Play Meter

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try to leave at least one row of country because I
don't care what they say, there will always be some
country and western player . Country and western
get the large t number of plays anyway.
PLAY METER: Do you think that is because of
the ection of the country you are in?
MONTOOTH: No, I think this holds true all over
the country. I have noticed people go to the box and
play one pop number and then two country and
we tern . Then they go back and sit down and
nobody know who played the country songs . They
~ave orne sort of complex about admitting they
hke C& W. But, nonetheless, they do like it and so
play it. I have een this happen time and again.
PLAY METER: What other types of salesman-
hip or promotional features have you thought of to
timulate playing of your machines?
MONTOOTH: We have begun placing brightly
colored tran parnet pia tic slips over the new
numbers when we first put t hem on a machine. In
this way, you ometimes get overplays because
more t han one person is playing the number before
it get a chance to actually play.
That is a key point in maximizing profits . You
mu t maximize overplay as much as you can. That
happens most in the peak hours when there is a lot
of traffic around the jukebox.
PLAY METER: How often do you change the
record on your boxes?
MONTOOTH: We u ed to change them every
week, but becau e of present economic conditions,
we have had to cut down and change them every
two weeks. It' just a practical this way.
PLAY METER: Do you get each location a new
model phonograph each year?
MONTOOTH: Yes, we tried to do it, at least. But
we do have orne location who do not want a new
machine. They really fall in love with the box. That
i fine with us. We are interested in making them
~appy and if keeping an existing machine does this,
fme.
I might add that because of the increase in price
in equipment, we have had to stop changing boxes
every year. That is not a cut-and-dried policy,
though. There i still room for changing some
location boxe once a year. It is totally relative.
PLAY METER: We have had some operators tell
u that changing a machine does no good as far as
getting people to play it. Do you agree?
MONTOOTH: Yes. You are selling the records,
not the machine. Changing the machine satisfies the
location more t han the customers. It does help to
have an attractive box, though.
We a! o put in a! many peakers as we can. It
cover the ound a lot better and they don't have to
t urn the volume up o much. You don't have
someone sitting in front of the machine saying it's
too loud and omeone else at t he other end of the
room saying,"! can't hear it."
PLAY METER: Do you use other forms of
eq uipment, like wallboxes?
MONTOOTH: Wallboxes are still a lucrative
investment. I put them in restaurants with booths
and on counters where they will be played the most.
Perhaps in some locations it would be possible to
put some wallboxes on the bar if the machine itself
i too far away. You would be accommodating the
bar patron in thi way.
Generally, I try to put the jukebox itself between
t he two restrooms. That seems to be the most
convenient place . Everyone has to go there in the
course of the night u ually.
.we also use remote volume controls, paging
microphones and other devices that help to enhance
our serviceability to the location owner. All of these
th ing help make his job of having this machine
easier.
PLAY METER: How do you feel about one-for-a -
quarter pricing?
MONTOOTH: I have mentioned it to many of our
locations, telling them that they will make a lot
more money if they go with it. Some have decided
to do t hat. I have also used the argument that if
they want a new machine, it will have to be one for
a quarter, three for a half. It makes sense when you
consider we are spending the arne amount of
money on our yearly machine purchase , but getting
half the number of machines we used to.
. Everything else is going up these days, but the
JUkebox operator hasn't had a chance to increase his
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United Billiards Inc.
51 Progress St ., Union, N.J . 07083
(201) 686 -7030
61