Play Meter

editorial
need we say mOle?
Estimates on the number of music and games
operators in America range from the 8,000 on Play
Meter's mailing lists to 20,000, yet membership in
the Music Operators of America just reached 1,000
this year.
The Florida Amusement-Merchandising Assoc-
iation is worried that it may not be able to success-
fully battle an unfair new tax proposal because too
many Florida operators have failed to join that
strong and progressive organization.
At the recent South Carolina Coin Operators
Association gathering in Columbia, many non-
member operators reportedly stayed in the
convention hotel, but avoided paying dues and
convention registration fees by visiting distributors
and exhibitors in their suites to conduct business.
"MOA started with 500 jukebox operators
attending in 1950," board of directors member
Millie McCarthy of New York said in a recent
newsletter. "Now after bringing in games oper-
ators, after a phenomenal explosion of sound
games, table soccer, video, etc. and after accepting
all the allied parts and maintenance suppliers and
after a massive membership drive, it took 25 years
to sign up 1,000 members."
F AMA has been doing the job [fighting unjust
taxes and restrictive regulations 1 for its members
for some 10 years, President AI Blalock told Florida
operators in a newsletter last month. "But the non-
members are getting the same benefits as you are
and that is not fair to you," he added.
8
Operators who belong to local organizations or
none at all and do not belong to the state
organization are "parasites living off of you because
it i your association dues that have kept him from
paying higher taxes and having less governmental
controls placed on him for the past 10 years."
The ame could have been said by SCCOA
Pre ident Mr . Helen ikes.
But all of this commentary erve to point out a
significant problem, a problem that perhaps exists
in the society at large--Too many people want to
reap the crop, but don't want to sow the seed.
We must live with this problem forever, we
suppose, but with dedication and campaigns to sell
the "non-member" on the true rewards of
membership, we should be able to minimize the
number of parasites.
Our state association and the MOA exist for one
reason only--to help unify a widespread and varied
industry into a cohe ive group that will advance its
intere t and protect them. But if the industry
won't help the organizations by joining and
supporting them, what good are they?
The truly sad note in all the recent comments
about poor membership in state associations is that
the comments have come from strong, . active
organizations. Just think of the severity of the
problem in state where there are weak organ-
izations or no organizations at all.
But, as M . McCarthy noted in her newsletter,
"Progres won't be made by rehashing the past.
Become a member and help build the future."