More on the payola story

Yesterday I mentioned that record companies have found creative ways to skirt the laws while still benefiting from payola. In the LA Times today there is a brief paragraph that explains how its done;
In September, investigators in Spitzer's office subpoenaed executives at the four major record corporations — Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and EMI Group — to request copies of billing records, contracts, e-mails and other correspondence regarding the [record] companies' relationships with independent music promoters who suggest new songs to radio programmers.
Those intermediaries have long been suspected of passing payments to deejays in exchange for airplay of specific songs. Such payments would violate a federal statute known as the payola law, which prohibits broadcasters from taking cash or anything of value in exchange for playing specific songs unless they disclose the transaction to listeners.

Radio airplay is considered the most powerful promotional tool for record companies. In the past, labels blatantly traded cash, drugs and prostitutes for airplay.

Today, record companies pay independent promoters to persuade radio programmers to spin particular songs. The independent promoters pay radio stations annual fees, sometimes in excess of $100,000, in exchange for advance copies of the stations' playlists. Promoters say the fees do not influence a radio station's choice of songs. However, critics suggest that the payments are a way to skirt the law.

Yeah, right. The payments have nothing to do with radio polluting the airwaves with trash from J-Lo and Jessica Simpson and other "artists" who wouldn't know a melody if it was written for them by Lennon/McCartney.

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