In late 2019, the FCC launched an official probe of the music industry to investigate alleged practices of rampant “payola,” the act of a music platform (streaming or radio outlets mainly) accepting pay or bribes from record labels to boost an artist’s chart or certification stats (as we reported here).
Under the leadership of FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, the official examination targeted the Recording Industry Association of America, record labels, and streaming services (many of whom were not very cooperative) in the months that followed its launch before being deprioritized by the governmental organization due to the global health crisis.
The music industry may have thought it was off the hook thanks to O’Rielly’s cooled jets, but now a spotlight’s been reignited on the topic thanks to a scathing exposé recently published by our friends at ‘Rolling Stone.’
Details inside:
