Below is the first draft of our project proposal, written September 25, 2019.
Social History of the Jukebox: Project Proposal
Our group will be researching the history and social impact of the jukebox on American culture from the time invented to the present application. First invented in the late nineteenth-century, the jukebox combined pre-existing elements of a phonograph and the vending machine with the newly invented electrostatic loudspeaker to create a device that would soon populate bars, diners, nightclubs, military barracks, and a plethora of other social areas across the nation.
Our group chose to research the jukebox due to its iconic and transformative position in mid-century American popular culture and design. The jukebox not only impacted the everyday life of the people listening but also to the musicians who could now have their music streamed nation-wide. Our project will focus both on the invention and slow rise into the popularity of the jukebox, as well as the brief periods of resurgence enjoyed by the jukebox in the last two decades of the twentieth century.
On November 23, 1889, the first “nickel-in-slot phonograph,” an Edison Class M electric phonograph, was installed at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. Using headphone-like listening tubes and a coin-operating system, guests could listen to musical selection at a time. The technological concept behind wax cylinders, known as playable sound, was seen mostly as a novelty at the time of its invention. Close to three decades later, Hobart C. Niblack patented a mechanism that could automatically play up to ten records at a time, solving the first problem of playability posed by the phonograph. Still, these music-playing devices would not be widely popular without one vital component – the electrostatic loudspeaker. It would not be until close to the 1930s that the jukebox took shape, borrowing from Justus P. Seeburg’s 1928 player piano design that combined coin-operation with an electrostatic loudspeaker. [1]
With the three necessary components in place – coin-operation, the ability to select music, and a loudspeaker, the jukebox would be formed into what it is today. The invention of the jukebox appears in many ways accidental, or at least unintentional, as the men involved in its invention did not set out to create such a device, they were hoping to create instead more dignified, purpose-driven devices that use playable or recordable sound. It was not until the mid-1930s during the Great Depression that jukeboxes would enjoy a glimpse at popularity, as they were inexpensive forms of entertainment. By the 1940s and 1950s, the jukeboxes would be at their height of popularity, popping up in all sorts of venues. These venues included diners, schools, social hangout spots kids and teens, and many more. In the mid-1940s, the jukebox was the first means of introducing new music to the American people, as three-fourths of LP records produced went straight to jukeboxes. By the 1950s, with the advent of both the 45 rpm vinyl record and the “wall box” jukebox, which could be operated by a patron in a restaurant booth, jukeboxes became an even more pivotal piece of American spaces. [2] While the jukebox was steadily increasing from the time of invention to the 1950s, jukeboxes would meet their decline during the 1960s.
The slow decline of the jukebox would begin in the 1960s, as the advent of portable music playing devices diminished the need for communal music players. MP3 players were taking over the entertainment industry because of their portable, light, and cheap design. The jukebox enjoyed a brief nostalgic resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s as they were able to take advantage of new technology – both CDs and MP3s, respectively. [3] [4] By the twenty-first century, however, jukeboxes sales have again declined. [5]
Our project blog, http://historyoftech.mcclurken.org/jukebox/, will be organized by pages. While our current blog set-up includes our practice images under the “Latest Posts” category, we will organize our home page to feature a static post briefly introducing the jukebox, with all other information, including antecedents, selection/rejection, our annotated bibliography, citations, project proposal, and documentary link at the top menu of the page.
Two out of our three group members have access to high-quality cameras, which we will use to film our documentary. Also, we have tripods available for the documentary. The documentary will be edited in iMovie to piece together separate videos and add text. Once the documentary is finished, we will publish the finished product to Youtube, by which point it will be embedded in our blog.
Endnotes
- Matt Blitz. “How the Jukebox Got Its Groove” (Popular Mechanics. June 6, 2016)
- Kerry Segrave. Jukeboxes: An American Social History. (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland 2002.)
- Walter S. By. “Now that’s Portable — Nomad Jukebox Holds More than 1,500 Songs.” (Wall Street Journal. September 14, 2000.)
- Kevin E. Cullinane “Jukebox Sales are Booming to Beat of CDs.” (Wall Street Journal, September 2, 1992.)
- Kerry Segrave.
References
Blitz, Matt. “How the Jukebox Got Its Groove” Popular Mechanics. June 6, 2016. Accessed September 9, 2019. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a21127/how-the-jukebox-got-its-groove/
By, Walter S. “Now that’s Portable — Nomad Jukebox Holds More than 1,500 Songs.” Wall Street Journal. September 14, 2000. Accessed September 25, 2019.
Cullinane, Kevin E. “Jukebox Sales are Booming to Beat of CDs.” Wall Street Journal, September 2, 1992. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://umw.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/398358268?accountid=12299.
Segrave, Kerry. Jukeboxes: An American Social History. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. 2002.