In a move that might change the way that terrestrial radio has worked over the last few years, Sony’s Epic label owned up to what is effectively payola, where deejays and station employees were given trips, sneakers and electronics to play particular songs on the air. The New York Times‘ Jeff Leeds and Louise Story cover the story, which included one method I’d never even heard of, which was the playing of songs on the air as “commercials,” in a way adding spins to a song in a way that listeners wouldn’t even know what was going on.
Let’s not be naive here, most people these days realize that the 20 or 30 songs heard regularly on the radio aren’t necessarily the “best” songs out there these days, and most deejays do nothing but talk and make jokes here and there. They’re not all expected to be skilled at putting together a great mix of music for people to listen to - those days haven’t been around for a long time now. But will this continue to be the same, going forward, as radio stations have eyes like those of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s closely watching?
