Payola Archives - Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things

Random music news for Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Lest we forget. And now, music news for November 11, 2020. This song won’t play well with the MAGA types

How long before someone comes up with song called “My Corona (Virus)” to the tune of “My Sharona?” It’s bound

My winter speaking tour starts tonight. Details here. Maybe we’ll end up discussing the music news of January 23, 2020.

On this day in 1977, the last guillotine execution was carried out in France. With that imagery in mind, here’s

It’s officially back to school season, innit? Distract yourself from how quickly summer is passing with this look at music

Back in the spring, I had dinner with a couple of old friends who work in the American music business.

NO MORE GDPR EMAILS! PLEASE! I don’t even subscribe to 75% of these newsletters! And now, for music news on

Payola–the practice of paying someone to play your music on the radio–has been around since at least the 1950s. After

Payola, the practice of paying to have a song played on the radio, has long been illegal. While non-existent in

Payola is the practice—the illegal practice—of a record label paying a broadcaster to play a song or artist at a

Off to Winnipeg to see the folks tonight. Oddly, the temperature will be above freezing for the entire time I’m

The Genius of Live Sports Production – Paul Graham In Conversation with TBP Podcast EP 013 December 1, 2020
The best live sports executive producers are a blend of genius, in both art and science. Whether we realize it or not, as viewers, we are of course more deeply engaged in cliffhangers. Match outcomes that keep us tuned in until the very end. That is where the executive producer shines. The research and preparation […]
Mark Silver
Intimate Gatherings of Sports Fans and Media Personalities – Kevin Kennedy in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 012 November 25, 2020
No matter the sport, passionate fans and pundits have long debated the goings-on in the clubhouse or on the pitch of every pro sports team. For most of us, this dialogue and discord are limited to Twitter, or perhaps yelling at sports talk radio hosts in our cars. If you were paying slightly more attention, […]
Mark Silver
The Business of Independent Production – Don Young in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 011 November 18, 2020
Canadians have long heard about Canadian content, aka CanCon. What most outside of the broadcast business don’t generally realize is that much of that content is actually subsidized by the private broadcasters, such as Bell Media and Rogers Media. Many independent producers have made a career, and a lot of money, perfecting the art of […]
Mark Silver