Payola

"Payola" is a contraction of the words "pay" and "Victrola" (LP record player). The word was invented in 1960, during Alan Freed’s indictment for accepting $2,500, to describe the paying of cash or gifts in exchange for airplay. Alan Freed had to pay a minor fine and later after a faltering career drunk himself to death. After the case payola was made into a misdemeanor, with a penalty of up to 10,000 in fines and one year in prison. The purpose of the law is to prevent record companies from controlling which songs are at the top of the radio charts, misleading the American public, translating into big money in album sales. Today Sony BMG was fined ten million dollars for payola, showing how rampant this practice is in the business. For Sony, which spends over three hundred million on marketing, this fine is little more than pocket change and will not dissuade them and other major labels to continue paying off radio deejays, producers and companies to play their songs. So next time you hear music on the radio or see a video on MTV, wonder how much cash, drugs, vacations and other gifts were handed over to put that song a the top of the charts. You can bet Alan Freed is probably wishing he had held out for larger payola.

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Posted on 7/26/2005 ( Permanent Link )
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