Where's my money?

Payola is landing some heavy fines for radio station companies nationwide. And I thought payola was not what it used to be. Why payola in the olden days of radio meant paying jocks to play your song. Which is what it should mean today but in the bigger markets it appears to be the people much higher up the ladder.

Some of the artist didn't need payola to get their songs played, while other's probable needed the help...

ABC News "Primetime" reported Tuesday that Spitzer is investigating the largestnine radio corporations including ABC in a scheme that involved Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real" and John Mayer's song "Daughters." Songs by other artists are also being examined, including those by Jessica Simpson, Celine Dion, Maroon 5,
Good Charlotte, Franz Ferdinand, Switchfoot, Michelle Branch and R.E.M., according to ABC. The radio companies that have received subpoenas control thousands of stations nationwide, including Clear Channel, Infinity which now operates as CBS Radio, Citadel, Cox, Cumulus, Pamal, and Entercom, ABC reported.

Working in radio, an AC format for that matter, makes me wonder which songs are on the charts in our format that may only be there because someone got paid or got a trip. I mean lets face facts, Jessica Simpson may be good looking and she may have a pleasant voice, but the songs she records aren't very good.

In small market radio, payola is the act of going to a local restaurant or business and telling the owner if he comps the meal, we'll say good things in our show on the radio about his business. A jock at a station I worked at years ago did that and got fired because of it. I think that is ridiculous to put your job at risk simple for some free food.

AJ