For as long as I can remember, I've had a fascination with listening to and watching jukeboxes! The ones that spin phonograph records are my favorites. I recall vividly being both amazed and amused in the '80s when I first saw a jukebox system at a restaurant with remote terminals allowing for selection of songs placed at each table! Recently I visited a Texas Roadhouse Bar/Restaurant and took a photo of the jukebox there. While the establishment was bustling with activity, no one paid it any mind for the hour or so I was there. It just sat there silent. Now I wonder what's behind the operation of modern jukeboxes such as this. I'll bet it has no records or CDs in it. I'm guessing it uses some sort of streaming service to access music. Is it a big box with a tiny transistorized amplifier itside? Would someone in the know please detail how this new breed of jukeboxes works?
Don't know how these operate. I guess I'll look up Rock-Ola to see if there's any info there. There's enough spurs on that to Go Box Go!
It may be this model or one of their variants: 'New' Rock-Ola Bubbler Digital Music Center Crystal Edition Jukeboxes
So then, it appears that it has a CD drive that is not intended for public access, and an onboard computer of sorts that rips CDs and stores the resulting files as well as gathers artwork from the Internet to display on its touchscreen. Its price really freaked me out! I would absolutely love to see its internals!
As evident from the OP yes, probably far fewer individuals than there are customers buying for restaurant chains, etc.
Internet jukeboxes are common in bars around here. They are no where fancy as that. They store thousands of songs on a computer hard drive, and can fetch many more songs from a mother ship as long as the internet in the establishment is working. They have a kiosk station to do your search, or you can download an app on your phone to access the music.
Is Texas Roadhouse a chain or franchise? Being a relative newcomer to Texas (since 2012), we've discovered quite a few joints- some active, clean and thriving, some downright scary but cool in a historical, old timey way. I didn't know what CFS was until I figured out it was an acronym for a food staple-- "chicken fried steak." There's a place my wife took me to, not terribly far outside of Austin- maybe an hour or so-- that had good food, a stage and garage doors of glass that opened up along the back wall so the whole place became an open air venue-- we went during a weekday for lunch. I would imagine the place would be hopping on some weekends with a band, cheap beers and a parking lot filled with pickup trucks and some good ol boys. Could be fun. I remember the first time I went into the Continental Club here in South Austin- a dark, cave-like place. I figured it might vibe like a biker bar but in actuality, it was all these clean cut guys in cowboy hats two-stepping with ladies. Like a time warp. For a Yankee who lived in NY for a long time, it was refreshingly innocent.
Hard drive internally, downloads from a central service like AMI Entertainment, which is used with internet jukeboxes, and powers their back office functions, and dealing with other functions, like supplying music. Not available to home jukeboxes.
Texas Roadhouse is indeed a franchise, and nothing like the places you described, which sound fun! https://www.texasroadhouse.com/about-us
There was a really old time hamburger joint here in downtown Austin that was an institution; it was bought, closed and renovated recently as an Italian restaurant. Before that happened I visited and took a photo of a juke box controller- have no idea of vintage, but would guess it was early '50s? Way more primitive looking than the table side selector things I remember from "drive in" restaurants back in the '60s. If anybody knows what the story is on this, I'd be interested: IMG_0451 by William Hart, on Flickr
japhi, at the risk of being pedantic. you spelled it wrong. It should have been ugly with a Capital U (Ugly)
When I was a kid, we never had anything better than a small, table-top record player. The jukebox in the bar was my introduction to bass.
The Blackhawk Museum in Danville CA used to have a nice collection of jukeboxes on display. Link to photos
I had a nostalgic chuckle at your 'discovery' of the remote terminals in the 80's when they were 30 years old. I'm so old! You may enjoy this 1950's Wurlitzer restoration:
The one jukebox song that I've played the most in my life, by a wide margin: Working For The Weekend.
