Juke-box

History

Before the invention of the Gramophone, one found already musical boxes or pianos automatic ( Pianola ), equipped with coiners, in the fun fairs or other public places.

The public gramophone appears before the domestic equipment. Installed by Louis Knell on November 22nd 1889 in a living room of the Palais Royal of San Francisco, it provides the first sound recordings available, engraved on cylinders. At the beginning, the apparatuses were able only to read one piece, of approximately 2 minutes, but they improved quickly to offer a choice between several recordings. In 1910 the cylinder was supplanted by the disc.

The term juke-box appears in the Années 1930 with the the United States, derived from the slang word juke-joints which indicates a bar where one dances. At that time, one also uses juke-bands to indicate the groups of music which occur there. In 1946, leaves model 1015 Wurlitzer, which is a great success, to great reinforcement of publicity. One assembles approximately 60 of it; 000 specimens. With its round form and its attractive colors, there represents the prototype of the juke-box, and remains that of which the image was reproduced. It is however a machine with the modest possibilities, only able to read 24 discs out of only one face.

The disc 78 turns is used in the juke-boxes until in 1950, year when the company Seeburg manufactures an apparatus reading the discs vinyls 45 turns. At that time, four large companies dispute the US market: Wurlitzer, Seeburg, Rock'n'roll-Ola and AMI/Rowe

The juke-box is traditionally an imposing piece of furniture, trônant in the middle of the bar. But certain models, like Seeburg 3W-1, can cling on the wall. One speaks then in English about wallbox .

Demand falls largely in the years 1970, and the companies cease their production gradually. As from the years 1980, the Compact Disc S replace the discs vinyls, then one finds then juke-boxes entirely numerical, receiving the pieces by Internet or via a line of communication owner. The number of titles available is some naturally increased, just as the possibility of drawing up statistics of audience, which offers new commercial possibilities. But musical listening from now on largely separated, grace in particular to the walkmans, and the revival of the concept juke-box is more than dubious. On the other hand, the existing apparatuses became sought collector's items, in particular model 1015 of Wurlitzer.

The industry of the juke-box was profitable as of its creation. She knew her golden age starting from the Années 1940 and until the beginning of the Années 1970. It is estimated that approximately 2 million machines was produced for this period. The image of the juke-box is now traditionally associated with the rise of the music rock'n'roll' roll, although one also listened to there much swing during the previous decade.

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