Decoboxes
By Wesley Waters
Within the concepts that support sales, no single element is more important than reaching and satisfying a mass market. Frequently overlooked, is Deco-era music and its proliferation. Discovering and reaching a mass market and merchandising "the music" provided a history-making challenge to several creative industrial designers, engineers, entrepreneurs and musicologists. The creation and evolution of what we now know as the jukebox is substantially responsible for bringing music of the era to the masses.
"Boxes" which played voice and instrumental recordings were a reality as early as 1888 via the cylinder based, battery powered Edison Class M Electric Phonograph. Like other Edison inventions, he was driven by his vision, inventiveness and pragmatism to improve the quality of life. To this end, Edison migrated the Class M to a vending device advertised as the "Nickel-In-The-Slot" phonographs featuring stylized wood cabinets and ear-tubes since the loudspeaker had not yet been invented. Needless, to say, here were the design ingredients that were the precursors of the modern jukebox.
Flashing forward and after numerous design improvements as a function of customer demand, arrives the 1930s and '40s which introduced such famous jukebox makers as Wurlitzer, Mills, Seeburg, Rock-Ola and AMI. These companies produced the classic jukeboxes we culturally reflect and remember. Besides a myriad of technical innovations, all of these manufacturers saw the wisdom and value of Deco style as a sales tool.
Three mind-boggling innovations kept the competition fierce from about 1935 to 1949. First, there was the introduction of various methods of storing and changing records to be selected and played. Second, by reacting to the ever growing restaurant market, control boxes for play selection were remotely located at tables and counters allowing customers to play any selection without leaving their seats. And third was the artistic presentation of the jukebox cabinet, control boxes and speaker shrouds which were dominated by every conceivable slant on Art Deco style.
Jukeboxes frequently were de- signed concealing the unattractive mechanism behind glowing back- lighted red, blue and yellow Lucite panels. This provided a mysterious and dynamic effect through flash panels and tubular colored bubble lights. An excellent example of these features is Wurlitzer's Model 1015 Deco styled jukebox featuring illuminated arches and pilasters (vertical panels) separated by those unforgettable colored tubular bubble lights.
Frequently not concealed by design, several makers capitalized on the automation and robotics of the changer mechanism. Seen through a clear glass panel, the intricate motions of the record changer mechanism intrigued customers to the extent that they would continuously play records. Today, the more sought-after collectible jukeboxes are the designs with the record changer action packaged to operate in plain view of the customer.
Materials available and created during the Deco era found their way into jukebox design. Chromium plated zinc castings perfected in automotive manufacturing were used in all manner of creative trim. Advances in Lucite, a duPont polycarbonate plastic, became the facials for the dramatically colored and flashing multi shaped panels. Few Deco era furnishings escaped the process of exotic wood veneering. Nearly all Deco era jukeboxes featured casement-work of every type of wood veneer. These wood panels, often providing perfect symmetry, were frequently a Deco style requirement. Bakelite, with its ability to be colored and precision molded, was used for control knobs and buttons, and in some cases was molded into decorative accents.
Many of the dances of the era were invented and perfected in "juke joints." And the record sales to juke joints were responsible for many early "million-mark" record sales awards. A sales spin-off was the use in record advertisements of pictures of the artist with a backdrop that included a popular jukebox. These ads now are highly collectible.
During the Deco era, the legality of paying royalties to the performer was a matter of fact--except for jukebox sales. The president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians tagged the jukebox as public enemy number one. No royalties meant no cut for the union. Confirming his concern, it was not uncommon to find more jukeboxes in a given area than registered musicians. Initially, performers who gained popularity because of jukebox sales applauded this phenomena. However, over time they soon came to decry this connection since it reduced the demand for live performances while at the same time didn't provide any royalty compensation. Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Cab Calloway endorsed the Wurlitzer, while other saw it as the end of their live performance careers.
The ultimate in jukebox technology was the wireless control box invented by Seeburg and later picked up by Wurlitzer. This system consisted of a portable battery-powered control box with a radio transmitter and a jukebox equipped with a receiver tuned to specific frequencies to select the records to be played.
As far as anyone can attest, Deco style was responsible for more then 80 percent of jukebox sales during the era. Paralleling food presentation, Deco style meant that eye appeal is buy appeal.
This article originally appeared in Trans-Lux volume 13, number 4, December 1995.
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Created Wednesday, August 27, 1997; Modified Friday, May 06, 2005.
