Modern day jukeboxes have made leaps and bounds in comparison to the old-fashioned vintage style that most of us are familiar with but why was the jukebox created? In this article, the history of the jukebox is examined and why this piece of technology was so important in society.
Jukeboxes were developed in the mid 1920's following on from the success of Louis T. Glass nickel-in-the-slot phonograph. The jukeboxes derives from the old African-American term, 'juke' meaning to dance and provided the music and entrainment for the tavern and its customers. In this era, the jukebox was revolutionary for tavern owners as the jukebox could compete with a live band or orchestra, for a snippet of the price. The jukebox attracted the customers and catered for various tastes in musical genre. Song-popularity counters informed the jukebox owner the amount each record was played, with the result that popular records remained, while lesser-played songs could be replaced.
Early radio was in the form of live Classical, Swing or Jazz orchestras, performed at trendy hotels and therefore was considered respectable music. Other 'lower class' genres such as Blues were not considered worthy of radio broadcast and this resulted in artists breaking away, exploring other mediums to broadcast their sounds. From the late 1920's until the mid-1950's the jukebox was the only way to hear this type of music and provided the platform and opportunity to sell hundreds of records at once for the performing artist.
The jukebox was also seen to be 'colour-blind' in a segregated world, as patrons never saw the performer in person. It is thought that the jukebox is responsible in spreading the 'lower class' musical genres and sounds to the wider population. After the depression, jukebox sales rose significantly, with leading manufacturers such as Wurlitzer, Rock-Ola and Seeburg developing spectacular creations of wood, metal, and phenolic resins which moved behind tubes of captivating cellophane, Polaroid film and plastic. This is the type of jukebox of we all think of when discussing juke boxes.
The modern-day digital jukebox continues to move forwards with the most popular was to listen to music whilst in pubs, clubs or bars. Features have been added to the music element of the jukebox such as broadband connectivity, allowing the music library to be constantly updated with the latest releases, all in mp3 or similar file formats. Music videos now feature on most digital jukeboxes, adding to the overall effect of the music.
Jukeboxes were developed in the mid 1920's following on from the success of Louis T. Glass nickel-in-the-slot phonograph. The jukeboxes derives from the old African-American term, 'juke' meaning to dance and provided the music and entrainment for the tavern and its customers. In this era, the jukebox was revolutionary for tavern owners as the jukebox could compete with a live band or orchestra, for a snippet of the price. The jukebox attracted the customers and catered for various tastes in musical genre. Song-popularity counters informed the jukebox owner the amount each record was played, with the result that popular records remained, while lesser-played songs could be replaced.
Early radio was in the form of live Classical, Swing or Jazz orchestras, performed at trendy hotels and therefore was considered respectable music. Other 'lower class' genres such as Blues were not considered worthy of radio broadcast and this resulted in artists breaking away, exploring other mediums to broadcast their sounds. From the late 1920's until the mid-1950's the jukebox was the only way to hear this type of music and provided the platform and opportunity to sell hundreds of records at once for the performing artist.
The jukebox was also seen to be 'colour-blind' in a segregated world, as patrons never saw the performer in person. It is thought that the jukebox is responsible in spreading the 'lower class' musical genres and sounds to the wider population. After the depression, jukebox sales rose significantly, with leading manufacturers such as Wurlitzer, Rock-Ola and Seeburg developing spectacular creations of wood, metal, and phenolic resins which moved behind tubes of captivating cellophane, Polaroid film and plastic. This is the type of jukebox of we all think of when discussing juke boxes.
The modern-day digital jukebox continues to move forwards with the most popular was to listen to music whilst in pubs, clubs or bars. Features have been added to the music element of the jukebox such as broadband connectivity, allowing the music library to be constantly updated with the latest releases, all in mp3 or similar file formats. Music videos now feature on most digital jukeboxes, adding to the overall effect of the music.
About the Author:
Learn more about jukebox rental stop by Mike Sutton's site where you can find out about types of touchscreen jukebox and how it can add to the atmosphere of your pub, bar or club.
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