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Payola's comet

S

Scooter Lesley

Guest
Well,...I can't see it from here or even feel the least bit of heat, but it's on its way.

PAYOLA'S COMET!

What?...Returning every 8-to-16 years or whenever The FCC gets enough dirt to call the Janitor?

Seems like I remember that Citidel was #3, of the top 3 alleged offenders, last time. It's rather funny when served they all pony-up, and just pay the fine. Now, doing so does not admit guilt, but yet simply a choice,....the pathway to avoid prosecution. Besides, what Radio Station wants to butt heads with the Feds, in a courtroom?
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeessssshhhhhhhh! Me Either!

So, what say ye members of The Think Tank.....
 
Scooter Lesley said:
So, what say ye members of The Think Tank.....
Click to expand...

Record companies are not making enough money to do much of any kind of promotion... legal or illegal.

That lack of promotional money explains why R&R folded... why the conventions for programming and music are all but gone... why premier parties and fly-ins have mostly disappeared... and why there is no money to grease the rails, real or imaginary

And the same record companies are spending a lot of their money inside the Beltway lobbying for royalties from the radio stations. They want to take, not give. They are bleeding, and are looking anywhere and everywhere for an ox to gore.

Payola is a Federal crime. Stations don't, technically, commit that crime as payola is defined as taking money or consideration sub rosa for the promotion of music without the knowledge or consent of station management or ownership. In other words, the crime is done by individuals, not companies. That is because it is legal to take pay for play at the station level, as long as the sponsorship identification rules are followed.

Stations are a victim of payola in the sense that having an employee found and convicted of the crime indicates a failure of control by the licensee which the FCC views seriously. So, in the few times that investigations have been done in recent decades, stations prefer to cover themselves legally to avoid jeopardizing the license.

Of course, the only true recent case involved a state investigation. Not a Federal one. Not an FCC one. The since-totally-disgraced and major-league-grandstander Eliot Spitzer, AG of New York, investigated independent promotion. To avoid legal fees, station groups paid to make the issue go away without admitting any wrongdoing... which, except for alleged unauthorized actions of one PD, there was none.
 
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Payola is a two-way street. The record labels are equally responsible, and the major labels also settled out of court, admitting no wrong-doing. If you want to blame radio, you also have to blame records.

Historically, payola tends to be the kind of thing Republicans like to prosecute. Eliot Spitzer is a Republican. You may have to wait for the Republicans to regain the White House before you see "Payola's Comet" again.

DavidEduardo said:
Record companies are not making enough money to do much of any kind of promotion... legal or illegal.
Click to expand...

Exactly. More money today to sue labels or streamers for royalty scams. That's where the real money is in music. Sue the digital streamers. The Turtles are suing Sirius XM right now.

[Mod Note: Eliot Spitzer is a Democrat]
 
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Payola?

Last I heard they wanted the radio stations to pay THEM for the privilege of playing their latest piece of garbage!
 
Well,...one fellow Broadcaster once said of me: Most stir the pot with a common wooden spoon, while Scooter Lesley uses a Boat Paddle! Hmmmmmmm? They might be right!

I Programmed for years, was offered the "Dirty Money", but never took one penny!

As long as we have individuals that have the power to grant Airplay, and the U.S. Mint is still printing money, then....we will always have Payola.

The Record Labels aren't the Monsters that they use to be, but that is irrelivant.

Comet....On Coarse!
 
In my humble opinion, in respect to the millions of dollars in free promotion received, I think the record industry ought to be paying the radio industry. Just like any client who gets to promote on our airwaves. Last I heard, the record companies wanted the radio industry to pay them.

I don't think payola laws govern a problem that is as widespread or impacting as it used to be. I think they give record companies license to jack the radio industry.
 
What I saw, in the 70's, was always linked to the bigger labels. Then, and alledgedly now, if the record was Awwwww-ful, it was kinda/sorta like that old pink hair gel, Dippidy-Doo"....a little dab would do,.......and may be for next week???????????

It always made me sick....because there were only so many slots to fill, and alotta real good songs didn't get their fair chance.
 
Well,...when it comes to this Topic, apparently very few wanna play with me. I don't understand. I brushed my teeth, just before I sat down at the keys.

Paaaaaaaay-o-la! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? But yet....which format is the main offender. I'm sure that Mr. Ed, and TheAigB will both chime-in a little later, but I'll go with CHR.

The format use to be something special, but now it's all mared down with alotta Hip-hop/Rap crap. Geeeee, I wonder how some of that made it on the air. Might've been some real hocus-pocus magic from M&M or Puff Daddy. They say that he can do anything: A Music Mogul, Producer, and Fashion Visionary.

...and since today's Country is yesterday's CHR, then what kinda Horse trading is now in place? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
 
Sheeeeeeeesh! I post a topic about Payola, and all the Thread Warriors disappear.

You'd think that I'd get a little back-splash. No!....I do not know when it hit the last time,....but I did, and don't fool yourself in believeing that it won't again, and is not COMING!

Anyone,.....when was the last Big set of fines?
 
Well,...aside from the Demon,...let's not dare mention it....alleged possiblity of

"Payola"......

Any of you Programming Nostril-dumases got any true skinny about willingly legal, and FCC approved.....Paid intros, and/or Paid backsells??

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm?
 
Scooter Lesley said:
What I saw, in the 70's, was always linked to the bigger labels. Then, and alledgedly now, if the record was Awwwww-ful, it was kinda/sorta like that old pink hair gel, Dippidy-Doo"....a little dab would do,.......and may be for next week???????????

It always made me sick....because there were only so many slots to fill, and alotta real good songs didn't get their fair chance.
Click to expand...

Brylcreem was "a little dab'll do ya".
 
Scooter Lesley said:
Well,...aside from the Demon,...let's not dare mention it....alleged possiblity of

"Payola"......

Any of you Programming Nostril-dumases got any true skinny about willingly legal, and FCC approved.....Paid intros, and/or Paid backsells??

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm?
Click to expand...

If you are referring to "this song is presented by Sony Music....(song)... this song was presented by Sony Music. Download it on iTunes or Amazon right now!" that is a legal, paid commercial. Just as a an acne cream can run testimonials in a commercial, a record company can run their song in a commercial. As long as the sponsor ID requirements are met, it is totally legal.
 
Scooter Lesley said:
Sheeeeeeeesh! I post a topic about Payola, and all the Thread Warriors disappear.
Click to expand...

The problem is that what you are asking is sort of like inquiring what we think about shoplifters. A percentage of the population will do it, a smaller percentage will be caught and an even smaller group will do the time.

There will always be a small segment of any group that will do things that are against the law. When an employee of a radio station steals station airtime for personal gain, it's a crime. Most people value their job and reputation more than the immediate value of a bribe.

Today, the corporate control of programming and the lack of free money at the record label level make payola far less dangerous than in the "Roaring 50's" period. Of all the issues facing radio, this is a very minor one.
 
Well,...Mr. Ed,...we can all see the last two....well thought-out posts, and that explains the beads of sweat on your forehead. You were obviously near stroke load, so relax, and I'll take the time to explain exactly where you Boobed:

In was less than seven years ago that the Big corp groups were all hit with Monsterous fines. The FCC alleging countless acts of Payola. The fines were in the Millions, and in order to avoid prosy,.....they each willingly Paid! I wouldn't concider that Minor!

Also, the Record Companies were not willing to buy song loaded spots. They wanted to pay for Intros, and/or Backsells for certain songs, if they could get them added.
Just the front, and/or the back! You don't have to be Kreskin to figure it out!
 
It's always Amusing

Scooter Lesley said:
Well,...Mr. Ed,...we can all see the last two....well thought-out posts, and that explains the beads of sweat on your forehead. You were obviously near stroke load, so relax, and I'll take the time to explain exactly where you Boobed:

In was less than seven years ago that the Big corp groups were all hit with Monsterous fines. The FCC alleging countless acts of Payola. The fines were in the Millions, and in order to avoid prosy,.....they each willingly Paid! I wouldn't concider that Minor!

Also, the Record Companies were not willing to buy song loaded spots. They wanted to pay for Intros, and/or Backsells for certain songs, if they could get them added.
Just the front, and/or the back! You don't have to be Kreskin to figure it out!
Click to expand...

...to see a mental midget that was fired from radio over two decades ago take on an expert in the field who has national and international experience.

Go back to your pro wrestling podcast.
 
Scooter Lesley said:
In was less than seven years ago that the Big corp groups were all hit with Monsterous fines. The FCC alleging countless acts of Payola. The fines were in the Millions, and in order to avoid prosy,.....they each willingly Paid! I wouldn't concider that Minor!
Click to expand...

There were no FCC fines. In fact, payola is a Federal crime, prosecuted by the DoJ if there is cause.

What happened is that the Attorney General of New York, the well discredited Mr. Spitzer, was looking for high profile cases to improve his chances for a gubernatorial run. One of those was the area of independent promotion. Several record companies and several group broadcasters (not "all the big groups") decided to pay voluntarily offered fines in lieu of going to court and generating huge legal fees just so Spitzer could showboat over something that legally, he likely had no jurisdiction over.

The fees were relatively minor for the companies involved. In the course of the whole investigation, only one individual was mentioned as having done something improper, that that person, a smaller market PD, left the station soon after.

Also, the Record Companies were not willing to buy song loaded spots. They wanted to pay for Intros, and/or Backsells for certain songs, if they could get them added.
Click to expand...

I never heard of this, never saw it in the trades, was never asked to do it, either for a conditional add or for an already played song. The whole reason for record companies buying song play is to get BDS and MediaBase detection to create chart action and thus, to create sales. A paid intro or outro, while totally legal if properly credited, does nothing for detections.
 
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