Sony's Confession

[drock89]

So I'm sure you all know that Sony is confessing to using payola to bride radio stations and it paying $10 million in settlement [Sony Agrees To Pay $10M In 'Payola' Settlement]

So I want to discuss this: does this have an effect on the careers of Gretchen, the Chicks, etc? What if payola was involved in getting Gretchen spins? What if the Chicks only got "Traveling Soldier" to #1 because Sony paid? I want your input on the effect this will have on Sony's country artist. The article also mentions: "..and suggested other music industry giants could face similar penalties." It looks like they may go after more, included UMG who has many many artists in Nashville (Shania, Toby, Reba, George, almost everyone lol).

[Jim King]

Unfortunately, like most scandals and legal battles like this, people who don't have all the facts will decide things, the wrong people will get hurt, and ultimately the country music listener and fan will suffer the most.

It's not that much of a surprise to the people on this board, or it shouldn't be.

~ Jim

[Deleted]

I think Sony is just the first in a long[/I] list of guilty people involved in this whole thing.

Do I think that Sony used Payola to boost hype for the Chicks, Gretchen and others? Definitely!

You can't honestly believe that Gretchen and the Chicks just happened to come out of nowhere and have their songs shoot up the charts like crazy because they're that good.

When a new artist comes out and Debuts higher on the singles charts than established acts and starts racking up Thousands of spins within days or a week or two, something is clearly going on.

Imo, is Sony the only label that has done all of this? No!

Sony is just one of the more obvious guilty parties. When it becomes too obvious[/I], then it's hard to ignore.

Sadly, I think all of this reflects worst on Country Radio than anyone. They could have turned down the money or at least make it appear that they have/had some integrity.

It's obvious that the only ways to have a "hit" (or "hits" ) on Country radio these days is to PAY for it, or get it by way of favoritism.

Other genres are the same way, but I do not think they're as bad as what has happened to the country charts.

It doesn't matter.

Other labels will be next in line for "investigation."

When it's all said and done, the labels will receive a slap on their hands and some fines.

Nothing more.

Unfortunately, no matter how many "investigations" are launched, nothing will stop this...at least nothing in the near future.

[musicbuff78]

So you are saying that new artists aren't supposed to have singles fly up the charts faster than established artists?? What a load of CROCK! The reason they do fly up is because they are NEW and REFRESHING...not the same person all the time.

[drock89]

And how about the same people that have songs fly up the charts? And even on new acts--what if "Redneck Woman" would have only peaked at #5 because the hype wore off? Or "Baby Girl"? Or "Some Beach"? All these songs, should money have been involved, would have peaked lower, but to spike sales or get the artist on a roll, the labels push the songs to the top..

[firedancer]

shaniagotchagood said:

So I'm sure you all know that Sony is confessing to using payola to bride radio stations and it paying $10 million in settlement [Sony Agrees To Pay $10M In 'Payola' Settlement]

What if payola was involved in getting Gretchen spins? What if the Chicks only got "Traveling Soldier" to #1 because Sony paid?quote]

I don't think there's any "what if" about it... for any label! But, this kind of threat has happened before and the labels "clean up their act" for a while and then go right back to business as usual (ie: payola).

Also, someone else on this thread said they don't think other genres are as bad about it as country is at this point in time... wrong! It's everywhere and even in larger scale and more criminal acts than in the country industry.

I agree with Jim King when he wrote that people who don't have all the facts will decide things. Some of the things that are considered payola aren't. Other things that are definitely payola are being overlooked. The whole thing's screwed up. It would be nice to have everyone on an even playing field, but unfortunately, I don't see that happening any time soon unless this issue can really get cleared up one way or another.

[Deleted]

steelo said:

So you are saying that new artists aren't supposed to have singles fly up the charts faster than established artists??What a load of CROCK! 

No. I am saying that it is obvious that some financial "help" is at work when an artist can come out of nowhere and suddenly rack up thousands of spins within an extremely short period of time.

The same goes for established acts who also get "help" moving quickly up the charts. (I am sure the problem is not limited to new acts, as demonstrated by the recent J Lo example.)

In some cases, it's more obvious than in others.

The reason they do fly up is because they are NEW and REFRESHING...not the same person all the time.

Really?

So, you're saying that new artists come out of nowhere and get thousands of Instant spins because they're "new" and "refreshing"?

They're so "new" and "refreshing" that they get thousands of instant spins and are immediately played once every 45-60 minutes?

I thought, as radio stations claim, that radio stations were supposed to "test" songs with their audiences and see what they like.

Thousands of instant spins for a new artist?!

That's even ridiculous for established acts.

That's not even close to "testing" a song. That's guaranteed, instant airplay.

Sure, sometimes a new artist comes out and gets legitimate airplay with a good song, but be honest. That's very rare these days.

Payola is an obvious problem. Sony was just the first one to get caught, and slapped on the hand, for doing it.

I am sure other labels will also be found to be guilty of using payola.

[Deleted]

shaniagotchagood said:

And how about the same people that have songs fly up the charts? And even on new acts--what if "Redneck Woman" would have only peaked at #5 because the hype wore off? Or "Baby Girl"? Or "Some Beach"? All these songs, should money have been involved, would have peaked lower, but to spike sales or get the artist on a roll, the labels push the songs to the top..

Exactly.

You said it much better than I did.

[Perp]

Not that I'm a Gretchen fan, and this is only secondhand knowledge, but I thought the big deal with Redeneck Woman is that when people (especially women listeners) first heard it they started deluging the stations asking "WHO IS #@$& IS SINGING THAT?" because the song seemed to strike some chord to all the bajillions of real rednecks out there. Now, maybe some of that story is just hyperbole stoked by Sony's PR machine, I don't know. But in Gretchen's case, I really do think that a genuine audience response to the song played a big role in her amazingly fast start out of the gate. It's not often songs by new artists generate that kind of listener response. Then again, maybe it was an army of Sony employees and family members, ordered by management to call stations in en-masse to hype it, disguised as regular listeners! I'm kidding about that, but it makes you wonder what the big corporations will try to pull off in order to make a buck.

[drock89]

I do think that Gretchen had huge hype and that there was a true 'genuine audience response to the song' but my only question, and again not saying it happened, is what about the next singles and would they all have peaked lower? I know a few people think Sony paid..

[musicbuff78]

You guys crack me up with all of your bs.

[Perp]

steelo said:

You guys crack me up with all of your bs.

What's the point of a remark like that?

[musicbuff78]

Whats the point of asking that question?

[drock89]

So now the hammer is coming down on Celine. Does anyone think someone in country will get hit hard? I mean, Lewis admits to buying Reba...

[Perp]

[deleted]

Nevermind.

[spunkyspider]

I thought it was a great article. Interesting how at the end they brought up the Chely Wright thing. Just goes to show DJ's aren't THAT hard to manipulate if it's done right.

Look what I found about it:

stephaniejameshoffpauir.blogspot.com/2005/01/more-spins-than-dreidel.html#comments

[drock89]

Check this out:

In one case in 2004, the promotion department of Sony BMG's Epic Records label paid for a trip to Miami for a Buffalo radio program director and three friends in exchange for adding the Franz Ferdinand song Take Me Out to the station's playlist, the Spitzer documents show.

An Epic employee also agreed to pay that same radio promoter $750 to add Gretchen Wilson and the band Good Charlotte to a playlist.


So to raise questions, are they paying now? Would they dare risk it again? Comments!

[musicbuff78]

Big whoop....it's gonna happen! LIVE WITH IT. You wouldn't care if shania's hits were paid for to get to the top and i'm sick of this payola crap.

[drock89]

Yes, I would care. Songs shouldn't have to be paid for to get to #1. If Shania isn't making material worthy of being #1, then great. But if she is, and its testing well, the listeners love it, and it doesn't get to #1 because the Top 10 must be bought, then I'm pissed. And this happens. There are a lot of great songs that don't become hits because the label won't pay for them.