NEWS
BULLETIN
2013 that is investigating banks in the U.S. and the business
they do with payment processors and others considered to
be at a higher risk of fraud (essentially choking off banking
services). The goal of stopping financial fraud has now affect-
ed private businesses that operate legally.
According to the AMOA newsletter “Off the Top,” some
AMOA members have recently had their accounts closed by
local banks as a result of Operation Choke Point. The Nation-
al ATM Council (NAC) has been working on this issue as
well as countering the perception that credit/debit card data/
PIN theft (skimming) is on the rise. As a result, the NAC has
developed a five-question survey to document facts about
any fraudulent activities on ATMs. Operators with ATMs
may participate in the anonymous survey to add their input.
For more information, visit (www.amoa.com).
TOUCHTUNES RENEWS EXCLUSIVE
JUKEBOX LICENSE WITH THE BEATLES
AAE SHOW FLOOR IS BIGGEST YET
TouchTunes has
announced the renewal of
its exclusive jukebox license
of The Beatles. The band’s
13 legendary studio albums,
along with The Beatles’
two-volume ‘Past Masters’
compilation, the classic ‘Red’
and ‘Blue’ collections, the
‘1’ hits collection, and the
‘LOVE’ album, will continue
to be available on Touch-
Tunes jukeboxes and mobile app in the U.S. and Canada.
In addition, TouchTunes has added ‘Anthology Highlights,’
a 23-track collection of essential songs from The Beatles’
‘Anthology, Volumes 1-3’ audio releases.
“TouchTunes remains dedicated to providing the best pos-
sible music experience for our customers,” said Charles Gold-
stuck, TouchTunes’ Chairman and CEO. “With our coverage
of The Beatles, the most iconic band of all time, we continue
to deliver on that promise.”
Since April 2012, when The Beatles first debuted on
TouchTunes, the most played Beatles song has been “Come
Together.” Other popular Beatles tracks on TouchTunes
include “Here Comes the Sun,” “Hey Jude,” “With A Little
Help From My Friends,” and “Twist and Shout.” For more
information, visit (www.touchtunes.com).
The trade show floor at the Asian Attractions Expo
(AAE), to be held June 13-16, continues to grow with almost
124,000 square feet of exhibit space reserved at the Shang-
hai New International Exhibition Centre in Shanghai, China.
This shatters the previous record set at last year’s AAE in
Hong Kong with 101,500 square feet of exhibit space.
The strong interest by international manufacturer and
supplier companies to showcase new products and services
is reflective of the growth of the attractions industry in the
Asia-Pacific region and China specifically, says the Interna-
tional Association of Amusement Parks Attractions (IAAPA),
which produces AAE.
“Creating opportunity through innovation” is the theme of
AAE 2016. The education program includes two pre-show
professional development programs: the IAAPA Institute for
Attractions Managers (June 11-13), a professional develop-
ment program for leaders with five or fewer years of experi-
ence in management; and the IAAPA Safety Institute (June
13).
According to the IAAPA Global Theme and Amusement
Park Outlook Report for 2015-2019, major park openings
and rising investment will continue to drive the market over
the next five years and annual attendance is expected to
reach 540 million in 2019. In 2014, Asia Pacific passed
North America to become the largest region in terms of
attendance, entertaining 390 million guests. For more infor-
mation, visit (www.iaaapa.org/expos/asian-attractions-expo/
home). s
NEW INDUSTRY CONCERN:
OPERATION CHOKE POINT
During the April visit to Capitol Hill by industry members
from the American Amusement Machine Association
(AAMA) and the Amusement and Music Operators Asso-
ciation (AMOA), a new concern came to the forefront: Oper-
ation Choke Point.
This is an initiative begun by the Department of Justice in
PLAY METER
1
JUNE 2016