Sony busted for Payola.

[Orwell]

Sony busted for payola.

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.

 

[Darat]

Sony busted for payola.

Why on earth is it illegal, I can understand it being frowned on by say a "Brotherhood of Radio Stations" organisation but illegal to promote your records and artists?

 

[Orwell]

Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Why on earth is it illegal, I can understand it being frowned on by say a "Brotherhood of Radio Stations" organisation but illegal to promote your records and artists?

Should they be allowed to promote their records and artists by essentially bribing the DJs to play them?

 

[Darat]

Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Should they be allowed to promote their records and artists by essentially bribing the DJs to play them?

How is it bribing? They are just paying a DJ to play their record, I don’t see how this is anything but marketing.

(I would feel different about this if it was DJs working for the BBC receiving money to play records.)

 

[Luke T.]

Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Why on earth is it illegal, I can understand it being frowned on by say a "Brotherhood of Radio Stations" organisation but illegal to promote your records and artists?

If it is at the expense of the next Stevie Wonder never making it on the air, then it is a problem. A person should succeed based on merit, giving the people what they want.

Gives a new meaning to "you couldn't pay me to listen to Jessica Simpson."

 

[HarryKeogh]

Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Should they be allowed to promote their records and artists by essentially bribing the DJs to play them?

why not?

Shouldn't the radio stations' company policies and Sony's policy handle this and not the government?

btw...I'm just typing the first thing that comes to mind. I could totally be missing a perfectly good reason why it is illegal.

 

[HarryKeogh]

Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Gives a new meaning to "you couldn't pay me to listen to Jessica Simpson."

watching her, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely.

 

[Orwell]

What about all the artists that don't get air play because they're not on the right label or their label doesn't care? Mind you, these payola laws date from a time when all there was was radio. Personally, I'm in favour of any laws that will help increase the variety of music played on the radio. But I agree that this will probably become less of a problem soon, with internet radio and satellite radio and podcasting and all this new technology coming. I truly hope that all of this will put a major dent in major label affairs!

 

[Tony]

How is it bribing? They are just paying a DJ to play their record, I don’t see how this is anything but marketing.

(I would feel different about this if it was DJs working for the BBC receiving money to play records.)

Shouldn't we (the public) have the choice of who we want to listen to instead of the record companies shoving their product down our throats?

 

[Grammatron]

Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

If it is at the expense of the next Stevie Wonder never making it on the air, then it is a problem. A person should succeed based on merit, giving the people what they want.

Gives a new meaning to "you couldn't pay me to listen to Jessica Simpson."

This probably ties into FCC regulation somehow and that's why they might have a point in punishing sony. However, this is no different then other companies' marketing policies. And the music companies have been doing this for...well ever.

Next thing you'll be complainig that car companies pay TV shows to have actors drive their cars.

Originally posted by Tony
Shouldn't we (the public) have the choice of who we want to listen to instead of the record companies shoving their product down our throats?

Yes, turn the radio off and put on a CD. Congradulations, you are now listening to what you want!

 

[Tony]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Yes, turn the radio off and put on a CD. Congradulations, you are now listening to what you want!

Yes, technology is changing the greater marketplace, but that doesn't really address the core issue. The public owns the airwaves, should businesses be allowed to force their product, and stifle competition, on those publicly owned airwaves?

 

[Grammatron]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Yes, technology is changing the greater marketplace, but that doesn't really address the core issue. The public owns the airwaves, should businesses be allowed to force their product, and stifle competition, on those publicly owned airwaves?

Same reasoning people use for censorship, but that would be derailing.

I am not sure to what extend the public owns the, does the radio station rent the frequency for a period of time or is it simply given it?

Also, answer me the question I asked Luke: Should the show "24" use Ford vehicles for all the good guys?

I sincerely doubt that there's a talented musician who is suffering because Sony paid some DJ to play their music. If that musician is talented he would be signed by Sony or BMG who would be promoting their quality records.

 

[CapelDodger]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

How is it bribing? They are just paying a DJ to play their record, I don’t see how this is anything but marketing.

In a newspaper, editorial and advertising should be distinguishable. On TV we expect to know what's program and what's commercial. So if the DJ wants to announce "Here's the new Sony hype, it's mindless fluff but I get twenty bucks for playing it so feel good for me and go put the coffee on", fair enough.

DJ's are the first port-of-call for aspiring artists. Even before A&R, who like to see a bit of air-time before they bother checking you out. Mind you, I could be out-of-date on that. Things aren't what they were in my days - Before InterNet.

 

[Grammatron]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

In a newspaper, editorial and advertising should be distinguishable. On TV we expect to know what's program and what's commercial. So if the DJ wants to announce "Here's the new Sony hype, it's mindless fluff but I get twenty bucks for playing it so feel good for me and go put the coffee on", fair enough.

False anology there. This is not a news radio network masking an editorial as news. This an overhyped "popular" station trying to stay popular and being buddy-buddy with a record lable.

DJ's are the first port-of-call for aspiring artists. Even before A&R, who like to see a bit of air-time before they bother checking you out. Mind you, I could be out-of-date on that. Things aren't what they were in my days - Before InterNet.

Oh ha, ha. Not sure what radio you listen to but the stations I get on my radio seem to play sum-total of 0 unknown artists.

 

[Manny]

Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Why on earth is it illegal, I can understand it being frowned on by say a "Brotherhood of Radio Stations" organisation but illegal to promote your records and artists?

Doing it isn't illegal. Doing it without dislosing it is. 47USC317. I'll have to see how it is that a state official got into the feds' business.

 

[zenith-nadir]

Some background:

It's a crime for a station employee to accept payment for playing a song if the station fails to notify listeners about the financial arrangement.

"Payola" is a combination of the words "pay" and "Victrola" (a record player). It became part of the English language via the record/radio business. The first court case involving payola was in 1960. On May 9, Alan Freed was indicted for accepting $2,500 which he claimed was a token of gratitude and did not affect airplay. He paid a small fine as a result of the charge. His career faltered and he died in 1965.

The reason payola is bad is because small record companies and small-time artists don’t have the capital to "convince" big radio stations to play their songs. Ergo music tastes are dictated by only the largest record companies who BRIBE stations to play crap like J-Lo and Jessica Simpson which obviously is the reason for a lack of artistry in music.

 

[Tony]

Same reasoning people use for censorship, but that would be derailing.

No it isn't. Not even close.

The censorship argument is that since the public owns the airwaves, the public (via the government) should have the right to censor "offensive" material. My argument is, since the public owns the airwaves, the public, not record companies, should decide what we want to listen to (via the dial).

In other words, I want the market, not record companies, to decide what is good and what isn't. The censors want the government and religious conservatives, not the market, to decide what is good and what isn't.

I am not sure to what extend the public owns the, does the radio station rent the frequency for a period of time or is it simply given it?

I'm not sure, but I think they have a license.

Also, answer me the question I asked Luke: Should the show "24" use Ford vehicles for all the good guys?

False anology.

If that musician is talented he would be signed by Sony or BMG who would be promoting their quality records.

Can I borrow your magic 8 ball sometime? I'd love the ability to make predictions like that.

 

[Luke T.]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

Yes, turn the radio off and put on a CD. Congradulations, you are now listening to what you want!

You know, that is precisely what I do. I cannot recall the last time I listened to a music radio station. The only radio I listen to these days is NPR. I think I can honestly say it has been years since I listened to a music station. My problem was with all the ads. I am just about ready to give up on TV as well. I'm down to Law & Order and Monk.

I listen to books on tape in my vehicle.

Maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[Darat]

...snip...

My argument is, since the public owns the airwaves, the public, not record companies, should decide what we want to listen to (via the dial).

...snip...

But this wouldn't happen whether the DJs are paid or not. A DJ could just choose to play records that she and her dog like.

Why should therefore a DJ have any choice at all about what they play?

 

[Darat]

Re: Re: Re: Sony busted for Payola.

If it is at the expense of the next Stevie Wonder never making it on the air, then it is a problem. A person should succeed based on merit, giving the people what they want.

Gives a new meaning to "you couldn't pay me to listen to Jessica Simpson."

What happens if the DJ just doesn't like the next Stevie Wonder? Or never hears the next Stevie Wonder?