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Payola, a look at the past ? By sunsetcliff 1041 days ago Comments (2) Payola, in the American music industry, is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payola History will show that stacking the deck- does not work. It denies the greater culture the exuding of excellence. So when people request their own music- is there a point where this is a form of Payola? Is this real talent that people actually want? Throw in people who are paid for product placement, to say nice things about a product in order to hype it. Could that be happening here lately? If this is happening, what would you do in response to it?
Lets not insult the intelligence of the listeners here. Setting up a new ID- requesting 20 songs right away IS a payola type of stunt. Your talent should stand on its own weight- and not be SPAMMED onto the good people here. This is what high school kids do. So my question is- is anyone here falling into the payola category? If every bands groupies do nothing but fake promo- then isn't this then a 24 hour infomercial? I think people should consider this. That to push a product in such a way IS spam. It is not fair to the others. Let a song and band sink or fall on its own weight. The owner of this site is nice enough to give new music a chance. Don't dis-respect him and his efforts. Something to think about. / steps down from the soap box / | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comments
Thank God it ain't payola..I'm Broke! Hey here's some more shameless self promotion... Everybody who stays home listening to the internet and thinking thier supporting local music... why not do it for real. Electric Sorcery will be at Phat Kats Friday Night come on out and party, it should be a good night. There will be lots of Radio Free Vermont Listeners there and you can debate the pros & cons of requesting local tunes. Come see the three crazy mutha's from the NEK play the music that author of 6 books on progressive and psychedelic music Jerry Lucky calls ..."A swirling, throbbing, pulsating collection of tunes that mix one part progressive rock with two parts of psychedelia to concoct their own brand of music." - Jerry Lucky
SUPPORT LOCAL DAD ROCK!!!
I'll muddle through the phat cats and address the larger point made by Mr. Cliff.
Not sure that I can see a direct link to the payola of years past, but I can certainly see a little of the shady business that you are hinting at.
I guess I don't have a problem with bands or artists requesting there own music ... as long as their intentions are good. If it's crap that's rammed down my throat, simply for the purpose of advancing up the top 40 charts ... then I just turn it off. Those artists whose intentions are good, don't hide behind a screen name. They go on occasionally and request a couple tunes, maybe one of theirs ... or their brother's, and maybe one from another artist that they like. That all seems just fine to me.
I have seen many efforts, though, to stack the deck, as you had mentioned. And yes, it is quite annoying at times, but what are you gonna do ... douche bags will be douche bags ... plain and simple. You can easily identify these types. Just take a look at the dashboard. If you see where a listener has filled the page with a request for one particular song, every minute, for the past half hour, you have found your douche bag. If you are leaning on that request button, like a lab rat on a cocaine drip, then you are probably on a mission. The mission? Plain and simple, to advance your music or your buddy's music up the top 40 charts.
We all have our favorite bands, I guess, and will tend to request their music more often ... it shows. Hell, I probably look like a groupie for that matter, but I don't really care. I have never slept with anybodies bass player, so technically I don't qualify as a groupie, right? And no, I am not in a band either, but I do like to push a little, on behalf of those artists that have earned my respect.
You are absolutely right, Mr Cliff, when you say that an artist's talent will stand on it's own weight. Moreover, a big ugly ego coupled with an overly aggressive attitude will overshadow even the best of talents.
In the song comments, one day, I saw a particular artist ask the question "Is it OK to request your own song once in awhile?" How would you have answered him? I thought it was quite respectful of him to throw the question out there to the listeners in that fashion. I'll tell you how I answered it ... I commented back and then requested the hell out of his song ever since. Other listeners have grabbed ahold of it, and it is now in the Top 40. THAT, my friends, is the kind of humble singer / songwriter that I can get behind.
I am really enjoying this station, as it showcases some really fine musicians in the Vermont area. Kudos to Dennis for providing this forum and a way for local artists to be heard all over the world. There will probably always be a lot of self promotion on Free Vermont Radio ... and it may even remind you of the payola of days past. But if it IS overdone, karma will even the odds. Those who are simply "spamming" the listeners will one day have to pay the piper, and ultimately get what they deserve.