Re: Payola

[Dib9@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-04-21 16:10:36 EDT, you write:

<< Donna says-- yes Payola does still go on.  Yes PDs at important stations
DO
 still get preferential treatment.  The only difference is that the entire
 thing has gone underground, rather than being as blatant as it once was.  I
 know for a true fact that even in the 1980s, certain Boston stations got
 first crack at exclusives of a hit song, got better seats at concerts, got
 prizes that came as a result of having been good to a record company.  What
 Alan Freed did was small potatoes-- he took $6,000 from record promoters.  I
 know Alan's brother, who is certainly not totally objective in the matter,
 but historical research bears me out on this one.  Most of what Alan took
 was to pay his debts-- he had a major league drinking problem and made many
 bad business decisions.  But there is NO evidence that the money he took
 went to getting songs played on his show.  Was he wrong?  Yes.  Should he
 have been treated like a pariah when Dick Clark had people who appeared on
 American Bandstand sign to his record label or he got song-writing credit
 (and royalties) for songs he didn't write?  You tell me.  >>

Preferential treatment for the big guys is not payola, illegal or even
unethical.  It goes on in every business.  You are going to try to help
people who can most help you.  It's only illegal if the station is required
to do something in exchange for the treatment.  I don't think that is
happening.  The record companies simply think it is in their best interest to
stay on the good side of the large stations.  That's much different than
outright bribery.  Alan Freed may not have played songs for the $6000, but
that was clearly what the record promoters thought he was going to do when
they gave him the money.  As for the debts and drinking problem, those are
just excuses.  People commit crimes every day and use those things as excuses
or say everyone is doing it (like Dick Clark).  It's still wrong.  

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