Re: 20/20 story on "Pay-for-Play" radio

[SteveOrdinetz <steveord@bit-net.com>]

  Daniel Murphy wrote:
>Here is a link to the text summary of tonight's 20/20 story about the role
>independent promoters play in radio.


Interesting article, but like most "expose's" on 20/20, 60 Minutes and 
other shows of their ilk, filled with a lot of half-truths and 
innuendo.  It's also a bit dated...labels are cutting way back on such 
payments due to their own tight financial situations.  Frankly my skeptic 
alarm always goes off big time when some unknown artist starts bleating 
about how he can't get any airplay-even in his hometown.  Maybe his music 
sucks--"good reviews from local critics and on the internet" means 
nothing.  Only a miniscule percentage of recorded music ever gets played on 
the air, and has been this way all along.  Bands have been selling their 
own self-released records, tapes & CDs at appearances for years...long 
before corporate radio.  Like it or not, stations don't have playlists with 
100 currents anymore...the business has become more competitive and they've 
learned that most of these songs are stiffs anyway.  I'm not sure why they 
used Fiona Apple or Jamiroquai' as examples of payola getting 
airplay...Fiona Apple's song was a mid-charter at best, not as familiar 
with Jamiroquai.