Payola and Sony BMG
I have an idea of how corrupt the record/radio industry is but I don't pretend to know the half of it. I remember when someone explained how "Payola" worked at radio stations and I don't think I have listened to radio the same since. There is hardly a song on commercial radio that isn't paid for. Sony BMG has just recently got busted by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for making payments and providing expensive gifts to radio stations and their employees in return for "airplay" of the company's songs.
"After receiving tips from industry insiders, Spitzer's office conducted a year-long investigation and determined that Sony BMG and its record labels had offered a series of inducements to radio stations and their employees to obtain airplay for the recordings by the company's artists.
The inducements for airplay, a.k.a. "payola," took several forms including: Outright bribes to radio programmers, including expensive vacation packages, electronics and other valuable items; contest giveaways for stations' listening audiences; payments to radio stations to cover operational expenses; retention of middlemen, known as independent promoters, as conduits for illegal payments to radio stations; and payments for "spin programs," airplay under the guise of advertising.
The investigation also revealed that Sony BMG employees took steps to conceal many of the payments to individuals and radio stations, by using fictitious "contest winners" to document the transactions and make it appear as though the payments and gifts were going to radio listeners instead of station employees."
link to the full story
edit to add:
1MB PDF, 56 pages of some of the stuff that DJs and stations recieved for airplay. (via BoingBoing)
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Re: Payola and Sony BMG
Great link. I love when they name names (Audioslave, Franz Ferdinand, Good Charlotte and Celine Dion) in these expos
Re: Payola and Sony BMG
Just remember, its file sharing killing the industry.
look at the monkey!
Re: Payola and Sony BMG
isnt it obvious?
have you HEARD the latest audioslave album? i cant tell the difference from the last one... i listened to the whole f*cking thing when it was "placed" on myspace for free the day it came out... after the last last track i shook my head and thought... THIS is a super group? THIS is the members of soundgarden and Rage? it wasnt progressive at ALL... it sounds like it was from the same session as the last album...
and for that matter, i dont remember the last cd i bought as a result of hearing it on the radio... and almost all of the casual music listeners i know are in the same boat...
radio music sucks... i honestly would rather listen to sports radio.
"what?"
Re: Payola and Sony BMG
I am surprised that the radio stations aren't all owned by the record companies. You know, like, WSUX, all Sony, all the time! It is hilarious that we still have the pretense of 'hits' based on radio airplay.
This seems to happen to a lesser degree in the publishing industry, with companies circuitously buying their own books to bump up sales and create a buzz.
Re: Payola and Sony BMG
Payola has been around as long as radio has been playing music. This should be of no surpise to anyone. It is just one of the many dirty little secrets in this business.
Re: Payola and Sony BMG
you're right Yeti, it has been. I wonder if it wasn't a secret, if consumers would demand something different. When people find out about this stuff it alters their perception and hopefully their actions.
Re: Payola and Sony BMG
The fact is, some one still listens to Audio Slave and says...ya, I need to buy that.
Personally, I think Josie and the Pussy Cats is more real than people think...PURPLE IS THE NEW BLACK!
Re: Payola and Sony BMG
Just read that PDF. While it makes me ill, I would like to state for the record that I am available for a job that lets me kickback, and wheel and a deal with a Blackberry. ;-)
Re: Payola and Sony BMG
Even I didn't realize the companies had the balls to specifically make such gifts available, and at least keep a paper trail. I can remember at different stations where I worked or interned, there was jockeying for airplay with different intangibles --
For example, if you want thousands of dollars of autographed pics and guitars for your listeners and charities from band A and unlimited backstage access and interviews with band B, then you must play bands A, B, C, D, and when he gets out of rehab, artist F. We're dropping E.
Even as a music director in college, there were gifts, but I made sure it was more above boards. If we played a lot of an artist, there were copies and copies of CDs, comped tickets, t-shirts and stuff, but I would never add or mis-report playlists just for "stuff." (Besides, if the band isn't good enough to play, why would I wear the t-shirt?)
When did this all turn to "real" bribes? I knew WAAF was getting paid during non-peak times to play certain songs, but they are presented as a "show" called CD Preview and make no bones about who sponsors it. Similar deal for a half/hour - hour show on WXLO early weekend mornings. If it's presented honestly, it's even legal to accept CASH for airplay, but still folks get bought off under the radar.
They should all be procecuted. I don't care to jail them and ruin their lives, just freeze their assets for charity and black-ball them permanently from the entertainment business.
And people ask where my passion for radio is going... There's no business I love more, but not as it is now.