You may recognize Alan Freed’s name if you know much about the history of rock and roll, and you’ll definitely recognize the look of this famous DJ’s final resting place. Freed’s memorial headstone is a meticulously hand-carved, iconic Rock-Ola Bubbler jukebox that tells his life’s story and how it relates to music today. Freed’s son, Lance, unveiled the memorial headstone at a ceremony in honor of his father earlier this year. 51 years after Alan Freed’s death, he still drew a crowd with about 400 people attending the ceremony. Freed’s ashes, laid to rest after the recent interment, have had…
Author: Casey Minter
QubicaAMF has announced the finalization of a new addition to their growing company, this time acquiring CDE Software. CDE was founded by Patrick Lajko, a longtime industry member, and is known in the world of bowling for its Bowling League Secretary software. Over the last four decades, CDE’s dedication to the bowling industry has left it with the reputation of creating the leading applications in the market for competitive bowling software. Both QubicaAMF and CDE believe the future of competitive bowling will be better served by the joining of the companies. CDE will continue operating out of its Seattle office…
At this past Sunday’s (Nov. 27) Halo awards on Nickelodeon, Smart Industries was part of the show. The company provided a modified Giant crane for the big awards event, which was featured throughout coverage of the night. To watch videos from the night, click here. For more on Smart, click here.
For the inaugural National Jukebox Day on Nov. 23, Fox News channel celebrated by sending their “Fox and Friends” team out to the heart of Americana: a themed diner. The segment has “Fox and Friends” sitting down at a Johnny Rockets restaurant that features two wall-boxes made by Rock-Ola. Johnny Rockets even created a special “jukebox” burger for the day. TouchTunes also continued the celebration with a Jukebox Selfie Contest, and by visiting five bars in the Philadelphia area on National Jukebox Day with pop-star impersonators in tow. It’s widely held that Nov. 23 is a historic date in juke…
On Nov. 29, 1972, Atari previewed the first coin-op version of its legendary Pong, which went on to become the first commercially successful video game. (The game wouldn’t go into full production until the following March.) A website detailing the history of the iconic game and its makers, said Atari went on to sell over 19,000 games, helping launch what the website says is now the “largest entertainment industry in the world.” (Software sales on the consumer side of the video game industry are expected to reach $98 billion by 2020, excluding revenues earned from hardware components necessary to play…
The Stern Pinball Arcade, developed by that factory in partnership with Oculus and FarSight Studios, is now available for home consoles PS4 and Xbox One. The Arcade gives players a unique VR pinball experience based on digital re-creations of Stern titles like AC/DC and Star Trek. Each month, regular updates will add classics like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Twilight Zone and more. “We’re always looking for ways to engage pinball fans of all generations,” said Gary Stern. “With the additions of virtual reality pinball to more platforms, we hope to bring the incredible experience of…
ICE hosted a mini-tournament in the midst of IAAPA’s madness this year, challenging players at their booth to win the high score on their new basketball game, NBA Gametime, over four days of the show. According to the company, this brought thousands of people into their booth to fight for daily high scores, and allowed them a great opportunity to show off the Buffalo, N.Y.-made game. To sweeten the pot and keep players engaged, ICE offered up officially autographed basketballs from Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and Hakeem Olajuwon to players who won the daily high scores. For more information, click…
Digital Center hosted an unmistakably bright booth at this year’s IAAPA with many of their new products including innovative uses of LED lights. The Eclipse photo booth has a built in large curved LED screen that is reminiscent of the massive screens found in Times Square. From showing shocking 12-feet ads to playing any fun animation, the company says this screen allows you to play almost any play video and image. Even a web application is configured so that users can upload their own video and play it instantly, in case you want to organize a contest or show an…
Betson Enterprises has been appointed exclusive U.S, distributors of Helix Leisure’s Locker Network which provides keyless electronic lockers for FECs, bowling centers, trampoline and water parks and other such out-of-home locations. Helix says customers buying from Betson “benefit from a coordinated installation from one supplier, highly competitive financing options and dedicated local service from their network of 14 regional offices.” Most people carry a smart phone these days, many of them over $500 in value. With roughly 3 million phones stolen each year in the US since 2013, The Locker Network says guests appreciate having a highly secure storage option…
Claiming that Nov. 23,1889, was the day that Louis Glass installed the very first coin-operated phonograph at the Palais Royal in San Francisco, TouchTunes has declared this Wednesday (11/23) to be National Jukebox Day. The declaration was also confirmed by the National Day Calendar. TouchTunes’ marketing and programming topper Vicki Saunders said: “This day before Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest bar night of the year as families and friends gather to reconnect over drinks and load up the jukebox with their favorite songs.” Among the ideas TouchTunes has for celebrating the day is to ask players to pose next to…