Marketplace

Issue: 1974 August 30

r
MARKETPLACE
Too many jukeboxes too quiet. Play promotion
many of the belief all that's necessary is to
t
c~s ~ have flown out the window. Too, too
t~t'll do it. No play stimulating posters, coasters anaev records at collection time and
tions. Like, for ex.ample "This week's 5 newe t
rd, ....... ~'(etc., be)ing seen around loca-
.

s reco ~"" by whoever being f tu.red ·
~~s~!c~~e~uk=box.~j~~ey~e~ listening to them. All 5 for only 50¢, jus:atwo q~
jukebox?" Doze~s ~ideas t~tp ying Lu~q Record No.7 and sensational Record No.8 in our
you double and triple the numbe~fp::o e more and more play and, at the same time, bring
consider my jukeboxes the bread and b t?layfs you are now enjo~. (Operator advises, "I
t
u er o my route." That's IU.ce, real nice but bread
can ge stale and butter become rancid if not constantly refreshed.)
'
'
Why are prices for new eguip't goirur Ul> ~? Here
f ba i
In the ~at 90 days prices for steel1i&ve beenraised 5a~:s.e~i~eco~a~!;~ou~hould know.
over 547V in past 4 months. Plastics have zoomed over f,(Jf, in h
r
e gone up
6
prices of these basic materials are expected to go up again t~: ~;. n:~~!~ve~!'~e~~re,
you what hi8h interest rates mfrs are paying for money. o~ what various taxes are cost
llfrs. In addition, labor's wages, now at record high, may soon go higher.
ing
Larry Berke, one of the busiest salesmanagers as Midway's "TV Basketball" revives video
games field with orders piling on orders. Midway production at new high peak. Larry on the
phone all day long and trying each late afternoon "to catch up with my paper work". Other
afternoon, just as Larry started on his "paper work" in walked big delegation from Japan
cam.eras slung over shoulders and Larry, as usual, conducted the tour of the modern Midway'
factory. So "paper work" piling up higher and higher but Larry one happy sales mgr taking
orders for more and aore "TV Basketballs"
When solid state pinballs? Gene Beley of .Arcadia,Calif., called for a turn to solid state
pinballs in our past issue. Since then othens have asked when this would happen. As all must
realize, this would mean a complete changeover in present production aethods. The coat would
be terrific. Furthermore, from what we're told, cost per solid state pinball would zoom. Yet,
all this would not mean, because of solid state, pins would be trouble free. Could take a
long time just to cut down on aost known repair probl9JA8. Some enterprising Jllfr is bound to
come up with a solid state pinball. Whoever the pioneer, he'll ba. the cynosure of all eyes.
Sincerely hope the following are wearing their "2000 Club" lapel pins now that the conven-
tion rapidly approaching. Gerald Goudeau, Ho!!l"d Ellis, Glenn Jenkins, Bob Fogle, Gene Ford,
Zollie Kelmap, Bill Mors:son, Scott foster, Hoprd Riley, Joe SoulU Irv Kemmer, ill!
Whipple, W.L,Grnoyer. Send $5.50 for your lapel pin today to: Marketplace, 185 N. VM&ah,
Chicago 60601. Wear your lapel pin to the convention.) ••• They tell us Amos Heilicher one
of the busiest in Minneapolis putting together unfinished jukeboxes. ••• Creditors' collllllittee
of Nutting Associates, Mountain View,Calif., planning to put together unfinished inventory
in this factory into games run up against fact Crocker Bank has lien on accounts receivable
and inventory. May have to take legal action. ••• Front P9£! item in "The Wall Street Jour-
nal" (7/22/74) about old time "telephone music" revived many memories. Was originally labeled,
"Hostess Music", by most in industry. Too many expenses and labor problems caused telephone
ausic to eventually fade out of picture. Yet, for a while back in the '40s, many believed
this was "the answer" to getting 25¢ and even 50¢ for certain tunes. (If memory still serves
believe late Henry Seiden of Albany ,N. Y., kept his "Hostess Music" going long after many
gave up. Are we right Jules Olshein?) ••• ~(Federal Communications Commission) may surprise
by reversing ban on cigaret advertising over radio and TV. At same time limiting requirement
for stations to run free anti-smoking rebuttals. (Sales have been booming up :regardless of
the ban. But once it's off, no doubt that there will be big rush to get advertising going
big again and sales should zoom. This would mean big business pickup for all cigarette mach-
ines all over the nation.)
MARKETPLACE
Ver;y interesting conversation with Ed Dorie, Rock-Ola EJ:ec Vic~President who foresees
extremely interesting months ahead. F.d is one of the busiest execs in indust;.,.. Not only
flying about the nation but, when in town, in conferences that start- as early as 7 A.M. and
go on all day long. ••• Coffee-Mat Corp reported net income of' $366,000 as of 6/30/74 qWLl:'-
ter compared to net of $546,000 for same quarter •73. Earned 23¢ a share compared to 30¢ a
share for saae quarter in '73 •••• Martin A. Wasserman. Leisure Sports Industries, Garland,
Tex., plans visiting leading distribs in various parts of the nation while his fussball game,
"The American Table", clicking big as outstanding moneymaker. ••• Some of the new mfrs are
being hounded by that ole devil - "undercapitalization". A few may have to call it quits •••
More moonlighters coming into being with each passing moon. Operator who had 33 locations
but who is also in real estate and owner of' most popular eatery in his town, which is also
hie best location, has closed off outlying equip't with exception of' some spots in hie home
town. He concludes, "I'm now devoting myself to sy real estate and restaurant. Price of new
equip't too high for kind of' take we get. Will operate the locations I have in town until
the price situation rights itself. Find enclosed my check to renew my subscription. Want to
know what's going on in the business."
In most instances, and due to traumatic business conditions, father and son businesses,
husbands and wives working together as well as business associates and partnerships, have
become more close than ever before. Perhaps, then, this bit of recession we passed thru has
helped more than it hurt. (What do you think?) •• • Vendo reported net income of $371, 101
(which includes $225, 795 gain from sale of equip't) for quarter ended 6/30/74 earning 14¢ a
share compared to net income of $1,286,307 and 72¢ a share for same quarter of •73 •••• !!
you like to chew gum but wear dentures, take heart, Wrigley is testing non-sticky chewing
gum for denture wearers in England •••• Mfrs putting pressure on some diatribe who are months
past due on their accounts. Need for cash so great some mfrs may clamp down - but hard.
We read where Dr. Herbert Bensen suggested in the "Harvard Business Review" that execu-
tives try a 20 minute period of meditation twice a day in an effort to relax so as to fight
off the possibility of high blood pressure due to stress conditions in today's business
world. Dr. Bensen cautions that excessive meditation could cause insomnia or hallucinatory
behaviour. He urges business firms to arrange for "relaxation breaks" twice a day just like
"coffee breaks". (Not only do we agree with Dr. Bensen 's suggestion for "relaxation breaks''
but urge all big business to set aside "relaxation rooms" for their executives and have a
local coin machine operator equip these rooms with pinballs, shuffles, guns and other coin
operated games that will, most definitely, relax harried businessmen. Operators will be more
than happy to constantly change equip't under contract for a weekly or monthly fee.)
Dick Boylan of Chicago who came up with idea of coin machine auctions bas been out getting
reactions to this program from various coinmen. He advises, "Results have been surprisingly
interesting." ••• Barry Feinblatt of Universe Amusements Int'l, Union,N.J., writes, "Opera-
tors are screaming about $100 increase in price of flippers." He believes, "The answer is a
dollar bill acceptor on flippers." Claims, "I am sure players would just as soon insert the
dollar bill into the machine and play off the credits." He's wondering what other operators
think of this idea. (.As far as we're concerned, Barry, for really hot spots and cost of game
being what it already is, why not add on dollar bil11 acceptor.) ••• Report received that
there are now 100 Seeburg slots operating in MGM Grand Hotel's big casino in Las Vegas and
that other Vegas' casinos are also featuring Seeburg slots •••• Readina about Amos Helicher,
front page "The Wall Street Journal" (7/24/74) reminded of time some years ago when Amos and
late Harold Lieberman invited us up to Minneapolis to help put together an operators' associ-
ation. ••• Salesman just off road trip reports, "Sane distributors seem to have hibernated
for the summer." ...
Cutest letter from Joe Bourassa of Harrison Hot Springs,BC, Canada,
"I have been in this crazy business for 34 years. I have always stolen someone else's copy
(of Marketplace). So maybe I had better subscribe for it." To which Joe adds, "I usually ~t
Ray Galante's copy of Marketplace." Enclosed $35 cheque for tirst class Canada delivery. lSo
thank you, Joe Bourassa for your subscription. Too bad Ray moved and you can't steal copies.)

Download Page 25: PDF File | Image

Download Page 26 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.