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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. The classic jukebox has buttons with letters and numbers on them, which are used to select specific records. Some may use compact discs instead. Disc changers are similar devices for home use; they are small enough to fit on a shelf and can hold up to hundreds of discs, allowing them to be easily removed, replaced, or inserted by the user.

For other uses, see Jukebox (disambiguation).

1927 LINK – Valued at US$40,000 and extremely rare

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1940 Gabel Kuro – 78 rpm, the manufacturer's last model. Four or five are known to exist; valued at US$125,000

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1942 Rock-Ola President – Only one is known to exist; valued at least US$150,000

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1942 Rock-Ola Premier – 15 known to exist; valued at US$20,000

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1942 Wurlitzer 950 – 75–90 known to exist; valued at US$35,000

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1946 Wurlitzer Model 1015 – Called the "1015 bubbler", it offered 24 selections. More than 56,000 were sold in less than two years. Considered a pop culture icon, it was designed by Paul Fuller.[4]

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1952 Seeburg M100C – The jukebox exterior used in the credit sequences for in seasons 1–10. It played up to fifty 45-RPM records, making it a 100-play. It was very colorful, with chrome glass tubes on the front, mirrors in the display, and rotating animation in the pilasters.[4]

Happy Days

1967 Rock-Ola 434 Concerto – The jukebox interior used in the credit sequence for the 11th and final season of Happy Days. Like the Seeburg M100C, it played up to fifty 45-RPM records, but unlike the M100C, had a horizontal playback mechanism.

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2018 Orphéau Sunflower Serie – The first jukebox that played up to twenty 33-RPM records on both sides.

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Decline[edit]

Traditional jukeboxes once were an important source of income for record publishers. Jukeboxes received the newest recordings first. They became an important market-testing device for new music, since they tallied the number of plays for each title. They let listeners control the music outside of their home, before audio technology became portable. They played music on demand without commercials. They also offered high fidelity listening before home high fidelity equipment became affordable.[4]


In 1995, the United States Postal Service issued a 25-cent stamp commemorating the jukebox.[15]

Media related to Jukeboxes at Wikimedia Commons