Re: PAYOLA [was: HOUSE CONCERTS]

[Suit & Tie Guy <erwill@suitandtieguy.com>]

On Feb 17, 2006, at 8:59 PM, Bill Fox wrote:
> But the Payola system is just greed; greed on the part of commercial 
> radio and greed on the part of major labels not wanting to share the 
> airwaves with little niche markets like where we loopers reside.  
> Thank goodness for non-commercial FM radio and the internet.

what about engaging in payola on the local level?

i was looking at what Sony was paying these programming directors in 
major markets to slide a song they want to push in, and it didn't seem 
like all that much.

in fact, the only one that looked like it was beyond the reach of an 
independent was the $4,000 they paid to get Franz Ferdinan on a NY top 
40 station, which i guess speaks of their music in ways i don't 
entirely understand but may ramble on about anyway if i were drunk.

so i was looking at the numbers, and the listenership and population 
density of the places where it was going on and figure "hey if Sony can 
buy a New York programming director for 400 bucks maybe i can nab a 
local for like 40 bucks."

anyone here ever thought about taking their local programming director 
out for a steak dinner and a strip club to persuade him to put your 
single in rotation? maybe get him high too or bring a couple grams so 
he can snort it off a stripper's ass?

if you can't beat em, well, you know ...
---
Eric Williamson
www.suitandtieguy.com