Jukebox

A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a patron's selection from self-contained media.

[1][2] In 1889, Louis Glass and William S. Arnold invented the nickel-in-the-slot phonograph, in San Francisco.

[5] This 'Audiophone' machine was wide and bulky because it had eight separate turntables mounted on a rotating Ferris wheel-like device, allowing patrons to select from eight different 10" 78rpm records.

[6] A similar system to Seeburg's Audiophone was employed by the Mills Novelty Company in their 1935 Dancemaster Automatic Phonograph.

[7] Later versions of the jukebox included Seeburg's Selectophone with 10 turntables mounted vertically on a spindle.

Serving as a remote control, they enabled patrons to select tunes from their table or booth.

Stereo sound became popular in the early 1960s, and wallboxes of the era were designed with built-in speakers to provide patrons a sample of this latest technology.

[17] The term "jukebox" was used to describe high-capacity, hard disk based digital audio play due to their amount of digital space allowing a great number of music to be stored and played.

[18][19] The term was popularised following the introduction of the Creative NOMAD Jukebox in 2000, which could store as many as 150 CDs of music on its six gigabyte hard drive.