Payola
The radio industry was rocked by a payola scandal in the 1950's, which ruined the careers and reputations of influential DJs like Alan Freed. Somehow, the teflon Dick Clark managed to emerge unscathed even though he was involved as well.
Payola happens when record companies pay radio stations to play its song and they do not disclose the payment. New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has implicated nearly 190 stations in illegial deals with recording giants Sony BMG and Warner Music Group. Most of the stations involved were owned by the large radio corporations. There are two stations under investigation in Indiana. They are X102 in Auburn/ Fort Wayne and X103 in Indianapolis.
Here is a map to see if a radio station near you is under investigation.
Payola happens when record companies pay radio stations to play its song and they do not disclose the payment. New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has implicated nearly 190 stations in illegial deals with recording giants Sony BMG and Warner Music Group. Most of the stations involved were owned by the large radio corporations. There are two stations under investigation in Indiana. They are X102 in Auburn/ Fort Wayne and X103 in Indianapolis.
Here is a map to see if a radio station near you is under investigation.
posted by torporindy at 3/20/2006
6 Comments:
Somebody needs to shake things up!
I knew there was a reason why I have ALWAYS hated X103! Now I know why.
George Bush does not care about Rock and Roll.
The music blogs have been buzzing about this for some time now. Not that this is a real shock. Payola has gone on since the 1950's scandal, just in a different form. Now, labels use "independent" promoters to get their artists airplay.
It's no coincidence that some of the stations under investigation are Clear Channel stations. One of the worst things that Bill Clinton ever did was signing the Telecom Act of 1996 into law. Commercial radio was already bad enough back then, and it's only gotten worse since Clear Channel and Infinity snapped up loads of radio stations.
every time I hear a story about payola in the radio industry I remember that WKRP episode where the big labels were trying to buy off Venus Flytrap and Johnny Fever and Arthur Carlson thought the alleged "payola" cocaine was foot powder.
"I got a monkey on my foot!"
I've asumed that pop radio has been payola driven for years. I'm not sure why the NY AG cares.
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