Jukeboxes Reach Their Heyday
By Teresa Ambord
If you know jukeboxes, you probably know that three names dominated the jukebox industry for decades: Rock-ola, Wurlitzer, and Seeburg. Each company made significant contributions to jukebox history.
The first jukebox was called the Nickel-in-the-slot… no mystery there. The name wasn’t particularly creative, but certainly descriptive. Basically it was a phonograph (Edison Class M Electric) in an oak cabinet, refitted to operate with a coin slot. The player made its first appearance at San Francisco’s Palais Royale Saloon, where patrons enjoyed the music through one of the jukebox’s four listening tubes, since it had no amplification system. That may not sound like fun, but the machine took in $1,000 in the first six months. At a nickel a song, that’s 20,000 hits.
For two decades, the coin phonograph industry soared, led by the major producer of phonographs, the Wurlitzer company. But when radio began providing free music, and the Depression years brought widespread poverty, Wurlitzer and the industry as a whole nearly went under.
Eventually, the Depression ended. Prohibition was repealed. And the phonograph industry rebounded. Once again, Wurlitzer dominated the market, with its “Debutante” phonographs.
About the same time, a Canadian businessman by the name of David C. Rockola entered the business in a big way. He purchased what was known as the Smythe mechanism, re-engineered it, and eventually used it to produce his popular 1935 Rock-Ola.
Wurlitzer tried unsuccessfully to keep Rockola out of the business by suing him for patent infringement on the Smythe mechanism. Half a million dollars in legal fees later, Rockola won and in 1939 introduced a new player called the Luxury Light-UP.
Still, Wurlitzer’s coin-operated phonographs, which could handle up to 24 records, dominated the market for a time. Soon World War II rumbled in, and the jukebox industry had to be put on hold while the country pulled together for the war effort. But after the war, when soldiers returned and were in the mood to relax and have some fun, the industry boomed again. That’s when Wurlitzer came out with what was probably the most popular jukebox of all time, the model 1015, and Rock-Ola came out with its Magic Glow series, models 1422, 1426, 1428.
Take a look at this Web site to see some Rock-Ola models. If you have a Rock-Ola and wish to sell it, you’ll find contact information here for a possible buyer.
The 50s and 60s represented the heyday for jukeboxes. Rock-Ola was a fierce competitor in the field, even introducing a jukebox so small it could hang on a wall.
The third pioneer of the jukebox industry was Justice Seeburg. He revolutionized the jukebox industry in 1949 by producing a device that could play both sides of 50 records. Known as the Peggy Lee with M100A, it was the first true 100-selection jukebox. So innovative was this player that it nearly put all other manufacturers out of the business. A year later, he introduced the M100B, which was the first jukebox to play 45 rpm records. Then in 1955, Seeburg bested himself by introducing the 200 selection player.
In the 70s, the jukebox business went down to almost nothing and Rockola sold his business to Glenn Streeter, owner of Antique Apparatus Co., in Torrance California. Streeter kept the Rock-Ola name and now is one of the top jukebox manufacturers in the country, with a whole line of jukeboxes for home and commercial use.
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