By the late 1800s, music boxes were built with removable cylinders whose tunes could be changed by replacing specially designed drawers. Finally, in 1885, Paul Lochmann created a music box called the “Symphonion” using a flat metal disc that rotated on a turntable. These metal discs could be easily swapped out, much like a vinyl record. Pop music was suddenly affordable and immediately accessible; within weeks of a Broadway show’s debut, its most memorable musical themes were available on music-box discs. Gustave Brachhausen, foreman of the Lochmann firm, split with the company and created his own business manufacturing the “Polyphon,” perhaps the most famous disc-operated music box. In 1892, Brachhausen moved to the United States where he opened the Regina Music Box Company in Jersey City, New Jersey. Though Regina produced its own mechanical works, Brachhausen still imported discs from the Polyphon factory in Leipzig. Regina’s immediate success allowed the company to move into a larger factory space and begin producing its own musical discs by hiring additional staff from the best companies of Europe. Besides designing devices for home use, Regina created machines for public spaces which would play songs for a nickel. In 1897, Brachhaussen also developed a multi-disc musical device with an automated disc-changer, a predecessor to the jukebox. After Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph in 1877, music boxes eventually became obsolete due to competition with recorded music.
Selected Products
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Music Box Studio Ghibli
Music Box Gift
Music Box Dancer
Fisher Price Music Box
Snow Globe Music Box
Music Box Made In Japan
Music Box Speaker
50 Note Music Box
Music Box Always With Me
Music Box Switzerland
Thorens Music Box
Music Lps Box Sets
Josef Music Box
Harry Potter Music Box Hedwigs Theme
Music Box Beethoven
Music Box Sankyo
Music Box Heart
Kaleidoscope Music Box
Music Box Owl
Old Music Box
Horse Music Box
Music Box Happy
La Vie En Rose Music Box
Music Box Lighter
Music Box Dancer Sheet Music
Music Box Cd
Silver Music Box
Music Box Cylinder
Music Box With Light
Music Box Egg
Music Box Over The Rainbow
San Francisco Music Box Wizard Of Oz
Music Box For Crib
German Music Box
Music Box Princess
Music Box Cant Help Falling In Love