What are the details on payola?

[msanoja]

I remember all the payola discussions last year with Christina Aguilera's "Fighter", and some even said Jewel's "Intuition" and matchbox twenty's "Unwell" were payola-ed.

What exactly is payola anyway, and how come not all record companies do it to their big artists (i.e., Jive letting Me Against The Music settle for a #10 peak and a huge plummet, same with Arista and Pink's 3 recent flops)

I mean, if BMG payola-ed Fighter, why didn't they payola Dirrty from the start and save her from having a flop 1st single? I don't get it ???

[jimmy74747]

Payola occurs when a record label bribes a radio station with cash and other gifts in order to get their artist airplay.

They do it because more exposure usually leads to more record sales, which puts more money in the record label's pockets, allowing their stock to go up, and in turn sign more artists.

All mention of payola on this board is speculation. Does it happen? It probably does, but nobody (except maybe TCorey that he's working for a record label) has any idea what songs are and aren't payola-ed.

[j]

msanoja said:

I mean, if BMG payola-ed Fighter, why didn't they payola Dirrty from the start and save her from having a flop 1st single? I don't get it ???

How do you know they didn't payola "Dirrty" anyway and yet it still flopped?

[msanoja]

k said:

How do you know they didn't payola "Dirrty" anyway and yet it still flopped?

Wow, I never thought about that. If they DID payola it, then that makes it an even BIGGER radio flop. But I don't think they did.

But my main question is why don't the record companies of staple artists who are recently flopping (Pink, Enrique, even Madonna) payola them on radio? Are there only certain labels who will payola?

[Ragin]

I think there are different types of payola. I think the most common form of payola involves some free stuff from the label to get a song on the playlist. There may even be a certain fee to get a song on the playlist. However, this form of payola can not and does not dictate what type of airplay the song gets, only that the song will get a chance. Some singles do not get this form of payola, and as such never even get a chance. Some good songs get ignored because the label is too cheap to pony up the fees to get the song added to the playlist. I think this form of payola is the most common and considered "the norm" anymore.

The second kind of payola is a little more sinister. I think it can involve bribes and or threats, and it is pushing a particular song not just to be on the playlist, but to be played the most. My guess is that only the radio stations with the biggest audience impressions get this kind of payola, and it would be far too expensive to pay all the surveyed stations to do this, so even with this some songs getting payola may not go top 10 if the smaller stations aren't playing it enough. Most artists probably do not receive this type of payola. I think it is reserved for protesting investments and making sure their stars don't go out too quickly.

This is a complete guess on my part, but it is based on dealings I've had with several radio stations and lots of innuendo without anyone coming out and saying it.

[TheJakes]

The payola situation has changed quite dramatically over the last couple of years (due to costs driving the record labels to reject the old way and the possibility of governement action).

A few years ago their were independent promotion companies that the record labels paid to get their songs added to playlists. The independent promotors were used to get around the laws against payola. Since they were the ones that paid the radio stations and not the record labels.

But with the music industry in decline the record labels resisted the costs associated with the independent promotors and possibility of new laws forced a change. The key thing was when Clear Channel terminated its relationship with independent promotors.

Right now the situation is more of a "quid pro quo" form of payola. The record labels provide concert tickets and trips to concerts for the radio stations to use to promote themselves in exchange for airplay. The artists book themselves for station visits or as cheap talent for radio station concertsin exchange for airplay etc.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Ragin(was said:

I think there are different types of payola. I think the most common form of payola involves some free stuff from the label to get a song on the playlist. There may even be a certain fee to get a song on the playlist. However, this form of payola can not and does not dictate what type of airplay the song gets, only that the song will get a chance. Some singles do not get this form of payola, and as such never even get a chance. Some good songs get ignored because the label is too cheap to pony up the fees to get the song added to the playlist. I think this form of payola is the most common and considered "the norm" anymore.

That way makes the most sense to me. Labels payola to get stations to add their artists or to give them a "jump start" and then whatever happens, happens. That would definately explain 'Dirrty' and 'Me Against The Music'. I doubt labels actually payola songs throughout their entire chart run. In some cases, they might but it would be awfully expensive, wouldn't it?

[j]

Ragin(was said:

My guess is that only the radio stations with the biggest audience impressions get this kind of payola, and it would be far too expensive to pay all the surveyed stations to do this, so even with this some songs getting payola may not go top 10 if the smaller stations aren't playing it enough.

Possibly, but on the other hand, it's probably expensive to bribe the large market stations and a lot cheaper to bribe the small ones in Tulsa. So I don't think only the large market ones are susceptible.

[Ragin]

k said:

Possibly, but on the other hand, it's probably expensive to bribe the large market stations and a lot cheaper to bribe the small ones in Tulsa. So I don't think only the large market ones are susceptible.

Maybe, but Tulsa isn't going to help your audience impressions.

[ListenToMe]

Others have said what "Payola" is, but just remember that people who accuse songs of being payolaed are only speculating. It is not factual.

[TheJakes]

There is payola and then there is "payola".

For example, I don't think it is a coincidence that KIIS in LA is the major market CHR/Pop that has played Britney more than any other and that their Kissmas Concert was they only Christmas radio show that she performed at. But then I think that is the case with any radio show, the acts that perform often see substantially better airplay around the time of the shows they do then they might see at radio stations for whom they don't perform.

[Ragin]

ListenToMe said:

Others have said what "Payola" is, but just remember that people who accuse songs of being payolaed are only speculating. It is not factual.

That's true most of the time. That's assuming the accuser hasn't seen first-hand evidence of said payola.

I don't think anyone on here has, and if they have, I'm mad because they could weigh in on this and clear it all up for us.