Payola alive and well
Aha, I knew it! Payola! That was my first reaction when I heard this week that one of the nation's largest radio conglomerates, Entercom Communications, had been sued by New York Attorney General Eliott Spitzer for allegedly accepting gifts and other payments in exchange for giving various artists air time, including Jessica Simpson and Avril Lavigne.
How else to explain how a small group of talent-free musicians and bands, performing songs that make your ears bleed, get all the radio exposure while acts with superior talent, music and originality get none, outside of some college radio airplay?
On Thursday, Spitzer was back in the news. He announced that Universal Music Group, which releases nearly one in every three albums released in the U.S., agreed to pay more than $12 million to settle allegations that in exchange for airplay it bribed radio programmers with vacations, electronics and cash.
Spitzer says the practice is pervasive throughout the industry and his office is continuing to investigate. The FCC also is conducting its own probe into hundreds of radio stations for potential violations. Thanks to Spitzer, we may start hearing decent music on the radio again - or at least a greater variety of it.
How else to explain how a small group of talent-free musicians and bands, performing songs that make your ears bleed, get all the radio exposure while acts with superior talent, music and originality get none, outside of some college radio airplay?
On Thursday, Spitzer was back in the news. He announced that Universal Music Group, which releases nearly one in every three albums released in the U.S., agreed to pay more than $12 million to settle allegations that in exchange for airplay it bribed radio programmers with vacations, electronics and cash.
Spitzer says the practice is pervasive throughout the industry and his office is continuing to investigate. The FCC also is conducting its own probe into hundreds of radio stations for potential violations. Thanks to Spitzer, we may start hearing decent music on the radio again - or at least a greater variety of it.
posted by Randy Bergmann at 9:02 AM
2 Comments:
What a great use of limited government reesources, now that AG Spitzer has solved all the rapes and murders and prevented any more.
Even plain old pop music has some outstanding artists that you never hear on the radio, while certain bland artists are played over and over again. I had figured that radio programmers just have limited taste. But payola would certainly explain it.
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