Letters to
the editor • • •
Always the Individual
H ow original! I cou nt ed 172 members in
the law firm of Jenner & Block the PR
firm retained by AMOA. How prestigious!
To solve our ASCAP problem, the fact
sheet asks of us, "Who do yo u know in
Congress?"- exact ly what we've bee n
saying and doing all along. We didn't need
a 172-member law firm to tell us that. As
they say, the more things change, the more
they remain the sa me.
It was always the individual. The last
time the ACAP measure was tabled , it was
largely due to the efforts of Fred Collins
and Garland B. Garrett. The time before, it
was Bill Cannon , and if yo u read the cover
of Billboard in 1963 , it was principally
myself. So it remains, that yo u you rself are
still your own best goodwill am ba ssad or-
no matter who you hire.
Millie McCarthy
President
New York State Coin Machi ne
Association Inc.
Hurleyville, New Yo rk
Home versions
After paying $3,400 for my new Turb o
and $2,650 for my Donkey Kong, I'm
standing in one of my locations reading a
game magazine on the shelf offering not
only Turbo and Donkey Kong on home
v ideo game versions, but Zaxxon,
Ve nture, Spectar, Phoenix , and a game
that's j ust been released , Tron , not to
mention sco res more.
What's going o n? Can't these manufac-
turers wait till I finish paying for these
games at least , before they release them for
home versions?
I'd like to know how the operators of
1982 are coping with increased game
prices, as well as higher equipment output
from the major manufacturers as well as
the smaller manufacturers, and <;lon't
PLAY METER , August 1 , 1982
forget the boo tleggers, along with high
interest rates, location bonuses , more com-
petition from other operators, and gener-
ally lower collections.
Many operators blame the industry
problem on the manufacturers, and home
games are just part of it. The trade-in
market on good used equipment no longer
exists as we knew it. Games are almost
worthless after a year. That's if yo u were
lucky .
Operators today can't afford to bu y any-
thing but what they think will be a hit . and
understandably so. Manufacturers .
through their higher output of equipment.
have take n an open market and have co me
close to sa turation in just two yea rs. Where
if equipment were released with better
timing, the market would be there longer
a nd used equipment would have value.
The major manufacturers have an obli-
gation, to the future of this industry, and
not the home ma rket. It was our money that
ma de these manufacturers nourish , and
operators should not be "sold out" for the
home market.
For just as companies are made, they
can be put under. Operators cannot
co ntinue to buy eq uipment for $3,000
eac h, and turn it over in six months and
stay in business.
The manufacturers have done many
good things for the advancement of the
industry as well. Innova tion s made make
Audio Visual
Amusements
Offering the finest
new and used
equipment
REPRESENTING LEADING FACTORIES
• SALES , PARTS, SERVICE •
ARCADE PLANNING
SPECIALISTS
Every new and used video
in stock at all times
YOU'VE TRIED THE REST,
NOW TRY THE BEST
WE'RE EAGER TO SERVE
1809 Olive Street
St. Louis, Missour i 63103
(314) 421-5100
For further information , call Pete Entri nger
( collect)
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