With vinyl records experiencing a huge resurgence among music fans, Sound Leisure has just shipped its first vinyl jukeboxes in nearly 25 years.
A new production line was set up earlier this year and the “Vinyl Team” (pictured here) received training from the Sound Leisure in-house Research and Development division on how to manufacture and set up the player mechanism.
“This has been a project of epic proportions and we are extremely excited to see the finished product leave the factory,” stated Chris Black. “It is becoming increasingly difficult in this digital age to find people with the skills and knowledge to be able to recreate some of the components required to manufacture a vinyl-playing jukebox. It is a tribute to the team here in Leeds that this machine has actually become reality.”
The firm says it is the only jukebox manufacturer in the world to be currently making vinyl jukeboxes and has been contacted all year by TV and print journalists since the news broke following the prototype’s first outing at the Classic Car Show in February. Since then, orders have been taken for the Vinyl Rocket from all over the world.
In the US sales of vinyl are up 38% but the figures are even more impressive in the UK where sales have grown by more than 56% over the past 12 months.
While it is retro in nature, Sound Leisure’s Vinyl Rocket also boasts a number of modern features such as infra-red remote control and will also be available with a Bluetooth receiver as an optional extra, so customers will also be able to stream their favourite digital tracks and radio stations directly to the machine.
www.soundleisure.com