Abstract This paper explains that payola, the act of paying a radio station in exchange for airplay, has been a heated controversy since the middle of the 1950s, when payola was a direct deposit into the hands of disc jockeys in exchange for airplay during the respective air shifts. The author points out that independent music promoters hired by record labels to encourage the airplay of certain singles within key markets including making deals with radio stations are nothing more than payola in modern dress; artists must agree to make in studio appearances and small concerts in return for airplay during key times, morning and afternoon drive time. The paper stresses that a key goal of the Federal Communications Commission is the exposure of local community-based music; but, in the modern payola-dominated market, local artists get virtually no airplay.
From the Paper "Program Directors field calls on a nearly non-stop basis from labels and promoters- the ones that get through are the ones who have something to offer. Generally, in order to by pass the anti-payola laws that are intact, the promoters offer "promotional materials" in which the station receives a certain amount of money to create a promotion around the song and/or artist- in return for a certain number of spins. One example is with the song "Baby's Gone" by Chris Emerson. Emerson, a virtually unknown artist, was picked up by an adult contemporary radio station in return for $1500 in promotional materials."
Tags: appearances, promoters, controversy, legality, local
Abstract A short discussion of how media consolidation, particularly in the radio industry, has suppressed political viewpoints, forcing many musical artists to censor their political opinions to avoid losing airplay from the nation's largest and most powerful broadcasters.
From the Paper "When Americans turn on their radios each day, most listeners expect to hear the artists that are most popular in their preferred musical genre. Listeners assume that the radio stations in their town are choosing the music based on what listeners want to hear without any outside influence other than the music itself. Yet since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, many artists have found that in addition to an infectious rhythm and memorable lyrics, radio stations have been frequently basing their playlists on corporate mandates dictated by the political beliefs and business practices of the artist. This rapidly growing form of systematic censorship has left many musicians afraid to speak out on political issues, including the very issue of consolidation that has given rise to a sharp increase in music censorship."
Abstract This paper takes a look at the role that MTV has played in exposing new recording acts and selling records. It analyzes the degree to which MTV influences whether a song will become a hit and compares this influence with other influencing factors.
From the Paper "As the 1980s drew to a close, the broadcast and print media offered an abundance of retrospectives that retraced the past ten years. In the area of popular music, the 1980s have been identified as a decade of much change: black artists and music, hard rock/heavy metal music, and female artists all having significant impact on the music charts (Grein). Apart from who was making the music in the 1980s, another significant change during the decade was how popular music was presented to its audience. Music video became a phenomenon."
