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f ROM THE EDITOR Take me to the country I' m sure no one failed to notice that January, as usual, was devoted to reviewing 1992 through TV specials, newspaper articles, and magazine flashbacks . The events of the year were put into perspective, giving us a good focus of what was important in the world. One particular observation stuck out among the many-the emergence of country music's popularity. I also noted that no one calls it country-western anymore; it's just plain old country. The reason that I was pleased with this turn of events is because I started listening to this previously unfamiliar sound about two years ago. Ironically, the reason w~s that my daughter and I carpooled to work and school and neither could stand the other's music. She couldn't tolerate one more oldie of Neil Diamond and I thought I'd scream if I had to hear rap or hard rock. Anyway, we compromised. Since we both hated country, that is what the radio was tuned in to. And don't you know, now we both are country music fans . My daughter (Mindy is now 17) loves Garth Brooks and would go to one of his concerts in a heartbeat over some of the wilder rock groups. As if to prove how popular the music is becoming, a night spot opened about two years ago that was never expected to make it. A former K-Mart building was trans- formed into a country place called Mudbugs (after the nickname bestowed upon the tasty crawfish so famous here in New Orleans). It seemed that all the arrows pointed to failure for Mudbugs-huge space, presumably high overhead, out-of-the-way location, to name a few. However, its popularity soared. It brought in country singers nearly every week, from Willie Nelson to Charlie Daniels. It served steak dinners several nights a week and offered country and Cajun dance lessons to all ages a couple of other days . After two years the place is hopping nearly every night. On weekends it's the place to be . It 's not unusual to see a variety of people, from the dapper, dressed-to-the-teeth senior citizen to the spiked-hair teenager with jeans torn in all the proper places. What is suddenly so bewitching about country music? Maybe those of us captivated by its charm were looking for an alternative. An alternative to rap or heavy metal. How much of that can anyone really take? Then there's oldies. Still magnetic, but again, everyone needs something new. Elevator music? Please! If the pop music was not so bad, perhaps country would not have its appeal to such a diverse cross-section of people. It must be similar to what operators are doing when they seek alternatives to video games PLAY METER 10 FEBRUARY 1993 for their routes. Redemption has been very alluring, while music and pool are favored as an attractive alternative to sagging video collections. Many operators who wouldn't have considered vending a few years ago are hungry for knowledge about how to get into it. Video poker is being considered in municipalities that would have been out of the question a few years ago. Operators as well as money-starved local governments are seeking viable alternatives to higher taxes and dwindling federal grants. There's always an alternativea choice . And that's certainly good. I'm happy right now that country music is filling a need for many people . But if there's something new that I can enjoy as much as I did Bob Dylan, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Neil Diamond, The Animals, Big Brother and the Holding Co., and Creedence Clearwater Revival then I'll probably choose that new alternative. Just like in our industry, who knows what will be coming through the window of opportunity a year from now? Valerie Cognevich Editor