Phonoland

I recently inherited a Magnavox Astro-Sonic record player. It worked before moving it (it was placed on its side) and after we got it to our place I noticed the following issue with it:

When you set it to "auto" the record drops and the tonearm moves over properly. When the music starts to play you hear a few seconds of sound and then you hear that same sound repeatedly as the record turns. The needle seems to be playing the same circle of music without advancing and with no skipping. This happens with any record I have tried.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This "ain't what you wanna hear"--but it is my opinion, that NO phonograph, of any kind, should be "on it's side" at any time unless properly "tied down for shipment", according to the manufactures specs.
It would be my guess, that you have done some damage, and that you will probably need to find a well qualified repair person to un-do it---
Note: playing further records will damage the records ! Ron Rich

I agree, Ron.
I've had countless people bring in their phonos to my shop with the tonearm dangling free and not tied down to the rest post.
On some models, a locking clip is there, or a friction lock, yet they just don't use it.
I suppose people are just not informed that the stylus/cartridge is very.... very delicate, and damage has been done.

If you're lucky just the needle assembly got dammaged , and a new needle will get it going properly. But its possible that something with the tonearm got messed up, but most units from the 60s are way overdue for servicing anyway, to clean out old hardened grease and relubricate the motor bearings. Check that the needle isnt in the 78 position when your playing an lp, that can make it skip.

Does the arm move freely when you move it by hand above the record? If so, you probably have a damaged needle. Often the diamond point itself is lost, and the glue that held it works for a few turns.

Are the shipping locks still screwed down? That can cause this.

Does the arm drag when you move it by hand above the record? If so, something was knocked out of whack during the move.

Do you feel something like a pressure pushing the arm away from the spindle when you try to move it in? One of the pickup leads is probably caught in something.

Why was this shipped on its side? That is stupid. If the shipping locks and the tonearm lock were not fastened, serious damage can result. If the movers put it sideways in the moving van, they could be liable for repairs.