Drop Another Quarter in Your TV Set : Technology: Viewers can order their own videos, for the inflated price of $3 a tune, on the Video Jukebox Network.

Madonna’s “Justify My Love” is the most popular music video in the country, according to the latest Billboard charts.

But you still can’t watch the clip on MTV or VH-1, where it has been banned because of scenes of bisexuality, voyeurism, group sex, cross-dressing and mild sadomasochism.

You can, however, see Madonna and friends writhing about amid black leather and crucifixes in a number of San Fernando Valley homes, where “Justify My Love” is the most popular video on another channel:

The Video Jukebox Network.

On this network you can be your own veejay, programming your own songs--for a price.

Three dollars to be exact.

The Video Jukebox is an “interactive” channel. A rotating list of some 200 videos appears on screen. The selections range from Led Zeppelin to Milli Vanilli to 3 Times Dope. Viewers dial a 900 number and punch in a three-digit code for the song they want. The video plays a few moments later.

At the end of the month, the cost is added to the viewer’s phone bill, to the tune of three bucks a selection.

“Customers want to watch what they want, when they want,” said Daniel MacKenzie, manager of pay-per-view at United Artists Cable, which broadcasts Video Jukebox to 77,000 East Valley homes. “This is what cable TV’s going to be like in 10 years.”

Video Jukebox began five years ago, broadcasting only in Florida. In 1989, the network went national. It now appears in 31 states and some 75 television markets.

In the Valley, United Artists is the only major cable service to offer the network.

When a viewer orders a video, every other subscriber to that cable service can see it as well. But videos differ from service to service because each one has its own machinery, namely a laser-disc box that holds up to 2,000 selections.

Nevertheless, there are similarities between the music selected in Los Angeles and in other popular markets such as Denver, Washington and St. Louis.

“There’s a lot of demand for rap and R&B; music,” said John Robson, director of production for Video Jukebox. “The rap and R&B; audience has been underserved by MTV and VH-1. Even BET (Black Entertainment Television) doesn’t play videos all day.”

The division between MTV and Video Jukebox in the Valley is readily apparent by comparing recent rankings of their most popular videos (see accompanying chart).

Rock and pop groups such as Damn Yankees, AC/DC and INXS dominated the MTV playlist, which is determined by a combination of viewer request and marketing research. On Video Jukebox, viewers were paying to see the rap of L.L. Cool J and Ice Cube and R&B; singers such as Pebbles and Babyface.

“Our business just naturally flows to what is being underserved,” Robson said. “If MTV went all rap tomorrow, I think you’d see a whole lot of rock ‘n’ roll on our Jukebox.”

United Artists’ customers get two distinct Video Jukeboxes on two channels and order a total of 7,000-8,000 songs each month, which is average for the network’s markets. The cable service receives about a quarter of the profits. The phone company, likewise, keeps 25% and Video Jukebox gets the remaining half.

Interactive channels present a potential problem for parents. An unattended youngster could watch videos--Madonna’s, for instance--that his parents don’t approve of. Or, the youngster could run up a very large phone bill in a relatively short time.

“We’re very upfront about the price,” Robson said.

Indeed, the price often appears at the bottom of the screen, even during videos, along with a warning that viewers under 18 should get parental permission before ordering. The channel also runs promotional spots that poke fun at the cost. On a recent ad for a station contest, Robson said, the band Suicidal Tendencies warned young viewers to ask their parents first “or we’ll leave skate tracks all over your face.”

As a precautionary measure, parents can ask United Artists to block the channel from their television set. Or, they can have the phone company prevent 900 numbers from being dialed on their telephones.

“We get very few complaints about high phone bills,” Robson said.

Nor is Video Jukebox getting many complaints from record companies. For some labels and recording artists, the channel is a new-found and unexpected source of exposure.

“You really get an idea of how people are responding to a record,” said Lillian Matulic, a spokeswoman for Priority Records.

One of that label’s artists, Ice Cube, appears on MTV only during allotted rap segments but is currently running behind Madonna as the second most-requested video on the local Video Jukebox.

“That’s the fans talking,” Matulic said. “It’s not a bunch of guys in suits determining whether the video will even get on.”

Some record companies advertise on the channel, giving selections numbers for their artists.

Of course, some videos need no advertising. If viewers aren’t satisfied with a dose of chains and Madonna’s flesh, they can order up another popular and controversial request: 2 Live Crew’s “Me So Horny.”

Video Jukebox Plays a Different Tune

MTV for week ending

Jan. 12:

1. Bart Simpson, “Do the Bartman.”

2. Damn Yankees, “High Enough.”

3. Winger, “Miles Away.”

4. Nelson, “After the Rain.”

5. Janet Jackson, “Love Will Never Do (Without You).”

6. AC/DC, “Moneytalks.”

7. Warrant, “I Saw Red.”

8. C&C; Music Factory presents Freedom Williams, “Gonna Make You Sweat.”

9. INXS, “Disappear.”

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10. DNA with Suzanne Vega, “Tom’s Diner.”

Video Jukebox Network (United Artists Cable) for week ending Jan. 11:

1. Madonna, “Justify My Love.”

2. Ice Cube, “Dead Homiez.”

3. Pebbles, “Love Makes Things Happen.”

4. L.L. Cool J, “Around the Way Girl.”

5. Karyn White, “Superwoman.”

6. Vanilla Ice, “Ice Ice Baby.”

7. Babyface, “Whip Appeal.”

8. Father MC, “I’ll Do For You.”

9. Anquette, “I’ll Always Be There.”

10. 2 Live Crew, “Me So Horny.”