Play Meter
Issue: 1978 December 15 - Vol 4 Num 23 - Page 68
International News
English firm looks to represent
video and pinball lines
The recently-held Rowe-Ami dis-
tributors' meeting at Whippany , New
Jersey was unusual for a twenty-
minute "Iecturette" by Englishman
John Farrand , who described in his
talk (aided by color slides) the
method of operation and distribution
of his British company.
He received a standing ovation
from the assembled Rowe distribu-
tors.
The event set off a sequence of
meetings and discussions back at the
British headquarters of John's com-
pany , the Music Hire Group , based
in Leeds, Yorkshire . From those
meetings came the decision to move
into the distribution of American -
made equipment in a far bigger way .
The Group is now about to
embark on a fact-finding mission
among U.S . manufacturers to set up
exclusive distribution in the United
Kingdom for a pinball manufacturer
and a video game company .
This fits in with the expansion of
the Group's sales company, M.H .G .
Sales, which h~.$ ju.st moved into new
offices and showrooms built into the
Group headquarters .
Music Hire has always been a
distribution company, but it has for
years been overshadowed by the
Group's operating interests which
have put the company into the
United Kingdom's "Big Four" opera-
tors , with a turnover of 25 ,000 ,000
pounds .
In distribution it handles many
domestic makes but has only spe-
cialized in one American make ,
Rowe-Ami. The importance attached
to Music Hire by Rowe at the
distributors' meeting is hardly sur-
priSing , for in the first nine months of
1978 Music Hire topped 1,000 sales
of the R82 Black Magic and
Woodhue models , which not only
makes the Group the largest over-
seas buyer of Rowe equipment but
possibly the largest anywhere .
The Group's success is attributed
by John Farrand to its own aggres-
sive and highly-professional market-
ing combined with the high quality of
Rowe products .
"It is the only phonograph we
distribute ," he said , "as we believe
that putting all of our efforts into one ,
single good distributorship is far , far
better for ourselves , our customers ,
and the manufacturer . This policy
enables us to really understand the
product and so provide a proper
service to the customer ."
The same policy is to be applied to
pinball machines and to video
games , when the company finally
decides which makes to handle .
Music Hire Sales Manager Ga-
waine Rowan -Wilde said : "We have
in the past flirted brieflv with
Part of the new showrooms at Music Hire in Leeds, Yorkshire , opened
officiaf/y by our international editor, Dauid Snook , on September 27.
70
European makes of pinball ma-
chines , but we're not happy with
them . Our own field research shows
that only U.S . manufacturers of both
pinball and video games have the
technological know-how for the
types of games that will be needed by
the trade in the future . That is why
we have decided to take on one
pinball manufacturer and one video
game manufacturer and concentrate
on their products in the same way
that we do with Rowe-Ami. "
News Bits
HOLLAND : The firm of Hobea ,
one of Holland's largest operating
companies , has recently moved its
headquarters in Rotterdam to a
freshly -rebuilt premises which has the
largest showrooms in Continental
Europe . The company distributes
Gottlieb and Rock-Ola .
FRANCE: The Paris-based firm of
Audex , Rowe -Ami distributors for
France , has moved to new premises
a short distance from its own
headquarters .
BELGIUM : The distributors of
Seeburg equipment in the Benelux
countries , Seeben of Antwerp , held a
presentation of the American com -
pany's new products at the Congress
Hotel , in Antwerp recently , which
included the first view of the new
Seeburg Disco phonograph . The
event was attended by guests from
Belgium , Luxemburg and Holland ,
as well as France and Great Britain .
Williams pinball machines were also
on show .
GREAT BRITAIN : The United
Kingdom 's largest coin machine
company . Associated Leisure Ltd ..
announced record pre-tax profits for
the half-year ended early September .
A surplus of 2 ,850 ,000 pounds was
announced ,
compared
with
1,690 ,000 pounds for the first half of
the previous year when the group
went on to make a record profit of
3,494 ,000 pounds .
PLAY METER, December, 1978
English firm looks to represent
video and pinball lines
The recently-held Rowe-Ami dis-
tributors' meeting at Whippany , New
Jersey was unusual for a twenty-
minute "Iecturette" by Englishman
John Farrand , who described in his
talk (aided by color slides) the
method of operation and distribution
of his British company.
He received a standing ovation
from the assembled Rowe distribu-
tors.
The event set off a sequence of
meetings and discussions back at the
British headquarters of John's com-
pany , the Music Hire Group , based
in Leeds, Yorkshire . From those
meetings came the decision to move
into the distribution of American -
made equipment in a far bigger way .
The Group is now about to
embark on a fact-finding mission
among U.S . manufacturers to set up
exclusive distribution in the United
Kingdom for a pinball manufacturer
and a video game company .
This fits in with the expansion of
the Group's sales company, M.H .G .
Sales, which h~.$ ju.st moved into new
offices and showrooms built into the
Group headquarters .
Music Hire has always been a
distribution company, but it has for
years been overshadowed by the
Group's operating interests which
have put the company into the
United Kingdom's "Big Four" opera-
tors , with a turnover of 25 ,000 ,000
pounds .
In distribution it handles many
domestic makes but has only spe-
cialized in one American make ,
Rowe-Ami. The importance attached
to Music Hire by Rowe at the
distributors' meeting is hardly sur-
priSing , for in the first nine months of
1978 Music Hire topped 1,000 sales
of the R82 Black Magic and
Woodhue models , which not only
makes the Group the largest over-
seas buyer of Rowe equipment but
possibly the largest anywhere .
The Group's success is attributed
by John Farrand to its own aggres-
sive and highly-professional market-
ing combined with the high quality of
Rowe products .
"It is the only phonograph we
distribute ," he said , "as we believe
that putting all of our efforts into one ,
single good distributorship is far , far
better for ourselves , our customers ,
and the manufacturer . This policy
enables us to really understand the
product and so provide a proper
service to the customer ."
The same policy is to be applied to
pinball machines and to video
games , when the company finally
decides which makes to handle .
Music Hire Sales Manager Ga-
waine Rowan -Wilde said : "We have
in the past flirted brieflv with
Part of the new showrooms at Music Hire in Leeds, Yorkshire , opened
officiaf/y by our international editor, Dauid Snook , on September 27.
70
European makes of pinball ma-
chines , but we're not happy with
them . Our own field research shows
that only U.S . manufacturers of both
pinball and video games have the
technological know-how for the
types of games that will be needed by
the trade in the future . That is why
we have decided to take on one
pinball manufacturer and one video
game manufacturer and concentrate
on their products in the same way
that we do with Rowe-Ami. "
News Bits
HOLLAND : The firm of Hobea ,
one of Holland's largest operating
companies , has recently moved its
headquarters in Rotterdam to a
freshly -rebuilt premises which has the
largest showrooms in Continental
Europe . The company distributes
Gottlieb and Rock-Ola .
FRANCE: The Paris-based firm of
Audex , Rowe -Ami distributors for
France , has moved to new premises
a short distance from its own
headquarters .
BELGIUM : The distributors of
Seeburg equipment in the Benelux
countries , Seeben of Antwerp , held a
presentation of the American com -
pany's new products at the Congress
Hotel , in Antwerp recently , which
included the first view of the new
Seeburg Disco phonograph . The
event was attended by guests from
Belgium , Luxemburg and Holland ,
as well as France and Great Britain .
Williams pinball machines were also
on show .
GREAT BRITAIN : The United
Kingdom 's largest coin machine
company . Associated Leisure Ltd ..
announced record pre-tax profits for
the half-year ended early September .
A surplus of 2 ,850 ,000 pounds was
announced ,
compared
with
1,690 ,000 pounds for the first half of
the previous year when the group
went on to make a record profit of
3,494 ,000 pounds .
PLAY METER, December, 1978
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).