A Rebel With a Clue

Occasionally, I get on a rant about the sorry state of what is referred to as popular music. It cycles through phases, and I believe that the present represents low ebb in the state of music. It is harder to find anything of quality to listen to, and radio is the last place I turn for solace. In fact, I have never turned to radio, even when I was young and naïve enough to think that I would find something there.

I used to browse the record shops – Record Museum and Sound Odyssey back in the old days and Tower Records more recently – wondering how record companies could manufacture all these records by thousands of artists, yet I would only hear a small fraction of them on commercial radio. As I grew older and more cynical, (i.e. realistic about the way the world works), I would come to realize that it had little or nothing to do with talent or mass appeal. What really mattered was the amount of money that the record label could throw at the station to get them to play their songs. They are both smart enough to know that the general public likes to be spoon-fed and will usually take to whatever is perceived to be the hot new trend, sometimes without even knowing why they are taking to it.

It is the biggest part of the reason I detest shows like American Idol. It has become what it set out to be: A factory for turning out singers who are thrust upon us, occasionally against our will. The concept stunk from the start, and as the machine trudged along, the stench intensified until now it has funked-up the entertainment industry to the point that we hardly notice the smell. American Idol contestants are everywhere. It isn’t even necessary to win to gain exposure. That’s how powerful the machine has become. To me, they appear to be at the center of the practice of pay-to-play that, until today, I thought was only a product of my sick mind. Then, this article appeared, proving that I was on the right track:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Four major radio broadcast companies have tentatively agreed to pay the government $12.5 million and provide 8,400 half-hour segments of free airtime for independent record labels and local artists in separate agreements aimed at curbing the persistent practice known as "payola," The Associated Press has learned.

Payola - generally defined as radio stations accepting cash or other consideration from record companies in exchange for airplay. It has been around as long as the radio industry and was made illegal following a series of scandals in the late 1950s.

Two Federal Communications Commission officials said the monetary settlement is part of a consent decree between the FCC and Clear Channel Communications Inc., CBS Radio, Entercom Communications Corp. and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. The free airtime would be granted to companies not owned or controlled by one of the nation's four dominant music labels -- Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and EMI Group. The practice of payola, or "pay-for-play," has evolved over the years and become more difficult to track.

In recent years, "independent record promoters" have acted as intermediaries to deliver payments to radio stations in exchange for airplay. Other forms of inducement include lavish prizes meant for listeners that wind up going to station employees; promises by record companies of concerts by well-known artists in exchange for airplay; and payments for promotional expenses and station equipment.

Peter Gordon, president of Thirsty Ear Recordings, an independent record label, has been in the music business for 31 years. "It's absolutely the most historic agreement that the independent community has had with radio," he said. "Without a doubt, nothing else comes close."

Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein has been in the forefront of the payola fight and credited with working out the settlements. "I love music and I want radio to sound fresh, dynamic and real. But payola gets in the way of authenticity because money drives the music, not its quality," he told The Associated Press. Adelstein said the settlement has gotten the industry's attention. "Taking payola out of the system will lead to more interesting programming," he added.

So, there’s your tie-in to the way the world is today. Our president has already told us that money trumps peace, and now we find that money drives the music. It’s a sad state of affairs. Sad that money has such a stranglehold on so many aspects of life. One would hope that art would come first, but only the truly naïve would believe that.

And, by the way, I’m not naïve enough to think that this bit of FCC action is going to change anything. I’m just happy to know that I was right about being cynical.

It is sad, however, because the art loses, the artist loses and we lose. The only winners are the promoters, radio stations, record labels and the big-time television machine. That's where the money is.

Money trumps taste ... sometimes. We need to stop allowing big media to dictate style. Sometimes, it pays to let taste and your own judgment be your guide...

"Into the Ocean" Blue October