A radio station has always had the ability to play a specific song in exchange for money; however, this must be disclosed on the air as being sponsored airtime, and that play of the song should not be reported as a "spin". Some radio stations report spins of the newest and most popular songs to industry publications, which are then published. The number of times the songs are played can influence other stations around the country to play or pass on a particular song. On influential stations (and particularly on television) payola can become so commonplace that it becomes difficult for artists to get their records/videos played without offering some sort of payment.

hmmm.... makes sense. I guess then the idea of disclosing pay-for-play is too embarassing for stations or artists or labels to admit, so they'll only do it secretly, so I guess it has to be illegal.

If they're running commercials, though, might as well run songs as commercials.

Well, that explains Nelly Fertato.

If someone knows how to get GOOD music on the radio, by all means, please let the radio stations know so they can start doing it.

Later,
bbeck

Good radio stations pretty much disappeared years and years ago when play lists came in, followed shortly by syndicated music feeds. The combination of the two pretty well killed off the heighday of good radio, IMO.

Lately, I've taken to web radio. It helps that I spend about 10 hours a day at the computer. There are some good options out there, some of which are free and some cost money. I used to like MSN Radio until they changed there format and got more into hawking music than giving the listener self-programming control.

Most recently, RadioIO has got my ear, especially Boomer Radio. The program does not seem to loop, although over time you obviously hear repeats. But I hear artists and songs that I haven't even thought of in years and I just have to stop and listen and wonder how I ever let that music slip away. Of course, the answer is that it wasn't on the playlists - even, or especially, for the 'oldies' stations.

Anyhow, enough of the plug. If you haven't checked out the web radio options, do.

radionigel.com is good if you like alt 80s.

After reading my last post, I realized I need to clarify: RadioIO and Boomer Radio are actually separate stations. Radio IO has a number of specialty stations. I am partial to Radio Acoustic and, for Boomer Radio, the Acoustic Cafe. But there is lots of choice.

There are lots of other choices, these just happen to match my preferences.

Finally!...

Finally Elliot Spitzer did something worthwhile with his prosecutorial powers. Or at least he finally used them against people who deserve it...

...Wonder if, in addition to the $10 million he's extorted from Sony to settle the payola case, and the millions more he'll doubtlessly receive from other media companies, he'll insist on having some of his cronies appointed to the boards of directors of the affected companies, as he has allegedly done with some of the Wall Street financial firms he's targeted...

It takes two to make bad music successful. Someone to play it. And someone to listen to it.

Just say no. Get XM or Sirius. Better, get both.

a decade of sickeningly syrupy insipid pop ballads on us might be facing big fines.

When I lived in NYC back in the 80's, everywhere I went I heard this same song playing. It had a repetitive mind numbing crude drum part and a guy yelling words in rapid sucession. I can remember thinking, hmmm, that is different, but it really sucks. It was totally unmelodic, crude, nasty and ugly so I gave it as little attention as possible. It was actually months before I found that (in a sense) it wasn't the same song playing over and over it was "different" songs playing and they called it"rap" music. Rap is the dumbest, crudest, most God awful ugly noise we've ever produced in this country, even worse than the Ramones and Patti Smith, and from the same era too. Must've been all the heroin around then or perhaps something in the water. Rap is dogshit of the rankest kind and a very bad influence on youg people, especially blacks. Many real black artists like Wynton Marsalis agree. Someday we'll look back on it and be astonished that such pure doshit ever sold so many copies.

So whether or not it was any good, you have to admit that "sickeningly syrupy insipid pop ballads" were a fucking lot better than doshit from the ghetto.

Good radio disappeared from southern ca around 1985. There is only one broadcasting station worth anything left here and it is KCRW. OF course it is publicly owned. You can live stream it if you aren't local. The BBC has some decent music offerings as well. (BBC politics aside I think the Brits put out better music in general). Other than that there is web radio.

I second 72 virgins, Rap is dogshit with most country music trailing in at a distant second.

Of course there's a black market for radio play, that's what happens anytime you have prohibition. Not that it matters, radio is already dead thanks to iPods, cellphones, and satellite.

I read this article several years back on the Radio 887 website ... (a pirate radio station in Santa Rosa California).

http://www.radio887.com/payola.html