By Yuriy Andriyashchuk
Hip-HopVibe.com Staff Writer
FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly is doing his best to try to crack down on payola in 2019 as yesterday, he sent a letter to the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) Chairman/CEO Mitch Glaizer, to conduct an investigation regarding payola in the music industry, according to Billboard. For those who don’t know, payola is defined as the practice of exchanging money or goods with radio stations to secure airplay for artists.
O’Rielly says recent reports from the radio industry press raise concerns regarding possible violations of federal laws and regulations that strictly prohibit payola. O’Rielly wants Glaizer’s help in ensuring that payola is discontinued. Federal law states that anyone who pays or agrees to pay for the broadcast of any content must disclose the agreement to the station airing the broadcast.
O’Rielly says that his primary goal is to get to the bottom of existing industry practices to determine whether the law is being followed or whether any problematic conduct must be addressed. Some may see payola in today’s age in the music industry as a problem such as O’Rielly but the fact is that it’s not very rare these days. Payola is the reason that many artists blow up, including mumble rappers.
Follow Hip-HopVibe.com @HipHopVibe1.
