History Seeburg Corporation

1918 seeburg orchestrion, style g . used 10-song music roll , played multiple wind, string, , percussion instruments.

automated musical equipment, such coin-operated phonographs , orchestrions, manufactured under j.p. seeburg , company name of years. until 1956, company family-owned. company founded justus p. sjöberg gothenburg, sweden. moved united states after graduating chalmers university of technology , used americanized spelling of surname company. in late 1940s, seeburg manufactured popular , distinctive trashcan-shaped series of jukeboxes.

seeburg select-o-matic jukebox, handles 50 records (1949)

when began make jukeboxes, 78 rpm record standard , few selections played on 1 machine. changed seeburg model m100a, play 50 records front , total of 100 selections, immense variety @ time. in 1950, seeburg introduced first commercial jukebox designed play then-new 45 rpm records. later increased number of records 50 80, 100 per machine. classic m100c featured in opening of happy days tv series, although actual spinning 45 rpm record shown being played on different make of jukebox.

the seeburg select-o-matic record mechanism stores records in linear horizontal rack , plays them vertically clamped between 2 rotating cylinders. selected record pushed forward behind, clamped in rotating cylinders. tone arm likewise oriented vertically , has stylus on each side. stylus selected depending on side of record being played. earliest 45 rpm mechanism, select-o-matic 100 , held 50 records or 100 songs. later models held 80 or 100 45 rpm records. in machines manufactured during 1950 s, entire mechanism visible user. later machines concealed actual player in favor of musical graphics , lights, internally same mechanism.

seeburg manufactured background music players, such seeburg 1000, used special 9-inch, 16⅔ rpm records.

seeburg trashcan jukebox (1948, symphonola model 148)

during 1960s, seeburg bought many other companies, including williams (pinball , other games) , h. n. white company (king brass , woodwind instruments).

in 1965, seeburg corporation announced establishing new music performance rights organisation compete ascap, bmi, , sesac. society called coin-operated phonograph performance society (copps). plan seeburg make recordings solely play in jukeboxes.

during 1970s seeburg faced debt , declining market music products. corporation headed bankruptcy in 1979 , broken in 1980. in seeburg s reorganization effort jukebox production came under seeburg phonograph division, court closed in september, 1979. following demise of seeburg phonograph division, ownership of seeburg s assets passed creditors , liquidation of company began. creditors sold williams electronics manufacturing division independent company in 1980. king musical instruments maintained creditors until sold in 1983. remaining production assets sold stern electronics, began producing stern/seeburg jukeboxes. parts department stock purchased los angeles-based jukeboxes unlimited in september 1980. stern electronics left amusements business in 1985.

in march 1984, former seeburg employees , group of investors formed seeburg phonograph company , acquired production assets stern. became first operation produce cd jukebox. remained in operation few years , several models of cd jukeboxes made during period. eventually, company closed , nothing remains. seeburg name lived again on cd jukeboxes produced in mexico short time.

as of february 2010, touchscreen digital conversion kit bearing seeburg name being offered.

as of 2017, seeburg 1000 website continually livestreams best of seeburg 1000 background music library recordings.