VIDEO: Birth of the Melbourne Jukebox Company

In this television interview from 1991, the founder of The Melbourne Jukebox Company, Max Greenaway, shares his story on how his company began in 1960.

 

TRANSCRIPT:

Interviewer: Can you tell us why did you first get into the jukebox business?

Max: That’s going back a long time, over thirty years. But if my memory serves me right, the first jukebox I ever clapped eyes on was in a little country town Kyabram and I didn’t own it then. One of the milk bars owned it and it was making more money, double the money, that I was paying the manager in my hotel. So I thought it wasn’t a bad thing to get in.

Interviewer: If you can’t beat them, join them?

Max: That’s right.

Interviewer: So that’s one of the reasons why you got in?

Max: That’s the main reason, yes.

Interviewer: Do you enjoy going out on the job? It’s a very long day for you, getting called out at all hours.

Max: Yes Helen. This applies to everybody. If you do not enjoy your work, what you’re doing. It may be late at night, but you’re on the roads every day.

Interviewer: Is it a problem going out at night to fix a jukebox?

Max: Not for us. No, we love it.

Interviewer: Why is it so important to go then?

Max: Well it’s important because the licensee of the hotel is losing money because if there is no music, his customers go to the next hotel where there is music.

Interviewer: Do the customers get very impatient when the jukeboxes break down?

Max: Very impatient.

Interviewer: Do you know of any examples where there’s been a bit of trouble because it has?

Max: No we don’t really have any trouble and we do the best we can to get the trouble fixed as soon as possible.

 

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