Pay for Play

[TheBigA]

While I was in it, working in radio was never ever squeaky clean (Carol Miller's book will attest to that).

There's a famous story about Carol when she was at WNEW-FM. She was hearing about the rise of grunge music in the west, so she called one of the other DJs in Seattle for some intel. She asked "Do people actually like this stuff?" And she was told they did. But WNEW never got into the grunge scene the way they had for punk and other similar rock. As a result, WNEW become old and out of touch, completely missed Nirvana and other big bands, and ultimately changed format to hot talk. Sometimes it helps to have an open mind.

 

[Kelly A]

As I said there are lots of legal ways to get money from record labels, and I suspect that's what was going on here. Buying spins only matters if you're in a big market and are at a popular station. It seems unlikely that a station that mainly plays music that's paid for is going to be popular. Looking at it from the point of view of the record label, why would I give money to someone to play a record on one station. Labels can do legal deals with the big chains and get more spins. That's what most labels do. The legal options deliver more attention, and that's the goal of the promotion people. Not providing welfare to underpaid radio people.

All this, and I doubt the payola thing is anywhere near the norm today verses back when radio was the only way to promote new music. As you pointed out; by picking on radio as some sort of egregious offender, Rolling Stone is showing how out of step with all the ways people get new music these days. TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, whatever; none of those are held to the same standards as broadcast radio.
Brian is clearly bitter about his past employer, and why he keeps revisiting the topic on this site. Maybe someday he can rid himself of the shoulder-chip, and move on.

 

[davideduardo]

haha. Then why have music testing focus groups (giving one the ability to criticize songs that they don't find appealing, or would tune out if heard on a radio station)?

Music tests are not “Focus Groups”. A focus group is like a little meeting where open ended questions like, “Do you like the prank phone calls Bob does on the Bod and Sylvia Show?

A music test, done today via Internet, plays snippets of songs and listeners score them. They do not “criticize” them. They just indicate whether the hate, dislike, don’t care, like or love each song (and maybe check “familiar” or “unfamiliar” and move on to the next song. There is no discussion.

You appear to be dramatically unfamiliar with how music is selected and how playlists are maintained.

In particular, nearly every station whose playlist “matters” is group owned and there are several levels where song play is monitored. In part, this is to make sure the music scheduling software is set up right and als to verify that thr approved playlist is being rotated correctly.

 

[gr8oldies]

I've got to think with layer upon layer of corporate management at most stations that matter, the days of slipping a DJ a 45 and a $100 bill at the back door of the station are long, long gone.

 

[CTListener]

I've got to think with layer upon layer of corporate management at most stations that matter, the days of slipping a DJ a 45 and a $100 bill at the back door of the station are long, long gone.

The DJs are definitely out of the picture. That's why I mentioned only PDs and MDs. I don't think Brian brought up the jocks either. Of course, in medium and small markets, the MD or PD also can pull an air shift.

 

[gr8oldies]

The DJs are definitely out of the picture. That's why I mentioned only PDs and MDs. I don't think Brian brought up the jocks either. Of course, in medium and small markets, the MD or PD also can pull an air shift.

In an iHeart or similar company, they aren't going to have the power to push some random song either.

 

[TheBigA]

Rolling Stone is showing how out of step with all the ways people get new music these days.

They also don't seem to know that record label promotion budgets in most formats are almost non-existent. Labels buy advertising, but only in major markets. They support touring and promotional shows, but they don't pay radio for them. The stations use them to attract advertisers. And once again, a lot of that is coordinated by corporate staffs, not local stations. The labels don't get a royalty from radio airplay, so why spend money? Airplay was most useful in the days of physical product. You'd think that Rolling Stone would know that. Especially in the rock and alternative formats. This article really provokes more questions than answers.

 

[Brian Bowers]

why he keeps revisiting the topic on this site.

Twice...wow

Maybe someday he can rid himself of the shoulder-chip, and move on.

...and maybe someday someone can rid themselves of their frequent smug comments on this board, and get back to work.

 

[secondchoice]

When I was filling out paperwork for Nationwide, there was a question any "conflicts of interest". I told the truth that I had just inherited some RCA stock. That afternoon somebody from Columbus called and asked me if I had turned in my 2 week notice. I said no. They said don't because there were "issues" with my application. I don't know if it was NBC, or the record division. It's a shame they really had good benefits.