Payola

     I’m not sure if there is a feasible way to completely resolve the payola issue, but one way to help eradicate it would be to create quotas of non-payola music to be played on the radio. While banning payola completely would be ideal, it’s extremely unlikely to ever happen. Radio is a business. It provides a service and gets paid for it.  With this outlook, it’s difficult to mandate that radio stations not get paid for a product they mass market: music. The musicians are the suppliers, the DJ’s and stations the vendors, and the listeners are the customers- who consume for free.  The limitations this places on independent artists are disappointing to be sure, but in a way they’re inevitable.

     The small form solution to the problem would be to create a quota or requirement of non-payola, independent music to be played on radio stations. Radio stations would be permitted to continue payola practices, but would have to include non mainstream or paying artists in their broadcasts. There isn’t a realistic way to ban payola, it’s not illegal and there’s not enough current opposition to instigate such massive changes. The easy alternative would be to force a form of variety- whether it be large or small. Independent artists obviously do not have enough money to fund payola, and by enacting a mandate of small name variety, all parties involved are pleased. DJ’s are able to continue being paid, big name artists are still able to be played and consistently heard on the radio, and smaller independent artists are able to get their foot in the door.