Payola is another word for bribery which means to make someone give you what you want for money, presents or favors. Bribery has been around since the beginning of time but the term for it of payola gained its notoriety during the periods of the late 1920’s and became widely known within the United States in the late 1950’s. Payola means the paying of cash or gifts for favorable and frequent radio play. Disc Jockey’s and radio stations were offered the bribe from the musicians. In this essay, I will discuss more on Payola. Payola is portmanteau of the words “pay” and “Victrola”. Pay is obvious in meaning and Victorla is a word taken from the original radio-phonograph called “Victor Talking Machine Company of Camden, New Jersey and used to
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Alan was asked to sign an affidavit stating that he did not accept payola but refused to do so. He nullified the accusation of payola by suggesting that he did indeed accept gifts from those he helped but it was never money, nor was it taken as a bribe to play a record. He was ultimately charged with 26 counts of commercial bribery and only had to pay a fine. Another popular dis jockey from the time period was also under scrutiny. His name was Dick Clark and he also denied payola involvement in a testimony he gave before a House subcommittee. Dick was one of two top leading disc jockeys of this time and it was stated that he had a 27% interest in records that were played within a 28 month time period. Moreover, they had a 23% percent popularity rating according to investigative reports. He had a lot to lose so he gave up all his musical interests as he was ordered to do so by ABC-TV. Later on, Dick Clark admitted that he got involved with the businesses for tax benefits. He also admitted in a testimony that he received an $11, 900 return profit on a $125 investment in Jamie records and of the 163 songs that he had rights to, he was give 143 of them. It was discovered that Jamie records paid Dick $15,000 in payola but Dick denied ever receiving it. Ultimately, Dick Clark was not charged with receiving any
Alan was asked to sign an affidavit stating that he did not accept payola but refused to do so. He nullified the accusation of payola by suggesting that he did indeed accept gifts from those he helped but it was never money, nor was it taken as a bribe to play a record. He was ultimately charged with 26 counts of commercial bribery and only had to pay a fine. Another popular dis jockey from the time period was also under scrutiny. His name was Dick Clark and he also denied payola involvement in a testimony he gave before a House subcommittee. Dick was one of two top leading disc jockeys of this time and it was stated that he had a 27% interest in records that were played within a 28 month time period. Moreover, they had a 23% percent popularity rating according to investigative reports. He had a lot to lose so he gave up all his musical interests as he was ordered to do so by ABC-TV. Later on, Dick Clark admitted that he got involved with the businesses for tax benefits. He also admitted in a testimony that he received an $11, 900 return profit on a $125 investment in Jamie records and of the 163 songs that he had rights to, he was give 143 of them. It was discovered that Jamie records paid Dick $15,000 in payola but Dick denied ever receiving it. Ultimately, Dick Clark was not charged with receiving any