http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-07/26.shtml

Doesn't shock me at all.

It's been going on forever. If you are interested in the topic, there is a great book called "Hit Men" that goes into detail about payola in the music business.

Why is Sony getting fined and not the corrupt radio stations?

Payola has been around forever. The FCA of 1994 lowered its restrictions on record label involvement with radio station airtime. Instead of flat out calling it payola, a new, yet very similiar practice called "pay for play" was started in the mid to late 90's. The biggest benefactor of this new practice was actually Limp Bizkit, whose single "Counterfeit" wasn't getting the radio play that Interscope had been hoping for. It's a shameful practice and it's good that someone is getting the whistle blown on them.

"Pay for play" is illegal. As for the radio stations getting busted too it's highly likely that they WILL.

[This message has been edited by NoACDamnit (edited 7/27/2005 2:21p).]

It's illegal, but it's standard practice in the industry. Check out Sony's statement:

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In a statement, the label said: "Despite federal and state laws prohibiting unacknowledged payment by record labels to radio stations for airing of music, such direct and indirect forms of what has been described generically as 'payola' for spins has continued to be an unfortunately prevalent aspect of radio promotion. Sony BMG acknowledges that various employees pursed some radio promotion practices on behalf of the company that were wrong and improper and apologizes for such conduct. Sony BMG looks forward to defining a new, higher standard in radio promotion."

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Basically, "Yeah, we pay for play. So does everyone else. So?"

If your definition of pay for play is money coming directly from the record label to get a song put on air, then yes, it is illegal.


In the past decade, though, pay for play has become more complex through the use of an intermediary "promotions companies" to buy the air time. This is done to basically launder the money from the record label. It's dirty and shady as hell, but it's a loophole and it's legal.

Here's a good article on pay for play and how it works. It's a couple of years old, but to the best of my knowledge, nothing concerning pay for play has changed

http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2002/06/25/pfp_congress/

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It's dirty and shady as hell, but it's a loophole and it's legal.

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No, it's still not legal. But there's no enforcement. Until now, maybe...

Hmm.



2005 is the season we find out why Coach Fran is widely considered a better gameday coach than Bob Stoops and a better recruiter than Mack Brown.

When The "DUCK" soon flies high soar vastly above all mankind with his finacial genius, we will all have a hugh contribution to make to the SISTER in support of her good works.

The Chicken Ranch:

This is a terrible, terrible idea. All we are going to hear is the Byrnespeak about how "we will realize how great this is when it finally materializes..." BULLSH*T! Don't piss on my leg and call it rain!

">http://www.thevelvetstore.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/va012.jpg

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2005 is the season we find out why Coach Fran is widely considered a better gameday coach than Bob Stoops and a better recruiter than Mack Brown.

When The "DUCK" soon flies high soar vastly above all mankind with his finacial genius, we will all have a hugh contribution to make to the SISTER in support of her good works.

The Chicken Ranch:

This is a terrible, terrible idea. All we are going to hear is the Byrnespeak about how "we will realize how great this is when it finally materializes..." BULLSH*T! Don't piss on my leg and call it rain!

Thread ****er!

Funny, I was just thinking the other day about how much money you'd have to pay me to listen to Franz Ferdinand.


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Funny, I was just thinking the other day about how much money you'd have to pay me to listen to Franz Ferdinand.

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And what figure did you come up with?