Re: Legal Payola?

[Shawn Mamros <mamros@MIT.EDU>]

>I believe in an even playing field. If radio stations that play music
>suddenly allowed the Record Labels to dictate programming (and I call it
>programming and not a commercial) it's a sad state of affairs. [...]

As if the major labels don't already dictate music programming without
paying the stations directly?  Think about it... when is the last time
you heard a new artist getting airplay without the benefit of the major
labels' publicity machines?  And yet there are literally hundreds, if not
thousands, of new releases put out every year.  Very few ever make it on
to the ever-tightened playlists of the few stations that even bother to play
"new" music (of whatever genre) anymore.  All those oldies, classic hits,
etc. stations are already out of the running, being stuck in a time warp
that absolutely forbids anything new reaching listeners' ears.

Unless you're an established artist, or a "new" one with a ton of major
label backing, most MDs and PDs (forget the DJs - they rarely, if ever,
have any say in it) won't even bother listening.  Where's the "level
playing field" in that?

Paying for play - with suitable announcements of such - merely makes it
all obvious.  I'm not saying it's the best way to do things.  But I lost
any illusions of there being a "level playing field" in the music industry
quite a few years ago...

- -Shawn Mamros
E-mail to: mamros@mit.edu

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