The Public, Not Payola, Rules The Air

Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times writes: “I love a plasma TV as much as the next guy, but it’s naive to think payola is responsible for the music that gets on the radio. In other words, it’s going to take more than Eliot Spitzer to stop the commercial juggernaut of hip-hop and R&B. Yet lots of pop fans who detest what’s become of mainstream radio seem to feel the New York attorney general’s settlement Monday with Sony BMG means ‘real’ music will soon be back on the airwaves. Don’t hold your breath.”