(This article follows on from History Of The Jukebox, Part 1)

The music source of jukeboxes progressed from steel combs to wax records, to a variety of vinyl records and to the modern day jukeboxes that use cds, mp3s, DVDs and Satellite downloads. When the 45rpm vinyl was released in 1950 it became the standard and was adopted until CDs replaced them in 1980s.

Jukeboxes were installed into juke joints, restaurants, saloons, diners and homes and provided welcome relief from the trouble times of the depression and imminent war. Following the end of World War II the popularity of the jukebox had a resurgence as the restrictions on manufacturing them were lifted. Wulitzer’s 1946 model was the most popular and remained a hit until the mid 1960’s. During that Golden Age the user could escape through the slot with that nickel and be transported to another world of beautiful marbled catalin plastic, neon lights, bubbles and the most popular music available.

The jukeboxes of the 1940s were called Golden Age jukeboxes because of their yellow Catalin plastic on their fascia’s and those of the 1950s are called Silver Age because of their chrome fascias.

Jukeboxes contained counters to record the number of plays of each record ensuring that only the most popular music would remain in the cabinet. With clever trickery and the development of the electronic components users could be fooled into thinking that they alone had paid for the song that was playing when in fact it was more than likely that several users had paid for it.

Jukeboxes had their heyday in the 1950s and during this period the development of wallboxes enabled diners to select music from their table, the number of songs available increased,they became aesthetically pleasing, treasured objects. The decline of partner dancing lead to the end of an era for jukeboxes. Big chain restaurants preferred their customers to eat and leave instead of hang around and dance.

There remains a huge appetite for vinyl jukeboxes and their original cabinets – mostly for nostalgic reasons. Antique jukeboxes are collected by enthusiasts and new jukeboxes are bought as luxury items, a must have for the games room. Jukeboxes have a faithful following and a thriving restoration and collectors community that show knowledge and keen enthusiasm.

The modern day jukeboxes have iPod docks and are usually smaller than the classic jukeboxes. The majority of them are wall mounted but still capture the spirit of the traditional large machine. They usually contain about 100 discs. The most advanced technology currently being used in jukeboxes are digital satellite downloaded music or DVDs replacing CDs to accommodate up to 1,000 songs.

The technologically advanced jukeboxes,however, have not dampened people’s appetite for authentic and original automatic music machines. The Sharpsichord, a unique instrument designed by Artist Henry Dagg is still being built even though it is four years behind schedule. The dedication of this talented enthusiast for dramatic sound has not been dampened. It was funded by the UK’s Big Lottery Fund and is solar powered. It works on the same principle as a barrel organ. Mr Dagg said “it is designed really as a composing machine – I want people to come and play their own pieces on it”. Perhaps the future of jukeboxes lies in the user’s ability to create their own rock and roll.