Local artistes deny paying for airplay
Published: Sun, 2011-01-30 21:17
Malissa Lara-Patterson
http://www.guardian.co.tt/entertainment/2011/01/30/payolaMusic is a costly, billion-dollar business. From the fine-tuning of a musical idea, booking studio time and mastering a song, artistes can spend between $4,000 to $20,000 to produce one song. Our soca artistes can certainly testify to this reality. From the aforementioned figures an album comprising 12 songs would cost a hefty sum. Then there’s the necessary promotional aspect, which can also be expensive. But sometimes making such a sizeable investment does not guarantee airplay of your product.
So, will you pay to have your music played? This touchy question as well as wondering if a radio station or disc jockeys (DJs) have been asking for a payola (a bribe) to bolster airplay has been circulating for years. When the Telecommunications Authority of T&T was contacted, the Sunday Guardian was told “the practice you described is called payola and at present there is no known law or regulation in relation to the issue.” The Sunday Guardian explored this alleged business of paying to be played—rumour or reality?
A budget for promotion It is not illegal for artistes to pay DJs to play their music.Iwer George, artiste and founder of 91.9FM, said this, explaining: “When an artiste signs a record deal the first money that comes out of that contract is money to promote an album and promoting an album means getting your song played on electronic media worldwide. It’s time we educate our artistes to do things the way things are done.” He said one must have a budget for promotion. “One of the problems we have with soca is a man will find money to record his album, he will find money to master his album, he will find money to press the CD and then he will drop the CD by the radio station and then he will go home and listen to see if they will play his song and that is the wrong approach,” George said.
He said an album was a product. “At the end of it all you made an investment and it’s your responsibility to promote your album by any means necessary. Anything in life there’s a price. You have to know what price you are prepared to pay,” he said. George said, however, that a DJ could be fired for asking an artiste for money to play a song. A $1,500 thank you? Some artistes do pay DJs/announcers money, whether or not they are asked. Chris Boynes, Vibe CT 105 programme administrator, said he’s had that experience and returned the money.
He said it was against company policy to request money for any song to be played.
However, years ago while on the Brian Lara Promenade, a young unknown artiste asked for his song to be given some airplay.
After helping out the artiste, Boynes was offered $60 for his assistance.
“He was told he had to pay the DJs to play the music. I gave him back his money,” Boynes explained.
On another occasion an artiste left his album and an envelope containing $1,500, saying it was a “thank you.”
Regardless of how the money was received, Boynes said, “It is against the company’s policy to encourage that behaviour; however, we cannot vouch wholly and solely for the individuals.”
Boynes said one of the reasons a song might not get airplay was because of poor quality. He said some announcers might give the artiste a “bligh” and play the song once but, “your song must build on its own merit.” He could not confirm or deny whether or not radio stations or announcers requested money to play a song. He said, “I don’t have proof of it. I cannot say yes, it does exist but I won’t doubt it does exist. I feel I can put my head on the block that it does exist.
Fair airplayVijay Mahabir, programme director of 106.1FM, distanced himself from the payola issue. He said 106.1FM had taken the approach to support local culture for the Carnival season, especially chutney soca. “Our directives are to ensure that all artistes get fair and equal airplay,” he explained. He said since last November, 106.1FM had opened its airwaves to an influx of launches (people coming into station to launch their music). They have launched more than 167 new songs thus far. He said in the chutney industry it was very difficult at this time to play one song more than another, mainly because of the technologies used in today’s market.
“On a daily basis, all DJs, announcers are evaluated and at any point in time we can go back to a programme and pull it up,” he said. Mahabir said that dispels any favouritism on the part of the network. He said there were always going to be rumours and accusations. “Every single artiste who sings a song thinks he has the Road March so he might get upset not hearing the song play, but maybe his standard may not be up to the standard of today’s people. Therefore, we give everybody a chance.”
He said the listeners would then make choices. Mahabir said the key to surviving in this industry was having a good personality. “Personality is a very big thing,” he said.
Artiste: I never paid anybodyVarious artistes quickly separated themselves from the payola issue, saying they’ve never paid to receive airplay. Rodney “Benjai” Le Blanc, said, “I don’t know anything about that. I am an honest person. I do my thing legit. All the DJs we deal with, I never had that problem. I can’t even comment on that. “I never witness that in my life. It’s a fair game. Is T&T, Trinis are very outspoken. You have to produce hits. You have to keep working hard.” Dexter “Blaxx” Stewart of Roy Cape almost mirrored Le Blanc’s sentiments. He said artistes had to produce a certain quality. He said sometimes a singer’s tune might be noisy and the production quality was poor.
“Honestly I have never paid anybody,” he said. Former soca chutney monarch, Kenneth Salick, said he didn’t know anything about the issue. “People does say all kind of thing but that’s not true, man. It all depends on the people. If people like the song they request the song. I did two songs this year but one hardly playing because people get the wrong idea about it.” Destra Garcia had mixed feelings on the issue but said she felt there was no truth to the payola. “In the past, I’ve wondered about it especially when I might think a song is great and it not really pumpin’ on the air but then again in that same said year, another song that I release would be liked by everybody,” she said.
She also believed it was a matter of material. “You have to be objective about your work. You would not put a song out there if you don’t believe in it,” she said. She said she never had to pay a DJ to play her song, “ever, as God is my witness.” “The thing about it is I understand that if your song good it will play. DJs need to feel it. They need to feel your energy in your music.” She dispelled any thoughts that she paid a DJ to receive good airplay. She said the DJs were glad she was back. “With that paying thing, I can't comment on that to say it’s true, because I never had to do it. “For me that’s like a story, a myth,” she said.
