Clear Channel ‘pay-for-play’
p2p news / p2pnet:- Appearances are important and corporate music firm Clear Channel Communications says it`s fired unidentified employees and disciplined others in another “pay-for-play” scandal.
New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer recently compelled Sony BMG to admit it had, among other things, been bribing DJs for air-time.
A promotion executive at Sony BMG’s Epic Records wrote to a colleague, “Two weeks ago, it cost us over 4000.00 to get Franz [Ferdinand] on WKSE. That is what the four trips to Miami and hotel cost . . . At the end of the day, [David] Universal added GC [Good Charlotte] and Gretchen Wilson and hit Alex up for another grand and they settled for $750.00.
So almost $5000.00 in two weeks for overnight airplay. He told me that Tommy really wanted him to do it so he cut the deal.”
WKSE is KISS 98.5, covering the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area.
This latest pay-for-play revelation follows the settlement between New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer and Sony BMG, says the Washington Times.
The agreement said some Clear Channel radio programmers took illegal `pay-for-play`,” says the story.
Noooo. Really?
An internal investigation found two cases with evidence of wrongdoing but Clear Channel didn`t say how many people were dismissed in the two incidents, and calls seeking clarification weren’t returned yesterday, says the Washington Times. In other instances, Clear Channel said it found “evidence of inappropriate conduct,” and those involved have been disciplined.
Clear Channel is America`s largest radio station owner.
(Thanks, Bill E)
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See:-
bribing DJs – Spitzer on Sony BMG scandal, October 13, 2005
Washington Times – Radio chain’s probe finds payola, October 13, 2005
October 13th, 2005 at 9:36 pm
I guess what makes this story news-worthy is not that payola is alive and well, but that a major label has been compelled (ooh, I like that word in this context) to publicly admit that it was in fact, doing it. A person either had to have no interest in the subject (not an unreasonable position), or be fully aware that payola (the ‘old school’ name for it) has been commonplace in the industry all along, even after it was declared illegal, almost 50 years ago…
October 13th, 2005 at 10:06 pm
The cartels hold international status for the most part. Its sort of funny, when it comes time to go for some legislation change you see them represented regularly by the RIAA. When it comes time to deal with the responcibility of some wrong doing they run immediately for the “you don’t have jursidiction” theme.
Sony was put in the position of either doing, admitting, paying a fine, and owning up or ceasing to do business in the states. Something none of the cartels will willingly give up market share on. Only under these circumstances, which isn’t something Joe Public can have such a degree of bringing about, do the cartels ever own up to any of their dirty dealings.
Payolla has long ago been ruled illegal. It is one of the largest reasons that FM is going down the tubes, just as AM did before it. So why has it continued to exist under the table? This statement that if we don’t and they do, we lose out, doesn’t cut it. Illegal is illegal and they have purposely continued to purpetuate the practice even after it was ruled such. It shows you just where the cartels true interests lay. They can talk a great line but actions speak louder than words and with those actions you see just how it is.
The latest scheme which was already going on long before Spitzer got into the act is the paying for proposed play lists of what is planned to be played ahead of time. You tell me how such a list is worth thousands of dollars per month, for each and every radio station? Also explain to me the reasoning behind taking away the DJ’s ability to choose what songs to play and lock them into a playlist, other than to support this sort of scheme. Used to be someone could approach a radio station with an indy, sweet talk the DJ and get it on the air. That doesn’t happen anymore and those indies are locked out of the system. It is also one of the main reasons today that the replay, over and over, by the hour is so prevailent.
Radio broadcast is still a dirty business and the method has changed, not the practice.
October 13th, 2005 at 10:22 pm
The only reason it’s really changing now is the music cartel doesn’t want to pay anymore… so they have found a roundabout way to kill the practice off…untill they want it back then it’ll flurish again like it has in the past.
October 13th, 2005 at 10:25 pm
Good post. I would add that public broadcast outlets are simply the marketing arms of cartel media companys in this day and age.
October 17th, 2005 at 6:54 pm
When listeners get tired of the crap that is played on the air, they get their musice from somewhere else. When music lovers do not want to pay for the overpriced music that is being played on the air, they get it from somewhere else. When the cartels realize that forced exposure to the currently hyped song no longer increases sales for that album, they will quit paying for that album’s advertisement. If we starve the cartels, then maybe we can get our airwaves back. Filesharing programs + computers + mp3 players + cassette adapters = the death of payola. I no longer listen to the radio, the crap that is being played on radio has killed my interest. I am a customer, and now, i have a choice.