Better Jukebox
by WatDuhHekBro
Better Jukebox changes how jukebox music is heard, so records play as background music instead of block sounds, for players who keep a record going while they build or explore.
What it does
Jukebox records in vanilla are positional: their sound fades with distance and can be heard from one side only. Better Jukebox makes disc playback non-directional, so both ears receive the music equally wherever the player stands. Jukeboxes play at full volume within 50 blocks and fade out between 50 and 100 blocks, and the distance, tick count and fade timing can be set in the config.
When a jukebox is active and within range, the mod pauses the background music, and that background music fades out gradually rather than cutting off. Music discs also keep playing while the pause menu is open, as background music does. The mod is client-side only, so servers run without it and only the player who installs it hears the change. It is released under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only and is open source, with public source code and an issue tracker. Files are published for Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, with 1.1.0 for 1.21.1 as the latest build on the beta channel, and the 1.20.1 range is covered by a Forge build that works through Sinytra Connector on Fabric.
Key features
Background-style disc sound
Disc playback is non-directional, so the music plays evenly in both ears regardless of the player's position.
Automatic music pausing
An active jukebox within range pauses the background music, so the two do not play at the same time.
Fade-out behavior
Background music fades out gradually instead of stopping at once, and jukebox volume is full near the block and fades beyond 50 blocks.
Music in the pause menu
Discs keep playing while the pause menu is open, like background music does.
Configurable distance and timing
Distance thresholds and the tick counts for fading in and out can be adjusted in the config options.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Questions
Does Better Jukebox need to be installed on the server?
Which loader should be used for 1.20.1?
Why is the mod available only in the beta channel?
In the catalog
Better Jukebox is one of 36,990 Utility mods on ModsFinder, and one of 25,772 Utility mods for Fabric. 17,695 mods support Minecraft 1.21.8.
Similar mods
What the author says
A variety of jukebox tweaks to make them behave like background music instead of as block sounds. Here are some similar mods in case you want to use those instead, or if this mod doesn't get updated.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/better-jukebox
- Owner
- WatDuhHekBro
- Published
- 2025-07-30
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-08-01
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15