Payola Scam

Back then I was never offered payola to play records.

Yet I played records.

Silly me.

Now something needs to be done about the RIAA's reverse payola scam.

TheLegacy correctly said:  "Now something needs to be done about the RIAA's reverse payola scam."

I was thinking the same thing and TheLegacy posted it.

If all promotional advertising, which music is when heard on the radio, required station's to pay rather than earn, licensed radio as we know it would be over.

Radio began paying ASCAP and BMI royalties way back in the 1930's. There had already been big increases by the 50's.

Key difference, the radio station itself paid licensing fees. DJ's received cash from promoters to get them to spin and favor certain records. Most payola came from small independent record labels trying to compete with the majors. The stations themselves generally weren't involved or aware of it.

But it was clear proof of the importance of getting your song on the radio. As is the constant calling of radio programmers to get songs played today. It still happens.

If you've never heard it before this selection from Stan Freberg pretty much sums up the payola situation in the 50's.

TIB

Radio pays ZERO dollars to the RIAA to play songs on the radio.  Radio pays BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC.  These organizations pay the song WRITERS.  Radio pays ZERO dollars to the performers, record companies or the RIAA.  It is the PRO's (performing rights organizations) that are always trying to jack up the rates.  The RIAA has however tried to lobby to get radio to have to pay fees similar to SoundExchange to pay the artists, but every time it's come up the fact that the entertainers are gaining free promotion of their music which generates sales, has always been the deciding factor to congress that it's a fair trade.

And I should mention that radio may in fact pay a performer, IF that performer WROTE the song.  in which case he's getting writers royalties from BMI, ASCAP or SESAC.  Not one penny goes to an artist or record label, or the RIAA from radio, except in this case.

Streaming stations do, infact pay the performers through SoundExchange streaming rights. This, however, is not radio. It is streaming. A radio station is not necessary.

TIB

It would have been legal if the DJ's had only said "Here's the new single by Fabian, and his promoter gave me $5 to play it for ya".  That makes it a commercial, and legal. Not disclosing that payment or consideration was received for airplay makes it payola.

TIB

I will pay $5 to anyone who comes on here and discloses that Carl Blare knows what he's talking about, is always right, knows far more than plain ordinary people, and can be trusted with the women in your family.

Send your invoice to Donald Trump at Trump Tower.

I like Johny C's info about New Zealand consolidating their multiple licensing agencies into one homogenous agency.

Johny indicaed the licensing cost has been reduced and the paperwork simpler.