A
jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a
coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons with letters and numbers on them that, when entered in combination, are used to play a specific selection.
History
Coin-operated
music boxes and
player pianos were the first forms of automated coin-operated musical devices. These instruments used paper rolls, metal disks. or metal cylinders to play a musical selection on the instrument, or instruments, enclosed within the device. In the 1890s these devices were joined by machines which used actual recordings instead of physical instruments.
[1][2] In 1890, Louis Glass and William S. Arnold invented the nickel-in-the-slot phonograph, the first of which was an Edison Class M Electric Phonograph retrofitted with a device patented under the name of
Coin Actuated Attachment for Phonograph. The music was heard via one of four listening tubes.
[3] Early designs, upon receiving a coin, unlocked the mechanism, allowing the listener to turn a crank which simultaneously wound the spring motor and placed the reproducer's stylus in the starting groove. Frequently exhibitors would equip many of these machines with listening tubes (acoustic headphones) and array them in "phonograph parlors" allowing the patron to select between multiple records, each played on its own machine. Some machines even contained carousels and other mechanisms for playing multiple records. Most machines were capable of holding only one musical selection, the automation coming from the ability to play that one selection at will. In 1918 Hobart C. Niblack patented an apparatus that automatically changed records, leading to one of the first selective jukeboxes being introduced in 1927 by the
Automated Musical Instrument Company, later known as AMI. In 1928, Justus P. Seeburg, who was manufacturing player pianos, combined an electrostatic loudspeaker with a record player that was coin operated, and gave the listener a choice of eight records.
[4] This
Audiophonemachine was wide and bulky, and had eight separate turntables mounted on a rotating Ferris wheel-like device, allowing patrons to select from eight different records. Later versions of the jukebox included Seeburg's
Selectophone, with 10 turntables mounted vertically on a spindle. By maneuvering the tone arm up and down, the customer could select from 10 different records.
[3]
The term "jukebox" came into use in the
United States around 1940, apparently derived from the familiar usage "
juke joint", derived from the
Gullah word "juke" or "joog" meaning disorderly, rowdy, or wicked.
[5]
Song-popularity counters told the owner of the machine the number of times each record was played (A and B side were generally not distinguished), with the result that popular records remained, while lesser-played songs could be replaced.
Wallboxes were an important, and profitable, part of any jukebox installation. Serving as a remote control, they enabled patrons to select tunes from their table or booth. One example is the Seeburg 3W1, introduced in 1949 as companion to the 100-selection Model M100A jukebox. Stereo sound became popular in the early 1960s, and wallboxes of the era were designed with built-in speakers to provide patrons a sample of this latest technology.
Initially playing music recorded on wax cylinders, the
shellac 78
rpm record dominated jukeboxes in the early part of the 20th century. The
Seeburg Corporation introduced an all 45 rpm
vinyl record jukebox in 1950 leading to the 45 rpm record becoming the dominant jukebox media for the last half of the 20th century. 33⅓-R.P.M., C.D.s, and videos on DVDs were all introduced and used in the last decades of the century. MP3 downloads, and internet-connected virtually unlimited playlists came in the new, 21st century. The jukebox's history has followed the wave of technological improvements in music reproduction and distribution.
Jukeboxes were most popular from the 1940s through the mid-1960s, particularly during the 1950s. By the middle of the 1940s, three-quarters of the records produced in America went into jukeboxes.
[6] While often associated with early
rock and roll music, their popularity extends back much further, including classical music, opera and the
swing music era. In 1977,
The Kinks recorded a song called "Jukebox Music" for their album
Sleepwalker.
Aesthetic style
A 1941 24-disc Wurlitzer model 750 jukebox.
The first jukeboxes were simply wooden boxes with coin slots and a few buttons. Over time they became more and more decorated, using color lights, rotating lights, chrome, bubble tubes, ceiling lamps, and other visual effects. Many consider the 1940s to be the "golden age" of jukebox styling with the
gothic-like curvaceous "electric rainbow cathedral" look.
World War I and the
Great Depression were over, so the new designs and sales choices reflected the festive mood. The first model manufactured after WWII was the Model A, produced by AMI. Affectionately referred to as the "Mother of Plastic", it featured large areas of opalescent plastics and colored gemstones.
Styling progressed from the plain wooden boxes in the early thirties to beautiful light shows with marbelized plastic and color animation in the Wurlitzer 850 Peacock of 1941. But after the United States entered the war, metal and plastic were needed for the war effort. Jukeboxes were considered "nonessential", and none were produced until 1946. The 1942 Wurlitzer 950 featured wooden coin chutes to save on metal. At the end of the war, in 1946, jukebox production resumed and several "new" companies joined the fray.
Models designed and produced in the late 20th century needed more panel space for the increased number of record titles they needed to present for selection, reducing the space available for decoration, leading to less ornate styling in favor of functionality and less maintenance.
Many manufacturers produced jukeboxes, including 1890s Wurlitzer, 1920s Seeburg, 1930s "
Rock-Ola" whose name is actually based on that of the company founder, David Cullen Rockola, and Crosley.
Crosley's Digital Bubbler Jukebox is designed expressly for the home with this robust music server featuring not only the latest in computer and audio technology, but combining functionality with form in a truly-reminiscent 1950s jukebox-style cabinet. Featuring original-style percolating bubbles tubes, dual-toned neon lighting, high gloss furniture-grade wood and wood veneers, the look is sure to amaze. Encased within this charismatic cabinet is a fully functioning video and music server capable of storing up to 1500 hours of content. In addition, the unit is designed to rip CD music content direct to the hard drive, burn CDs with music or video content and allows the user to connect to the internet to access music and video downloads as well as internet radio for maximum entertainment possibilities. In addition to its functionality, what also sets the Crosley Digital Jukebox apart is its timeless design complete with the Touch Screen Interface. Truly a dcor statement, the Digital Jukebox is a conversation piece regardless of its location. Features:
