Jukebox Jive

Jukeboxes are not just a blast from the past. These machines which are nothing more than coin operated music boxes were a hit back in the early years of the twentieth century and still continue to be a hit whether it be originals, replicas or more advanced forms. That does not mean that the early twentieth century was the actual age of the jukeboxes. The first music boxes appeared in the 1800s but electricity was not there yet and people had to turn a crank in order to listen to any sort of clear music.

The early twentieth century, brought to the world the phonograph, and wax discs on which the songs and music were kept. All one had to do was to insert a coin, then a lever would pull a stylus that would go into the groove and then play the music out loud.

Later on, Jukeboxes were advanced by the introduction of LPs. That helped to improve the quality of voice, and even made it possible for the multiple playing of the same track and to have many tracks on board the same jukebox at the same time.

With the introduction of the phonograph before and LPs, the fascination with jukeboxes decreased and people kept wondering about whether the industry of jukeboxes would last, especially with the introduction of home music players.

Yet, the days of Disco and Swing surely made it survive in discos and pubs. It has become a representation of the identity of an era. An era that everybody loves. Today, Jukeboxes are so much more advanced, with CDs replacing the older LPs and EPs, and even digital drives with unlimited capacity to hold music in it. The question is; where will jukeboxes be in the years to come?