Jukeboxes are a pay-per-use version of phonographs (see entry under 1900s—Music in volume 1), record players, and, more recently, compact disc (see entry under 1980s—Music in volume 5) players. Often found in bars and nightclubs in the 1930s and after, jukeboxes were invented to provide an inexpensive form of musical entertainment. Customers could put coins in a slot, choose the records they wanted to hear, and then enjoy the music. Jukeboxes could also play records one after the other, providing almost nonstop entertainment. They became popular during the Great Depression (1929–41; see entry under 1930s—The Way We Lived in volume 2), when many people could not afford to buy records and many nightclubs could not afford to hire live bands. At a nickel per play, jukeboxes provided an easy way to hear good music.

Jukeboxes provided an inexpensive form of musical entertainment in the 1930s and beyond. Corbis/Bettmann...