Leisure Play

A PUB WITH NO JUKE BOX IS
BAD NEWS FOR THE BREWERY
The juke box survived a
pretty grim period in the
United Kingdom a few years
ago. Now it is established as a
piece of equipment that will
never match the earnings of
the current generation of
amusement machines but
which nevertheless has a vital
role to play in single site
business.
A leading juke box
distributor recently told us
that he was getting a little tired
of people saying that although
the price of juke. boxes had
increased, the takings had not.
He accepted that during
the
last
few
years
manufacturers had brought
out more and more amusement
games and the money available
from the punters had not
always gone in the jukeboxes.
But,
unlike
other
amusement equipment, the
actual amount of money taken
by the juke box is not always
the crucial factor. It has been
proved beyond doubt that the
pub with a juke box is a bigger
attraction than one without.
Figures bear this out. A
recent survey showed that 94
per cent of the public houses in
Britain had a juke box
somewhere on the premises.
One brewery conducted
an experiment after the
manager uf one of their houses
complained that the juke box
was actually driving customers
away from his pub. The juke
box was withdrawn for a trial
period of three months.
During the experimental
period the pub had its lowest
takings over the bar for any
three month stretch in the
previous 10 years. Throughout
the three months without a
juke box the pub was never
more than a quarter full and
attracted only people from the
older age group.
The manager later
admitted that the ones who had
complained about the jukebox
were from this age group.
When the juke box was
reinstated trade improved
almost immediately and the
only people who left in protest
were half a dozen men from
the older age group. Where did
they go? A few yards round the
corner into the vault of the
same pub!
One of the points that
intrigued brewery officials
about this experiment was the
fact that the juke box had
never been a particularly good
source of income. But its very
presence obviously attracted a
wide cross section of the public
-
people who presumably
liked to have a juke box on
hand to play music if and when
the mood took them.
It certainly had a
tremendous influence on the
amount of money taken over
the bar.
Another
interesting
aspect of the experiment was
the break-down of age groups.
It was not only people in their
late teens and early 20s who
stayed away when the jukebox
was withdrawn. The missing
customers included many in
age groups right up to the late
40s.
The case for the juke box
had been conclusively proved
as far as the brewery was
concerned and it led to them
installing juke boxes in the few
pubs in their group which had
not already got them.
Some years ago in South
Africa juke boxes were
installed in bars on free play. It
was found that the sale of
drinks
increased
so
dramatically after installation
that there was no need for a
cash return from the jukebox.
Although the juke box
"take" is sometimes modest to
say the least, it more than
makes up for that by attracting
customers to the premises to
buy the main product.
During the last few years
the juke box has undergone
many changes for the better -
both inside and out. In the
1950s and early 60s the garish
designs and limited play of
many models earned them
something of a bad name.
Today there is a design to
suit every site. Even rural
taverns which look more like
stately homes from the outside
accommodate them. The
beautifully finished cabinets,
soft lighting and carefully
designed lines of many juke
boxes enhance the decor
rather than spoil it.
In Europe the trend is
almost identical. Although the
drink outlet trade is totally
different with many more
privately owned bars, the
customers enjoy music with
their tipple. West Germany
alone has 85,000 jukeboxes.
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