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Interesting story... here's most of it...http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?i ... eeds0312By BRIAN ROSS, RICHARD ESPOSITO and VIC WALTERFeb. 7, 2006 -- It's party time at the Grammy's but there is a cloud of scandal hanging over the stars in the form of the most compressive investigation into corporate payola in the history of the music industry.Paying to play records on radio — payola - seems as old as the recording industry itself — but this time its not low level promoters under investigation — its the record companies and the conglomerates that own thousands of the nation's radio stations. ABC News interviewed those stars last night, as a follow up to Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross' ABCNEWS.com exclusive.Outside legendary music producer Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party last night, a number of major figures in the music business said they aren't surprised it's still happening."I heard about that. That's been going on a really really long time. I think back in the 70s they used to pay people with hookers and cocaine, and now they're just doing it with straight up money. So they can all go out and buy their own hookers and cocaine," said Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for the band Foo Fighters."Honestly, payola has existed since the beginning of the music business so it's not like its some brand new thing that never happened before," said singer Alicia Keys.Music industry figures were reacting to the news that a two-year-long payola investigation by the New York attorney general has now turned to the nation's nine largest radio conglomerates.Attorney General Eliot Spitzer says evidence he has gathered clearly shows some of the radio conglomerates have participated in the illegal practice of accepting payments from record companies and middlemen for guaranteed air play for certain songs."The behavior has been unethical, improper, illegal and a sanction of some severity clearly should be imposed," Spitzer told ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross.Spitzer and music industry officials told "Primetime" that millions of dollars in payments, gifts and trips are exchanged each year to get music stations to add songs to their weekly play lists.Spitzer says record company documents obtained in the investigation of Sony Music and Warner, both which have settled with the attorney general, reveal payments for songs that became major hits, including Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real" and John Mayer's "Daughters."Other artists whose songs are named in the documents Spitzer has obtained include Jessica Simpson, Celine Dion, Maroon 5, Good Charlotte, Franz Ferdinand, Switchfoot, Michelle Branch and R.E.M. Spitzer says much of the money went directly to corporate bottom lines, unlike payola scandals of previous decades when individual disc jockeys and program directors received the money."We have people in suits coming in with documents rather than cash payments under the table to a DJ," Spitzer said.The nine radio conglomerates that have received subpoenas from the attorney general are Clear Channel, Infinity (now CBS Radio), Entercom, Emmis, Citadel, Cumulus, Cox, Pamal and ABC.The nine companies together control several thousand radio stations across the country. In statements to ABC News, five of the companies say they are cooperating with the attorney general's investigation and take the matter seriously. The other companies have not responded to requests for comment.

Yeah, I've really been interested in this... Matter of fact, I'm almost excited. This could mean the downfall of junk on the radio... This could mean that more of us make a living writing... Let's see if it pans out... I know that in Nashville, a lot of label execs are very nervous. They will finally have to learn something about what good music really is...Indy people have probably started going back to church! This investigation has the potential to dismantle the corporate monster and I love the thought...Truthfully though... Where there's a will, there's a way... I'm thinking that payola will probably still thrive and the conglomerates will continue skirting the laws...I dunno... I hope this Eliot Spitzer really does have the balls to see it through...

Quote:Matter of fact, I'm almost excited. This could mean the downfall of junk on the radio... This could mean that more of us make a living writing... Well I don't know that I would go that far..."Daughters" is a great song that deserved to be a hit..."I'm Real" is junk (and a lie ...).Similarly, I enjoy the music of about half of the artists mentioned on the other list. Payola seems to be an equal opportunity offender and used to push both junk and good stuff.It is wrong, against the law, and should be stopped. But I don't think it has much of an influence on the balance between good songs and crap on the radio.matto

Good music or bad music really has nothing to do with it.It's basically the public who has become desensitized to corruption in our everyday lives - in government, in corporations, in lobbyists - influence is bought and paid for at all levels everywhere. Sometimes, they get so blatant and confident in their corruption that they leave a discernable paper trail that is discovered and possibly indicted.All it really does is guarantee that the practices will be driven underground and harder to detect - but it won't stop. Companies have too much invested to stop doing it.

Quote:Yeah, I've really been interested in this... Matter of fact, I'm almost excited. This could mean the downfall of junk on the radio... This could mean that more of us make a living writing... Let's see if it pans out... Unfortunately this won't have much of an affect at all. What Spitzer is doing (although very honorable) has been done by other DA's for over 50 years. The end result is that the major players will get a slap on the wrist while the smaller players (promoters, etc.) will loose their jobs and maybe do some jail time.As for if it will change the music we hear on the radio. "NO Way". What you hear now is not only because of the payola, but rather more because that's what the researchers for these big radio conglomerates say should be played. Also the time slots available for new music on radio shrinks all the time. Radio once had the ability to play 20 new songs per month, today you're lucky if you get 7. What I do find intersting about all this is how major Artists will now talk about more openly than before. If you get a chance read the book "Hit Men". There's a neat chapter about the big payola scandal of the 80's.