the host device only.
- Do guests need an app or account?
- No. Guests join from any phone’s web browser by scanning a QR code or typing the room code. They never sign up for anything.
- How do turns work?
- Backseat goes around the room in order, like dealing cards. When it’s your turn you pick one song, then the turn passes to the next person. Nobody can flood the queue and nobody gets skipped.
- Where does the music play?
- From the host’s device — the one connected to the speaker. Guests’ phones are just remotes for the shared queue.