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A Brief History of the Jukebox

It is not certain where the term ‘jukebox’ came from, but it has been suggested that it comes from the American South, where bars that played jazz and blues were called ‘jook joints’. The name ‘Jukebox’ was not adopted commercially until 1937, prior to that they were known as phonographs.

Although Thomas Edison developed a coin-operated phonograph in the late 19th century, the automatic record player was not introduced until 1906 and it was not until the 1920s, when electronically recorded records became available, that we saw the type of jukebox that we would recognize. The newly developed changer system was able to select the records, play them on the turntable, and then return them to their storage location.

The earliest jukeboxes would have been found in speakeasies during Prohibition, they were heavy veneered cabinets with cloth-covered speakers. By the late 1930s they had become quite gaudy, with domed lighted cabinets in bright colors and plastic that would have been used for the first time. Models from this period would have been around until around 1948 and are considered part of the golden age of the jukebox.

How did they get so popular?

Part of the popularity of jukeboxes can be attributed to World War II and the fact that the US military took their American music with them wherever they went and left a trail of jukeboxes wherever they went. been parked With the advent of the rock ‘n’ roll craze in the 1950s, the demand for jukeboxes skyrocketed, and companies like Wurlitzer and Seeberg exported their machines all over the world.

As technology advanced, jukeboxes could hold up to 100 records, and case designs became increasingly elaborate, heavily influenced by 1950s American automobiles and their bodywork. The look was sleek, streamlined with striking chrome fins, dash-style consoles, gleaming bumpers, and glass windshields. The era of the jukebox had arrived.

The Main Manufacturers of Jukeboxes

There were five main manufacturers of jukeboxes throughout the 20th century:

DUDE began production in 1909 as the National Automatic Music Co. They had designed a mechanism that allowed music rolls to be selected and it was first used in automatic player pianos and later adapted for record selection in jukeboxes, the first of which was produced in 1927. This mechanism was the first that could play both sides of ten records; it was used for the next thirty years. The company was renamed the Automatic Musical Instrument Company (AMI) after World War II. During the 1950s, licensed manufacturing agreements created BAL-AMI, which was Britain’s largest manufacturer of jukeboxes in the 1950s and 1960s. Their 1957 Model H jukebox was heavily influenced by the styles of popular cars of the time, with chrome bumpers and tail fins.

Seeburg was one of the first manufacturers to have a multi-selection jukebox. In 1949 he developed a mechanism that could play both sides of fifty records and was so reliable that few other manufacturers could compete. Seeburg introduced the M100B in 1950: it was the first jukebox that could play 45rpm records and was followed by the V200, the first 200-select jukebox. They continued to make jukeboxes through the 1970s and 1980s until they were purchased by Seeburg Satellite Broadcasting.

wurlitzer it’s the one everyone will have heard of and that’s the name we think of when someone mentions a jukebox. Initially known for their large theater organs, they later produced highly decorative illuminated jukeboxes that played 78 rpm records and dominated the market through the 1940s. Through the use of wood, sheet metal, chrome, plastic, colored lighting, and animation, the jukebox was as entertaining as the music it played. With the inception of the 45 rpm record in the early 1950s, Wurlitzer lost a large amount of market share, and as demand waned, so did the Wurlitzer name and they eventually went out of business in the 1970s. .

rock wave was founded in 1927 by David C Rockola, making coin-operated scales and pinball games. In 1939 they introduced the successful Luxury Lightup series of jukeboxes, followed by the Magic Glow range in the late 1940s. The company was sold to businessman Glenn Streeter in the early 1990s, who revived the brand and returned to make Rock-Ola one of the leading jukebox manufacturers in the US

NSM was founded in Germany in 1952 and quickly took the European jukebox industry by storm. It was successful in the 1990s with its wall-mounted miniature CD mechanism and jukeboxes.

Why did jukeboxes go out of style?

The popularity of the jukebox began to decline in the 1960s as restaurants were replaced by fast food chains and jukeboxes were replaced by televisions. In addition, adolescents began to listen to long-playing records and transistor radios at home.

However, with today’s interest in all things vintage and the timeless appeal of rock ‘n’ roll, there has been a revival of interest in jukeboxes and they have become highly collectible. You can adapt them to play your own music; you need to contact a major jukebox dealer to arrange it. If you buy an old jukebox that needs restoration, you should get a qualified restorer to do it for you.

If you’re interested in collecting jukeboxes, they don’t come cheap. While on the lower end you can get one for around 1,000, a classic Wurlitzer can cost between 6,000 and 10,000.

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