The Smoking Gun for Sony Payola

petpiranha · 4th August 2005, 9:06am

http://suicidegirls.com/news/music/10560/
The Smoking Gun for Sony Payola

If there were ever any doubt how so much undeserving shit gets on the radio, here's the answer: one station gets a new digital camera, another gets some plane tickets to Orlando, Florida, just to play Train and Beyonce five extra times a day. Every adult-contemporary Infinity station gets a promotional spot from Celine Dion in exchange for "reporting" her "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" single. It's not just the typical pop crap, though, one email talks about how it cost $4000 "to get Franz [Ferdinand] on WKSE". All these and more in this PDF collection of documents from the Sony payola case posted on Boing Boing.

Highlights: Epic lists exact payouts for 75 spins based on size of market. Quotes: 'I'm a whore this week, what can I say?' 'Get a power rotation commitment before we commit.' 'Don't want to position Duran Duran with an 80's club ... they are still just as relevant in 2004.' And of course the inevitable 'Sent from my Blackberry Wireless Handheld.'" It's awesome: this lists DJ after DJ who accepting paltry little tchotchkes in exchange for their integrity and mortal souls. They're not just whores, they're cheap whores.

Sony settled out of court with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, but they're not the only ones in the hotseat. The other major record labels have also come under scrutiny, as have radio stations. In fact, radio mega-conglomerate Clear Channel has been served subpoenas in the case.

A Clear Channel spokesperson told FMQB, "We are cooperating fully with Mr. Spitzer's office. Clear Channel has extremely strict internal policies against payola; so strict that we severed ties with independent promoters in early 2003 to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. We investigate any allegation of this nature. The allegations made today will be fully investigated and any wrongdoing will be met by swift and appropriate disciplinary action."

Sweat, you motherfuckers, sweat.

**LesMTS** · 5th August 2005, 10:58am

I don't get it. Why don't they just sign good acts? Then everyone's happy.

Krocktopus · 5th August 2005, 11:29am

Unfortunately dude it's because they are business people not artists/musicians/aesthetes.

As far as they are concerned a 'good act' is one that maximises profit margins in the quickest possible time so they get maximum return on their 'investment' in order that the business as a whole becomes more profitable leading to a improved market position and higher share price. Why do you think Girls Aloud are still around, are they not the epitome of the cheap whore?

Multinational conglomerates are not concerned with 'good' music, thats what proper labels like Dischord, Epitaph and Burning Heart are for. They don't have money and political/economic power like Sony but they've got good bands and, perhaps more importantly, souls.

The only creative people at Sony head office are the accountants.

petpiranha · 5th August 2005, 11:43am

'The only creative people at Sony head office are the accountants'

Now where did I put those off-shore account slips again. The tax man can't be far away

**LesMTS** · 5th August 2005, 11:48am

Yeah, I know. That's what I don't get. I mean, if these acts were genuinely good then surely they wouldn't have to bribe the radio stations to play them hundreds of times in order to shift units by some kind of sinister hypnotism of the public. So why don't they just sign good acts? I'm not talking about the Dischord, Epitaph and Burning Heart etc kind of stuff, that's specialist, it doesn't have to be dripping with integrity and politics, just stand-out, high-quality music of all genres. People seem to forget that good quality 'Pop' or 'Chart' music does exist, or at least it used to (pre-Bad Michael Jackson for an obvious example, fucking amazing) . The radio stations will want to play them, you don't have to ram it down the public's collective throat until they are convinced they like it cos a lot of people will like it, genuinely, and the record companies can write bribes out of their budgets and buy a lot more cocaine. Everyone wins. No-one has to put up with infantile dog-shit like Girls Aloud anymore. I'm sure whichever exec has the job of dealing with Girls Aloud and their egos day in day out has contemplated putting a noose around his neck on more than 5 occasions.

Krocktopus · 5th August 2005, 2:41pm

I like Bad, it was the first record I ever bought, when I was 8, from Woolworths for the princely sum of 5 pounds, in 1986 I think. Im glad I was never invited to stay at the ranch though.

Have you noticed all the Michael Jackson displays in HMV and Virgin type places after his recent court case, it would seem that no publicity is bad publicity. It all provcides a potential marketing opportunity.

I think they believe that if you appeal to the lowest common denominator you maximise your potential market.

Thus, your marketing is more cost effective as it covers more potential customers.
Thus your record is shit.

**LesMTS** · 5th August 2005, 3:22pm

I don't know man, he started to go a bit peculiar just before "Bad", although part of me really likes that album. I just can't help but smirk when he's going "I'm Bad! I'm Bad!" and the backing vocals go "he's really, really bad" hahahahaha - that said I guess it is a kick-ass pop chorus. 'Thriller' and 'Off The Wall' fucking rule all over the place though. 'Thriller' has arguably THE three best pop songs (depending on your definition of pop) ever written on it, "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" and they are consecutive on the album, "Wanna be startin' something" isn't a shabby effort either. I'd like to see Girls Aloud top 'Billie Jean'.

SuperMike! · 8th August 2005, 5:15pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Temple

Have you noticed all the Michael Jackson displays in HMV and Virgin type places after his recent court case, it would seem that no publicity is bad publicity. It all provcides a potential marketing opportunity.

Ha ha! We made our own display with the header "He's not bad!". It cracked me up. We also had an "RIP - young, dead & beautiful" (or something) board.

Krocktopus · 9th August 2005, 12:03pm

I saw a video by some german goth punk types called the bates, i dont think they're worth checking out though, a few years ago which was a reasonably punky version of billie jean and the video was a re-enactment of psycho, with some hot brunette getting stabbed in the shower.

But yeah, i can't really say that man in the mirror, dirty diana, speed demon, smooth criminal etc are better than billie jean et al, coz they're not. does slash play guitar on dirty diana, or is it some other song, maybe black cat by janet.

But defo all the Jacko stuff after bad is indeed awful, especially the nauseating heal the world, it just sux ass man.

Do mtv still have to refer to him as michael jackson the king of pop. i thought they were contractually obliged to do that or else he wouldnt let them play his vids.
wacko

Jamesy · 9th August 2005, 12:14pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Temple

Do mtv still have to refer to him as michael jackson the king of pop. i thought they were contractually obliged to do that or else he wouldnt let them play his vids.
wacko

I cant actually remember the last time i saw an actual video on MTV.

**LesMTS** · 9th August 2005, 3:15pm

Yeah, it's fuck all to do with music now and is just about showing vulgar, garish people and their vulgar, garish lives. It's a 24 hour a day public health advert with the message "Honestly, no matter what you think you NEVER want to be famous, especially not if you're American, just look at these creatures." The only 'music videos' on MTV now all seem to be trying to suggest that the decision on which kind of carbonated sugar water we might buy is an important one. MTV2 is also a joke, in fact it's worse because it actually PRETENDS that it has integrity and credibility.

Krocktopus · 9th August 2005, 4:01pm

ahh, im somewhat behind the times as regards mtv, telewest want me to pay money to get it, and i dont want to pay money for it, so i dont get it, although i got it free for a weekend (very generous of them) to entice me to pay, but all that seemed to be on was tim westwood trying to pretend hes from inglewood or compton or somewhere ( and not the nice middle class wasp villiage he's from) while he punks some guys ride. the one i saw had westwoods crew/posse pimpin up a hearse in the style of a tour bus for some crusty dude to drive his band round in. his band then played, they were shit.

I don't quite understand the context of the word 'punk' in relation to one having it done to ones ride, its not like your car is going to turn into the sex pistols or anything.

was mtv ever credible?
hey kids its kurt loder - he's cool.
we're mtv, we are the arbitors of cool
we'll tell you whats hot and whats not, as if you care

Largest of Als · 9th August 2005, 4:07pm

Quote:

A Clear Channel spokesperson told FMQB, "We are cooperating fully with Mr. Spitzer's office. Clear Channel has extremely strict internal policies against payola; so strict that we severed ties with independent promoters in early 2003 to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. We investigate any allegation of this nature. The allegations made today will be fully investigated and any wrongdoing will be met by swift and appropriate disciplinary action."

Clear Channel are the biggest gangeters in the music business.
I know of at least 2 major artists who were told if they didnt let Clear Channel be the sole promoters for their US tours, they wouldnt get any airplay on Clear Channel stations. Considering Clear Channel own 75% of the big radio networks in the US, thats career suicide...

Al

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