Dear Jonathan Holmes and MMD readers,  Well, to be frank, Mr. Holmes,
it really is a double-edged sword.  You may not know of this but there
is an extreme shortage of true band organ music at a carousel.

According to the National Carousel Association census (1950 - current),
only 99 out of the registered 368 carousels in America have a band organ
of some sort.

How many of them are in good playing condition, that is, not forced
behind Plexiglas, that are not converted to another scale and have
been perfectly restored?  I would have to fear it to be very low,
perhaps less then 20.  I believe the heart of this problem is because
they do not play the music requested and so they lose some value to the
listeners.

Band organ rallies have suffered too.  At my chapter of A.M.I.C.A we
lost close to 20 (if not more) venues in the last 15 or so years and
partly for the same reason.  In Europe band organs have become a part
of the culture partially because they do play popular music.  However
in America they are not as loved as they should be because they have
lost touch with the younger generations.

Sincerely,
Justin Senneff