SONY Busted for Payola

[barlowdog]

Wasn't sure exactly which forum to post this is in, but I figured either here or Free Your Mind would be ok.

This is a shocker!
NOT!

Sony Busted for Payola!

Rob Kleckner reports:
Just in from Pitchfork's Crimewatch: New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has forced Sony BMG Music Entertainment to stop paying radio stations for airplay. In case you didn't know, this practice known as payola, is illegal. "Our investigation shows that, contrary to listener expectations that songs are selected for airplay based on artistic merit and popularity, air time is often determined by undisclosed payoffs to radio stations and their employees," Spitzer said.

According to a press release from Spitzer's office, the payola occurred in several forms, including the following: "Outright bribes to radio programmers, including expensive vacation packages, electronics, and other valuable items; contest giveaways for stations' listening audiences; and payments for 'spin programs', airplay under the guise of advertising."

An email found during the investigation, from one executive at Epic to another, read: "At the end of the day, [David] Universal added Good Charlotte and Gretchen Wilson and hit Alex up for another grand and they settled for $750."

Another, from an Epic employee to a Clear Channel programmer looked like this: "WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET AUDIOSLAVE ON WKSS THIS WEEK?!!? Whatever you can dream up, I can make it happen."

You can't make this shit up, folks. To pay for their crimes, Sony has agreed to donate $10 million to non-profit charities and music education programs. Don Henley, of Eagles fame, commended Spitzer for "successfully addressing the pay-for-play problem. There is no question that payola hurts recording artists. The Recording Artists' Coalition is grateful to him and his staff for exposing the magnitude of the payola problem and for getting a major label to agree to change the way it does business."

In a statement, the label said: "Despite federal and state laws prohibiting unacknowledged payment by record labels to radio stations for airing of music, such direct and indirect forms of what has been described generically as 'payola' for spins has continued to be an unfortunately prevalent aspect of radio promotion. Sony BMG acknowledges that various employees pursed some radio promotion practices on behalf of the company that were wrong and improper and apologizes for such conduct. Sony BMG looks forward to defining a new, higher standard in radio promotion."

What does this mean for you, the music listener? Hopefully it's a sign we'll be hearing a lot less Good Charlotte on the radio. Fans of good music everywhere thank you, Mr. Spitzer. He can likely count on the New York hipster vote when he runs for Governor in 2006.

[u2popmofo]

Originally posted by barlowdog
This is a shocker!
NOT!

OMG, you mean major labels dont play fair and arent trust worthy???????!!!!!! WHAAA??!!!!

[barlowdog]

Originally posted by u2popmofo


OMG, you mean major labels dont play fair and arent trust worthy???????!!!!!! WHAAA??!!!!

[zonelistener]

Where the hell am I going to hear the latest pop sensation-to-be NOW?

[trojanchick99]

It explains so much. Like the careers of Good Charlotte and Averil.

[HeartlandGirl]

But I like Good Charlotte!



I really do. Still, that sucks. But the only radio station I listen to is our local trance/techno one, so .

[Lila64]

Well, I did get to hear the new Stones track on the local radio station. And any time The Eagles or Jackson Browne come up with something new, I'm sure they'll toss it on. They have not ONCE played the new Audioslave. I even called and requested it on the one 4-hour "free-form rock n' roll" portion of their broadcast. Phoneboy said he didn't even think they had a copy, and this is 2 months after the release. They had played the first CD (hence how I originally got turned on to it), and they'll occasionally play some Soundgarden. You can't hear anything new on the radio, at least not in Los Angeles! Oh, and the only time this station played the new Oasis... was during Little Steven's show, which just premiered here about 2-3 weeks ago (I soon found out that he's been doing this show for quite some time ). Then again the DJ during said 4 hours above may play either Wonderwall or Champagne Supernova during 'headsets' once a week. I hate the radio...

[shrmn8rpoptart]

the article i read mentioned franz ferdinand's "take me out" along with a bow wow track, as two more songs we heard courtesy of payola.

(though i'd like to point out that "dark of the matinee" was the first song i heard, and had the cd before the radio started playing them here )

[barlowdog]

Originally posted by shrmn8rpoptart
the article i read mentioned franz ferdinand's "take me out" along with a bow wow track, as two more songs we heard courtesy of payola.

(though i'd like to point out that "dark of the matinee" was the first song i heard, and had the cd before the radio started playing them here )

The Daily Show did a little piece on this last night and Franz Ferdinand was mentioned. Sadly, payola might have been responsible for breaking Modest Mouse, although their music alone should have been good enough.

[beegee]

my sister-in-law is andrew lack's executive assistant

[melon]

Originally posted by bonosgirl84
my sister-in-law is andrew lack's executive assistant

Haha...I heard an interesting story once about Andrew Lack when he used to be an executive for NBC. A producer from "Dateline" was fired despite doing a flawless job, and she insisted on talking to him. So, to her surprise, he was willing to talk to her and she asked for an explanation as to why she was fired. Instead, Lack put his feet up on his desk and his arms behind his head and said something like "I don't have to give you an explanation. There's a large world out there, and I suggest you explore it." So she left thinking he was an asshole, but she ended up starting her own successful business and I guess being an asshole in business has unintended, positive benefits for others sometimes.

Anyway, payola is no surprise. What is surprising is that Spitzer is the only one who is seemingly bothering to enforce the law. He's the last Democrat with a spine.

Melon