Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

ll-on't Underestimate Mexico
In the Post - Waf'~ Picture
By WILLIAM CO RCORAN
Buckley District Manager iii' the
Western States
WEEKS in a country as large as
F OUR
the Republic of Mexico doesn' t give
one too much opportunity for complete and
factual studies, especially when sight-see-
ing was the paramount consideration for
visiting the country, but during my brief
visit in Mexico I uncovered a lot of things
I know will be of interest to my many
friends in the Coin Machine Industry.
Mexico presents untold opportunities for
coin-controlled equipment in the years fol-
lowing the war. Operators, jobbers and
distributors now active there are clamoring
for equipment, regardless of its age, and
one operator sadly related a visit he had
made to " The States" (as all Mexi cans
refer to the United States) and returning
without any equipment. He was Carlos de
Leon, proprietor of the Casa de Leon oper-
ating interests in the F ederal District.
In the Federal District, comprising Mex-
ico City, I was told that a scant 5,000
automatic phonographs are in operation to
serve a population in excess of a million
people. The machines are installed main·
ly in the Cantinas, which are the Mexican
counterpart of our taverns and cocktail
lounges, and hundreds of the better class
dining and dancing spots are without auto-
matic entertainment and will therefore pro-
vide marvelous installation possib ilities
when adequate equipment is again avail-
able.
Outside of Mexico City are dozens of
other important cities in which the coin-
operated phonograph has not been widely
exploited and these cities, too, will be
ready for the equipment we can send them
from "The States."
I talked with many operators in Mexico.
An operator of 85 or more pieces is con-
sidered a "BIG" operatpr. Many ope~'ators
have only 5 or 10 phonographs and m all
cases they are referred to as Symphonolas.
This is not because there is a preponder-
ance of Seeburgs in the Republi c. It is
merely because the Mexicans have adopted
that name for their automati c entertain-
ers and to them we should doff our 'hats
for selecting a more dignified title than
the American slanguage reference to auto-
matic phonographs as "juke boxes."
I visited with Frank Navarro's brother, '
Tony, at La Casa de Navarro and he spent
several hours acquainting me with music
operations in Mexico. He operates around
85 machines which are independent of the
string Frank operates in Mexico City. He
was most courteous and gave me a keen
insight into operations in the Republic
William Corcoran
and I was surprised to learn of some of
the practices, record preferences and oper-
ational differences. 30 per cent commis-
sion is the prevailing amount allowed to
locations. Some places there is only 25
percent; with no such thing as 50-50.
A big problem with the operators below
the border is that of location sales. Many
spots insist on purchasing their own
"Symphonola" and apparently have had
no difficulty in finding someone who would
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•
E. T. MAPE MUSIC COMPANY
(MANUFACTURING DIVISION)
1701 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles 15. Calif.
DRexel 2341
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