Famous for his notorious clashes against the biggest names in the business world, including the major insurance companies, financial institutions and mafia, New York's Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, is now targeting against the major record labels (that were previously known as "Big Five", but since BMG's and Sony's merger, just "Big Four"..).
Mr, Spitzer has served subpoenas to EMI, Sony BMG, Warner Music and Universal Music, asking them to hand over all contracts, invoices and documents that relate to the question behind the subpoenas: how do songs make their way to radio stations' playlists.
As getting airtime on radio stations is crucial for new artists and their songs, Spitzer's aim is to find out whether major record labels pay their artists' way to the stations' playlists. According to The New York Times, most labels circumvent legislation that prevents them to pay for radio stations, by employing third party promoters who pay fees for stations. Labels claim that promoters only pay the fees to get advance copies of their upcoming playlists, not for getting stations to play certain songs.
Source: BBC
Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 23 Oct 2004 15:50
New York Attorney General targets record labels
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- 4 comments
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Nephilim
About time.
23.10.2004 17:36 #1
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Auslander
agreed.
23.10.2004 18:57 #2
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thor999
finally... thank you god! I felt it was just about time we get bombed strictly on our "musical tastes", and especially, our commercialistic approach to a select few "genres." My friends, abroad and afar, I deeply apologize for the unending stream of trash my country has produced over the last decade or two, I tried my best to stop it but underground metal is not enough. Please, everyone, help me here, help me, we can stop it now, and without beheadings or plane bombings or whatever... we CAN support only the music we TRULY enjoy, we can say F.U. mtv F.U. (90%) of the U.S. radio stations (fm) we can say F.U. nelly! ok last one was personal, that kid's a punk and my boy from st. louis beat his ass like constantly... World, prepare thine punk ass for the BRUTAL onslaught of TRUE HEAVY METAL from my country, either join or die. I mean this. Just look at some of the independent rock bands we have these days alone, the progression, technique and creativity are un paralelled. We will soon reclaim our place in the heavy metal community, right there behind Brazil and Poland! Vader rules!
24.10.2004 01:40 #3
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vudoo
Well I say its time that the recording industry and all of its organized monopoly pays the piper. Yes every since Earth Wind And Fire was denied on MTV we've put up with the Rap and Britney Spears swill that the RIAA wants to shove down our throats. So time for them to pay up and get caught with their hand in the cookie jar right in front of 60 million screaming Americans. Don't be an American idiot vote for John Kerry.
25.10.2004 12:44 #4
