On This Day in Music (1889): The jukebox debuted

November 23, 1889 The jukebox debuted.

The jukebox became popular in the 1950s when there were an estimated 750,000 across America, but its origins actually go back more than 50 years earlier. The first jukebox was installed in the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco, although some accounts say the Palace Royal Hotel. The saloon, on 303 Sutter Street, was owned by Frederick Mergenthaler. The Pacific Phonograph Company constructed the jukebox from an Edison Class M electric phonograph in an oak cabinet. The machine had no amplification, so four patrons at a time could listen via stethoscope-like tubes. A phonograph could only handle one song at a time, so it was only changed every day or so. At a nickel per play, the machine made $1000 in its first six months of operation. Incidentally, a nickel in 1889 would be more like a dollar today. Louis T. Glass, the entrepreneur who patented the device, originally called it a nickel-in-the-slot player. The name evolved into nickelodeon. In 1879, Glass left his job as a Western Union telegraph operator. He turned his interest to being a general manager and investor in telephone and phonograph companies. With the advance of technology, by 1906 John Gabel’s “Automatic Entertainer” could play 24 different songs stored on 10-inch discs. The jukebox eventually spelled doom for the player piano, or self-playing piano. As for the term jukebox, its origins aren’t clear, but it appeared in the 1930s in the southern U.S. and may derive from music played in a “juke house”, or brothel. The term “juke” was black American slang for dancing and brothels were some of the first places to install jukeboxes. Meanwhile, the phonograph grew through 1920 to become a mass medium for playing music. In the mid-‘20s, the radio became prevalent and during the 1930s the jukebox became a popular means for sharing dance records. By 1949, Seeburg’s “Select-O-Matic” jukebox allowed for 100 selections. For more about the development of the phonograph and gramophone, check out the Dave’s Music Database blog entry “Thomas Edison Invents the Phonograph: August 12, 1877.” For more important days in music history, check out the Dave’s Music Database history page. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” Dave’s Music Database (11/23/1989). “Jukebox Hits: Top 40 All Time” Mtdemocrat.com (11/21/2011) “At a glance: Music and fun for the holidays” oldies.about.com Today in Oldies Music History: November 23 SFweekly.com (12/1/1999). “Jukebox Hero and Gordon Dorsey” by Mark Athitakis TomLubin.blogspot.com (12/19/2008). Put Another Nickel In: The role of the Jukebox in popular music” by Tom Lubin Wired.com (11/23/2007). “Nov. 23, 1889: S.F. Gin Joint Hears the World’s First Jukebox” by Tony Long Wonderopolis.org “Who Invented the Jukebox?” First posted 11/23/2011; last updated 9/15/2023.