Payola..again

[StangBuddy]

A couple of weeks ago I reminisced about the good old days of Payola and the post, while pointed if not somewhat incendiary, drew chuckled responses.

Consider this. Big oil and Detroit spend tens of millions greasing legislators so that you can drive that Acura, Lexus or Chrysler to work. Most every special interest group has a lobbyist paid, often through tax sheltered expense arrangements, to lobby there agenda. Be it Donald Trump or "Survivor" or "American Idol", the entertainment industry shills out "pay for play" as part of doing business.

And the whole radio/records/artists/A&R world shutters whenever it's accused of influence amongst radio owners and programmers.

If you were controlling a big record label wouldn't you be intrigued about the possibility of buying 100, 200 or 1000 sticks across the American radio landscape? Didn't happen did it! In fact noone ever suggested it and companies like Clear Channel gobbled it all up while others, like ABC, are now considering getting out of the arena and selling off there TV/Radio outlets. ABC realizes that, with few exceptions (like there talk radio stations in S.F.) they have no control over the content of there programming on radio. They'd risk congressional hearings if they tried and lets not even mention the boondoggle associated with profanity, file sharing and the birds. They can't maximize there properties and Infinity struggles with this too. You simply DON'T GIVE UP STERN without a fight unless something is seriously whacked. Even CC, with it's GOP friends in D.C. and Texas, is getting fined and bailing. If it smells then kick the radio division...

Payola meant sweat and pounding the pavement. It meant artists, themes, dreams and..well schtick too. And with radio you had 10-50 different niches to exploit in any given market. The stations with the best "ear" (along with marketing, gumption and balls) would end up winning. This summer everyone in the music biz is keen on seeing has-been, paid off stars doing the two-step on TV and whether "Idol" is played out or not..

I'll repeat my sentiments. Radio sounded better when record reps and music people paid off programmers. It's how The Beatles, Elvis, Supremes, Wonder, Beach Boys, Springsteen, U-2, Marvin, Aretha etc. got there start. I got disillusioned somewhat when deserving artists didn't get some play back in the late 80's. Remember Tipper Gore! It's way worse since..so flame away.

 

[AQH]

> I'll repeat my sentiments. Radio sounded better when record
> reps and music people paid off programmers. It's how The
> Beatles, Elvis, Supremes, Wonder, Beach Boys, Springsteen,
> U-2, Marvin, Aretha etc. got there start. I got
> disillusioned somewhat when deserving artists didn't get
> some play back in the late 80's. Remember Tipper Gore! It's
> way worse since..so flame away.

Comparing oil to music is apples and oranges. John Q. Public can't go out and purchase a barrel of oil on his own. But John Q. Public has an unlimited amount of resources to getting new and different types of music. It is not just limited to terrestrial radio.

Further, you're operating under the assumption that there is good music out there to be paid to play. The problem is, there simply isn't. Nowadays, people have heard everything. Times and lives have changed since back in the "Hit Men" days. Even many Pearl Jam tracks sound old and tired compared to the new stuff The End is playing now.

People also like to boast the local music scene -- we want local, we want different! If there was a huge demand for it, then stations like The End wouldn't relegate those specialty shows to only two hours on a Sunday night.

But if you think the payola thing is what would cure radio, feel free to do so, but there is nothing out there worth bribery.

 

[StangBuddy]

You've given up. Everything has all been heard and everyone is jaded. There's comparisons being made and suggestions about apples and oranges ..which is really something I can't understand and, for that matter, noone else can decipher either.

You mentioned The End which, along with the Mountain, is a dubious representative of music radio. I should clarify things, I like the Mountain, at night, when only myself and a few others are listening.

I know you. I was there when, as a young programmer, I had serious misgivings about why research told me to play the same, boring ballad in power when I knew that my P1's were completely sick of the song 6 months ago. It really isn't anyones fault. This sickness became apparent a couple of decades ago.

But if someone came around and turned me on to a really great song by some true artists, then maybe breakfast at Denny's would be worth it! And just maybe I'd find a way to pull that ballad.