Payola Again

Subject: Payola Again
From: wordfella
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 07:29 AM

Read it here: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sony4dec04,0,3749240.story

There are a couple of generations whose musical tastes have been skewered by this sort of thing.

Subject: RE: Payola Again
From: Dead Horse
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 05:05 PM

Shock! Horror!

Subject: RE: Payola Again
From: M.Ted
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 05:58 PM

Don Ienner(the president of Sony Records who is mentioned by title but not name by prosecutor Elliot Spitzer), interestingly enough, was a partner with his brother Jimmy(producer of the Raspberries and Eric Carmen, and of the mega-seller "Dirty Dancing" Soundtrack) in a management, booking, etc partnership who were closely connected with Cameo/Parkway and Philly International(TSOP/Gamble and Huff, etc) the Philadelphia record labels that have been linked with payola activities since in the 50's, the 70's, and 80's--

As my fourth grade teacher used to say, "It's always the same group of troublemakers   that make things difficult for the rest of us."

Subject: RE: Payola Again
From: Kaleea
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 08:07 PM

When I saw the thread title, I thought the veep & haliburden were at it again--or still.

Subject: RE: Payola Again
From: Leadfingers
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 06:12 AM

Are we supposed to be surprised ?

Subject: RE: Payola Again
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 10:19 AM

Lets see if I've got this straight.

The DA makes a bunch of vague threats, and the crooks choke up ten million bucks in a settlement. No charges are revealed, much less actually filed, and nobody gets prosecuted. I wonder if the terms of the settlement were "sealed" in the usual manner?

The ten million settlement gets the DA more publicity than he could buy with ten million paid directly into his campaign chest, come next election time; and of course that amount probably wouldn't be a "legal" contribution.

Do I smell politics?, extortion?, skirting campaign funding laws? (if there are any in NY), political kickbacks?, bribery?...

I guess if you're as crooked as Sony appears to be (from this and other recent news) you probably have to expect to make a few payoffs, sometimes under less than voluntary terms.

My suspicion is they're all *crooks on both sides of this, but then I'm old enough to deserve to be a bit cynical.

*synonyms: politician = executive = crook

John

Subject: RE: Payola Again
From: alanabit
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 10:28 AM

It is really rather a side issue. The record company needs airplay to sell its products and the radio station needs the record company to give records with the correct playlist profile, so that it can continue to attract either public funding or advertising. Anyone who believes that radio stations are there to offer choice and variety of music to listeners probably also believes in Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy.
Most people, who play the sort of music, which we are interested in on this site, do not expect to get access to the mass media.
Fortunately, there are radio presenters around like Mike Miller and Ron Olesko (whom we read here from time to time). They are able to offer some choice to listeners, because they have chosen to eschew the security and the material rewards, which go with getting into bed with the world of Sony, EMI and WB etc. That is what I call integrity, which is a value not highly prized in the wonderful music business.

Subject: RE: Payola Again
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 10:57 AM

Alanabit, no one has ever given me the opportunity to eschew a bribe!!

I entered radio for all the sex, drugs and bribes. After 30 years I am very disappointed on all three counts!!!   

Seriously, thanks for the kind words.   It is a shame that this sort of thing goes on and the choices are dwindling because of it. There are still many opportunities on radio, but even the non-commercial stations are going through changes trying to reach the lowest common denomiator.   

Let's hope the trend reverses itself. I often felt that the "folk scare" of the late '50s and '60s was a response to the repressive commercial scene and the McCarthy era.   People looked for alternatives. Hopefully that will come again - and there won't be any payola involved!

Subject: RE: Payola Again
From: M.Ted
Date: 07 Dec 05 - 10:33 AM

If you're ever interested, Ron, send me a PM and I'll tell you, in sordid detail, how payola has wormed it's way into the programming of 185 or so public radio stations--not yours, though--