In 1959, a scandal shook the music world. With the popularity of music and the number of disc jockeys skyrocketing, the radio became the common ground to share music. With popularity from audiences came money for disc jockeys, as their status allowed them to receive money from labels to receive airtime. (Kelly 2016)

This process became known as “Payola,” which refers to the payment of money in return for airtime, and is a combination of the words pay and Victrola, which was an old-fashioned record player. With more airtime resulting in more record sales, it only became natural for labels to push radio stations and disc jockeys to play their music, with financial incentives. (Neira 2004)

After it became publically aware that certain broadcasted game shows were rigged, an investigation was launched into the operations of broadcasters around America, and soon the radio industry was in the midst of a scandal. (Neira 2004)

What came of the investigation?

Two of America’s most famous DJ’s suffered remarkably different fates. Dick Clark, a younger, clean faced disc jockey who was known to millennials for his New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square, got off scot-free. Meanwhile, a counterpart in the industry and the creator of the term “rock and roll,” Alan Freed was charged to 26 counts, costing him his television and radio shows. Both men were likely equally as guilty, however, due to their reputations and appearances, rightly or wrongly, their end fate were the strikingly polar opposite. (Kelly 2016)

“I think the crime I have committed, if any, is that I made a great deal of money in a short time on little investment. But that is the record business.” –Dick Clark (Staff 2009)

Many disc jockeys across America came clean during the investigations, admitting to tallying up an astonishing amount of money, in some cases over tens of thousands of dollars.

Due to their immense power and popularity the disc jockeys had at the time, they were able to greatly alter the popularity of music to the point that simply isn’t possible today, because popular music is arguably more accessible than ever before.

However, a different type of Payola still exists today in many different manners. An essay from the former president of Rykodisc wrote an essay regarding the present-day payola, which was summarized in an article on Noisey;

“Labels hire indie promoters to flog records to radio stations, promoters pay radio stations in cash, giveaways, and assorted swag, and those same promoters often draw a second salary from the stations themselves to “consult” on which songs to add into the rotation.” (Kelly 2016)

Popular music streaming Spotify even offers a “Sponsored Songs” playlist to subscribers. (Sanchez 2017)

In my opinion, in an optimal world, Payola would not exist. However, that is an unrealistic request and quite frankly is a goal that will never indeed be accomplished. For music to become famous, a song needs to be played quite repetitively. It is interesting when listening to the radio, as for the most part, I believe they determine which songs are popular. However, I think that it shouldn’t be up to people with money to decide which songs are popular, that should be up to the consumer to choose. It’s not difficult to see why payola still has such a prevalent role in the world of music.

Works Cited

Kelly, Kim. 2016. A Brief History of American Payola. February 14. https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/64y8y9/a-brief-history-of-american-payola.

Neira, Bob. 2004. Payola Scandal Rocks 50’s Radio. http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/payola.html.

Sanchez, Daniel. 2017. Spotify Introduces a Brand New Feature: Payola . June 20. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/06/20/spotify-sponsored-songs-payola/.

Staff, History.com. 2009. Dick Clark survives the Payola scandal .    https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dick-clark-survives-the-payola-scandal.

One of our nation’s finest musical talents that my generation may have no clue about, Paul Anka broke down borders and made his name known on the world stage. Anka, who was born in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, Ontario in 1941, was quick to realize his dreams needed bigger lights to make them a reality. (Paul Anka Biography 2017)

At the age of 15, Anka purchased a plane ticket and traveled to where the talent of all kinds flocks to, Hollywood. After getting lost in the shuffle in Los Angeles, Anka decided the bright lights of the Big Apple were his next stop, but with his parent’s patience running short, Paul needed a big break quickly, and when he was fortunate enough to land a meeting with an ABC and Paramount Records executive, he made the most of the opportunity. The up and coming prodigy landed his first contract, and from there it was history. A year later, “Diana” stood as the number one song in the world, and Anka’s career blossomed from there. (Official Site of Paul Anka 2011)

“Lonely Boy” which released in 1959, was Anka’s first single to reach the peak of the Billboard Hot 100 and ended the year as their fifth-ranked song. (Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song) n.d.) What stood apart Anka from other crooners in his era was his exceptional ability to write songs. He was not simply another male with a smooth, low voice. His ability to make words flow beautifully caught the attention of some of the world’s greatest artists including Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. (Paul Anka Biography 2017) While Anka had a similar voice to Sinatra, his ability to write and sing songs from the heart, pushed him over the top.

“When I’m writing, I generally toy with an idea until it manifests itself – meaning a phrase or a tune comes into my head and eventually begins to jell. When something hits me, I write it down immediately. I don’t wait, or it’s gone.” -Paul Anka

To me, Anka had a more distinct, upbeat style of music, more comparable to modern day pop. While Sinatra’s music was a bit slower paced and could be seen as more fitting in the jazz genre.

While Anka’s career peaked as a teen singing sensation, his ability to write songs carried his career’s wave length on even longer.
Anka stands as one of the most successful musical artists to come out of Canada, and his career will be forever enshrined north of the border. The singer and songwriter is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Order of Canada and has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. He also was honored with a street named in his honor in his hometown, named Paul Anka Drive. (King 2010) He will stand as a trailblazer in Canadian Music, and one who will never be forgotten.

“If you’re in pop music, you’ve got to deal with the changing of the guard every few years. By the time the ’70s arrived, I was well aware of the cyclical nature of the game. Pop music is a creature of the moment; it thrives on the mood of its time. Either you hook into that or you’re not going to be part of it.” – Paul Anka

Some tidbits of information I found interesting while I was researching Anka included:

• Amanda Anka, one of Paul’s five daughters, is married to well known Hollywood comedian Jason Bateman (Jason Bateman – A child star grows up 2008)

• Anka’s famous hit “Diana” was written about his childhood crush Diana Ayoub, who grew up in Ottawa with Paul (Butler 2017)

Works Cited

Butler, Don. 2017. Ottawa Citizen. February 13. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/capital-facts-busting-the-myth-of-paul-ankas-doomed-love.

2008. Jason Bateman – A child star grows up. June 20. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/jason-bateman-a-child-star-grows-up-850743.html.

King, Betty Nygaard. 2010. The Canadian Encyclopedia. January 17. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-anka-emc/.
n.d. Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonely_Boy_(Paul_Anka_song).

2011. Official Site of Paul Anka. http://paulanka.com/biography/.

2017. Paul Anka Biography. April 27. https://www.biography.com/people/paul-anka-3424.

One of our nation’s finest musical talents that my generation may have no clue about, Paul Anka broke down borders and made his name known on the world stage. Anka, who was born in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, Ontario in 1941, was quick to realize his dreams needed bigger lights to make them a reality. (Paul Anka Biography 2017)

At the age of 15, Anka purchased a plane ticket and traveled to where the talent of all kinds flocks to, Hollywood. After getting lost in the shuffle in Los Angeles, Anka decided the bright lights of the Big Apple were his next stop, but with his parent’s patience running short, Paul needed a big break quickly, and when he was fortunate enough to land a meeting with an ABC and Paramount Records executive, he made the most of the opportunity. The up and coming prodigy landed his first contract, and from there it was history. A year later, “Diana” stood as the number one song in the world, and Anka’s career blossomed from there. (Official Site of Paul Anka 2011)

“Lonely Boy” which released in 1959, was Anka’s first single to reach the peak of the Billboard Hot 100 and ended the year as their fifth-ranked song. (Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song) n.d.) What stood apart Anka from other crooners in his era was his exceptional ability to write songs. He was not simply another male with a smooth, low voice. His ability to make words flow beautifully caught the attention of some of the world’s greatest artists including Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. (Paul Anka Biography 2017) While Anka had a similar voice to Sinatra, his ability to write and sing songs from the heart, pushed him over the top.

“When I’m writing, I generally toy with an idea until it manifests itself – meaning a phrase or a tune comes into my head and eventually begins to jell. When something hits me, I write it down immediately. I don’t wait, or it’s gone.” -Paul Anka

To me, Anka had a more distinct, upbeat style of music, more comparable to modern day pop. While Sinatra’s music was a bit slower paced and could be seen as more fitting in the jazz genre.

While Anka’s career peaked as a teen singing sensation, his ability to write songs carried his career’s wave length on even longer.
Anka stands as one of the most successful musical artists to come out of Canada, and his career will be forever enshrined north of the border. The singer and songwriter is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Order of Canada and has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. He also was honored with a street named in his honor in his hometown, named Paul Anka Drive. (King 2010) He will stand as a trailblazer in Canadian Music, and one who will never be forgotten.

“If you’re in pop music, you’ve got to deal with the changing of the guard every few years. By the time the ’70s arrived, I was well aware of the cyclical nature of the game. Pop music is a creature of the moment; it thrives on the mood of its time. Either you hook into that or you’re not going to be part of it.” – Paul Anka

Some tidbits of information I found interesting while I was researching Anka included:

• Amanda Anka, one of Paul’s five daughters, is married to well known Hollywood comedian Jason Bateman (Jason Bateman – A child star grows up 2008)

• Anka’s famous hit “Diana” was written about his childhood crush Diana Ayoub, who grew up in Ottawa with Paul (Butler 2017)

Works Cited

Butler, Don. 2017. Ottawa Citizen. February 13. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/capital-facts-busting-the-myth-of-paul-ankas-doomed-love.

2008. Jason Bateman – A child star grows up. June 20. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/jason-bateman-a-child-star-grows-up-850743.html.

King, Betty Nygaard. 2010. The Canadian Encyclopedia. January 17. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-anka-emc/.
n.d. Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonely_Boy_(Paul_Anka_song).

2011. Official Site of Paul Anka. http://paulanka.com/biography/.

2017. Paul Anka Biography. April 27. https://www.biography.com/people/paul-anka-3424.

Joseph Byrd’s article, “Whitewashing Blackface Minstrelsy in American College Textbooks,” digs deeper into the content revolving around the issues of Blackface performances and theatric minstrelsy stating that the harsh racist realities are “tucked away in blandly-titled chapters” (Joseph Byrd, 2009, 77). Byrd provides critiques academic textbooks providing  evidence which suggests that they misconstruing the racism behind the scenes of minstrelsy. This type of entertainment that began to gain American popularity in the 1830s and continues well into the early 20th Century, developed out of England and was considered “comic entertainment” (Joseph Byrd, 2009, 77) of black people and their culture. As minstrel shows surfaced more through America, slavery became a popular theme among this entertainment business. These shows often mocked black people elaborating on certain physical qualities, exaggeration clothing and language used among them on plantations. Byrd presents a valid argument that challenges the racist nature that existed and still does regarding the context provided about blackface minstrelsy.

What really caught my attention was the amount of academic sources that still fail to fully acknowledge the underlying tones of racism, even though some obvious racist tones are presented within the lyrics of this form of entertainment. As someone who is looking to become an educator, I consider it of high importance that the truth of North American, specifically, is taught in its most authentic forms. This would mean looking at and using any resource critically and ensuring that the audience reading from it is aware of anything that has been hidden away behind dissociative titles and negligent facts. This resembles much of the Canadian Indigenous history that was stowed away for years having the truth hidden from many Canadians. Analyzing these sorts of texts is essential in addressing further racial tendencies and repetitions of history. Another point that I found surprising was the lyrics used as evidence by Byrd suggesting that the derogatory implications were very evident when we examine it through an inclusive, non-biased lens. And yet, sources used throughout our education present this vaguely, if at all.

Below I have attached a video of “Old Dan Tucker” written by Dan Emmett in 1843. Byrd talks about how the lyrics used portray racist stereotypes of black people during this time. During this time the shows were based on the ugliest stereotypes of African Americans through songs, jokes, and imitations.

The audience for these shows were the lumpenproletariat: low-class white and irish males who were considered undereducated. This audience is seemingly a target to present exaggerated stereotypes of the African-American slaves in America perhaps because they are more easily influenced and susceptible to such to racial behaviours. Karl Marx describes the lumpenproletariat the “social scum” and undesirables of society. By targeting this audience, racial tensions grew allowing them to infiltrate the multiple levels of socioeconomic and racial statuses. By understanding this audience, we can see that the acceptance among this group spread throughout other social groups further contributing to racial tensions.

Through the rapid spread of blackface minstrel shows came a wave of acceptance towards this type of representation of the African-American people in America. This not only created widespread stereotypes and racist tendencies, but it also contributed to racist laws named after the famous minstrel character Jim Crow and an “insulting lyrics associated with it [1]. Jim Crow laws enforced the segregation of whites from blacks in the 1860s in Southern United States after the release of four million slaves [2] . They outlined when and where they could eat, ride the bus, work, played, how much they were played and even harder punishments and legal sentencing [3].

Byrd presents a great argument acknowledging that society still has a long way to come. With textbooks still avoiding historical facts, it prevents us as a functioning societal whole to move forward and past such injustice. By not acknowledging or representing the history of minstrel shows, we are allowing the American racist truth not be held to any accountability whatsoever. I think that textbooks avoid this information for a number of reasons but none, in my mind, are good enough excuses to misrepresent this history. The truth is that it may be embarrassing in nature to acknowledge such a horrendous past and it may be uncomfortable but it still needs to be talked about an acknowledged. As I mentioned before, this mirrors the history of Canada’s indigenous people, how they were treated by European settlers and how the truth has been and still is avoided. Lack of information creates ignorance and ignorance breeds fear and the creates social injustice and marginalization we see today. If we acknowledge all the facts and not just partial truths, it can hopefully open a gateway that will not allow history to repeat itself. Lack of proper education is only going to feed into this vicious cycle of racism and injustice. While blackface minstrel

M2 Q3

Mamie Smith (born Robinson) was born on May 26^th in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mamie was born in 1883 during a time of horrible racism.[1] Slavery had only been abolished 18 years before Mamie was born, and the abolishment of segregation wouldn’t happen until years after that. As an African-American woman, Mamie had many struggles to face.

Mamie Smith was a persistence woman from a young age. She left her house at age ten to join a dancing group called, the Four Dancing Mitchells. After joining the Four Dancing Mitchells Mamie made her way to New York where she married her first husband William “Smitty” Smith.[2] After getting married Mamie started making a reputation for herself as a singer in Harlem clubs. She recorded her song “Crazy Blues” becoming the first documented black female vocalist to record a song.[3]

Mamie Smith’s song “Crazy Blues” was groundbreaking for many people. African-American people believed they had a chance to show their capabilities to the world following Mamie’s lead. This was also a big step for women as they fought for their right to be equal and they could see Mamie fighting through the racism and sexism to rise to the top. “Crazy Blues” is about a break up between a man and woman, which could have been why it became so popular so quickly. Everyone can relate to this situation, and along with her powerful voice and a big range of vocals she had everything people could want in a song which brought her to the top.

Many artists struggle enough to become the stars they want without added extra struggles. Mamie had so much more she had to struggle with daily, and it’s amazing to see that she persevered. The racism that was happening during this time period was among the worst in history. Many organizations were even violent about their racism. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is the worst known racist group, the fear of other people did not stop Mamie from achieving her dream though. Mamie played in Richmond, Indiana, where there was a Ku Klux Klan stronghold at the time.[4] Even though Mamie was singing I this racist era she continued to sell out concerts time and time again because of her ability that was far too good for many people to ignore. Because of the colour of Mamie’s skin, other people were put into harm’s way. These people fought the racism against Mamie because they knew she had talent and deserved to be on the big stage. Mamie’s record producer, Mr. Hager, received threat saying that if he was to record Mamie or any other African-American singer. When Mr. Hager started to question it, he was told that he needed to push through. According to Mr. Hager’s friend this is the moment Mamie got to become a star, “Mr. Hager got a far-off look in his eyes and seemed somewhat worried, because of the many threatening letters he had received from some Northern and Southern pressure groups warning him not to have any truck with colored girls in the recording field. If he did, OKeh Products – phonograph machines and records – would be boycotted. May God bless Mr. Hager, for despite the many threats, it took a man with plenty of nerves and guts to buck those powerful groups and make the historical decision which would echo aroun’ the world. He pried open that old ‘prejudiced door’ for the first colored girl, Mamie Smith, so she could squeeze into the large horn – and shout with her strong contralto voice.”[5]

After “Crazy Blues” Mamie had two other songs that stood out in their popularity. Mamie Smith recorded “That Thing Called Love” and “It’s Right Here For You” for OKeh records. Mamie’s composer, Perry Bradford, fought for her to sing for OKeh records after Mr. Hager questioned taking in an African-American artist. To convince Mr. Hager, Bradford said, “African American music lovers were an untapped market and that ‘they will buy records if recorded by one of their own, because we are the only folks that can sing and interpret hot jazz songs just off the griddle correctly.’”[6] Bradford’s observation proved to be true as Mamie Smith’s songs rose to the top. These songs both showcased Mamie’s wide range of vocals and had the same slow rich blues sound. Both of these songs showed a deep contrast between a throaty raw sound with deep horns to a light feather high note with the horns softly harmonizing with her vocals. There are many reasons, such as these examples, as to why Mamie’s music became such a hit. She had a voice that was raw and low, and her music captured true blues. This caught the interest of many blues fans, and the fact that she was an African-American lady caught everyone else’s. When asked about Mamie Smith’s shows people would often not only talk about the raw talent that Mamie had, but also her showmanship.[7] People say that the show was a spectacle to behold. Every part of Mamie was born to be a star from the beginning.

Mamie Smith fought through the heavy racism and sexism of the late 1800s and early 1900s to show pure talent in blues and change the history of blues music.

[1] “Last.fm,”as, August 28, 2006, https://www.last.fm/music/Mamie+Smith/+wiki

[2] Thomas Gale, “Encyclopedia,” Contemporary Black Biography, July 15, 2018, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/historians-and-chronicles/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/mamie-smith

[3] Thomas Gale, “Encyclopedia,” Contemporary Black Biography, July 15, 2018, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/historians-and-chronicles/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/mamie-smith

[4] Jill Simins, “Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana’s Digital Newspaper Program,” July 15, 2018, https://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/mamie-smith/

[5] Jill Simins, “Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana’s Digital Newspaper Program,” July 15, 2018, https://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/mamie-smith/

[6] Jill Simins, “Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana’s Digital Newspaper Program,” July 15, 2018, https://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/mamie-smith/

[7] Thomas Gale, “Encyclopedia,” Contemporary Black Biography, July 15, 2018, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/historians-and-chronicles/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/mamie-smith

M6 Q1

Elvis proved to the world that he deserved the title as the King of Rock n Roll from the beginning. It’s not a surprise that Elvis has influenced tons of musical performers to this day because of his style, skill, and unique vocals. If we look on the Elvisualization on Spotify we can see tons of artists that Elvis influenced in some way or another.

A long list of musical performers who have been influenced starts with Elvis, then to Bob Dylan, then to Stevie Wonder, to Usher, then finally to Bruno Mars. These are all very impressive artists whose musical performances can in some way be traced back to Elvis.

Bob Dylan is an artist that was hit hard by the death of Elvis. When Dylan heard about the passing of Presley he was working on his album “Street Legal.” While hearing about the passing he told people around him that “if it wasn’t for (Presley) he never would have gotten started. He opened the door.”[1] Similarities between Presley and Dylan can be seen in many of Dylan’s songs. Dylan states that from a very young age he would not have been the person he was without Presley. Some of this influence comes over into Dylan’s music making. Lots of Dylan’s songs such as “Changing of The Guards” has the same twangy tune as many of Presley’s songs like “Heartbreak Hotel.” Dylan became such a big star idolizing Presley that he started to become an idol for other artists to follow.

A big star who seems to have been influenced by Bob Dylan is Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder, though he couldn’t see seems to have picked up a bit of Dylan’s style as seen in figure 1.

Dylan and Wonder’s main similarities come in their music. Stevie and Dylan both have the boldness to them that captures an audience’s attention right away. Both Dylan and Wonder have a strong backbeat in their songs that can easily be heard throughout the entire song. The singers keep the pace of their songs slow and let the power of their voices do the real work of keeping the song impressive. Both Dylan and Wonder have deeper throatier voices but their voices can also be really soft. We can see Dylan’s influence on Wonder in songs such as “Is Your Love in Vain” by Bob Dylan and “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder. Though Wonder’s song is a bit more up pace if you listen to some of the background instrumentals they sound very similar.

Though Wonder really respected Dylan, it was a two-way street with mutual respect to both people. Dylan talks about Wonder saying, “If anybody can be called a genius, he can be. I think it has something to do with his ear, not being able to see or whatever…  In fact, he might have invented that. he is a great mimic, can imitate everybody, doesn’t take himself seriously and is a true roadhouse musician all the way, with classical overtones, and he does it all with drama and style. I’d like to hear him play with an orchestra. He should probably have his own orchestra”[3] This mutual respect could be a part of Dylan seeing pieces of himself in Wonder’s work.

A great singer who came from the influences of Stevie Wonder is Usher. Usher has a high pitched voice with a lot of soul which can be viewed as a direct influence from Stevie Wonder. A song such as “The Motown Sound” by Stevie Wonder sounds like something that would come directly from an Usher album. Usher has shown that he has a very similar sound by singing a few of Wonder’s songs as covers. When Usher sang “That Girl” by Stevie Wonder he seemed to fit right in with the song as if it was his own. To further see the influences of Wonder in Usher’s music we can look at Usher’s song “Lil Freak.” While listening to Usher’s “Raymond vs. Raymond” album listeners can hear that Usher’s song “Lil Freak” has actually sampled Stevie Wonders song “Living in The City.”[4] This example of sampling truly shows the similarities between Usher and one of the men who influenced him, Stevie Wonder.

Usher has always had a certain style and look about him while on stage or in public places. Many people have tried to follow this influence, such as the very famous Justin Bieber, but one man who truly does a good job of sharing this similar swagger as Usher is Bruno Mars. Bruno and Usher share the same look with their big gold chains and heavy clothes shown by Bruno in his “24k” album cover and Usher’s “Pop Ya Collar” album cover. Mars has a similar vocal style as Usher utilizing his ability to sing high and then switch quickly to lower notes in songs such as “Gorilla” in his “Unorthodox Jukebox” album. While Usher shows off his high pitched notes in songs such as “Climax” from his album “Looking 4 Myself.”

Similarities in Bruno Mars can be traced all the way back to Elvis Presley by following this line, and Bruno himself has said that he was heavily influenced by Elvis Presley directly as he talked in awe about how he had moves unlike any other.[5] This goes to show the lasting effects of one of the greatest musicians in our history.

[1] Ugur, “NSF Music Station”, November 18 2016. https://www.needsomefun.net/when-elvis-presley-died-it-deeply-affected-bob-dylan/

[2] Egil Mosbron, “Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan- The Connection”, May 13 2017. https://alldylan.com/stevie-wonder-and-bob-dylan-the-connection/

[3] Egil Mosbron, “Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan- The Connection”, May 13 2017. https://alldylan.com/stevie-wonder-and-bob-dylan-the-connection/

[4] Taste Creators, “What do you get when you mix Usher and Stevie Wonder”, June 12 2016. http://www.tastecreators.com/sample-series-usher-stevie-wonder/

[5] George Varga, “The San Diego Union-Tribune”, July 24, 2013. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/sdut-bruno-mars-talks-musical-inspiration-2013jul24-story.html#

Mamie Smith

Elvis Presley

Hi, this is Jasleen Dhunna. For my second blog post, I have decided to write about Josephine Baker.

Biography

Josephine Baker was born on June 3, 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was a popular dancer and a singer in France during the 1920s. she spent her early years in poverty before she learned to dance and found her success on Broadway. She moved to France in 1920s and became the most popular and highest-paid dancers. She also worked for French Resistance during WWII. Later in 1950-60s, she committed herself to fight for racism in USA. Josephine Baker died on April 12, 1975 of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Breakthroughs for Black Performers

Josephine moved out when she was 14 and got married. However, she got divorced at 15 and then married another man. At age of 19, she joined all black performance in Paris. She was the best exotic dancer of her time. In Paris, the racism was minimal and they welcomed her with open arms as a dance. This is why Josephine loved Paris more than United States. After WWII, she started television and she also married Jo Bouillon and she decided to bring back a castle and village named Les Milandes in which she spent a lot of her money to make it a tourist place.

The New Woman/early feminism/sexual empowerment of women

Baker retuned to United Stated in August 1963 to be present at civil rights march in Washington, DC. This march pushed for equal rights for all races. A popular Stork Clun in New York rejected her and from there, she started a full-on media battle with pro-segregation columnist Walter Winchell. She also adopted children to form her family which was called “The rainbow Tribe” and this was to show that anyone can be brothers and sisters regardless of face. after this act, May 20 is known as Josephine Baker’s day.

 The merger of song and dance/The Charleston

 WWII

Baker was married to Jean Lion who was a French industrialist. They got divorced by 1940. She became a Red Cross nurse where she watched over refugees and helped them smuggle when Germany occupied Belgium.

Source cited 

1. Josephine Baker. (2018, January 19). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/josephine-baker-9195959
2. Josephine Baker Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ba-Be/Baker-Josephine.html
3. Josephine Baker. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.redhotjazz.com/josephinebaker.html
4. Jerkins, M. (2017, May 26). 90 Years Later, the Radical Power of Josephine Baker’s Banana Skirt. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/article/josephine-baker-90th-anniversary-banana-skirt

What Is The Payola Scandal?

The Payola Scandal, also called “pay-to-play”, involved the illegal practice of record companies bribing broadcast companies for guaranteed airplay on the radio in American. A radio station could exchange airtime for money, but the extra time was supposed to be disclosed as sponsored time. During the payola scandal, the bought time was not disclosed and the increased number of times a song played had the ability to influence the perceived popularity of the song.⁴

The payola scandal was possible because of the disc jockeys (DJs) wielded enormous power and could control airtime of songs on the radio. Some disc jockeys such as Alan Freed used it to promote the music they enjoyed, but many used it to make money through bribery. Payola was used to make a song seem more popular and slowly evolved into an unfair competition and fraud in the music industry.³

To better understand the meaning of the Payola Scandal, it can be broken up into its base words, pay, Victrola, and scandal. Pay, is defined as giving someone money in exchange for something, Victrola, is a classic record player or phonograph, and scandal is defined as a disgraceful or discreditable action and or circumstance that can cause damage to reputation.  The definition can be interpreted as artists using money instead of talent to attain extra airtime and fame.

How Did The Payola Scandal Begin?

Before 1940, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) were the sole monopoly in the music recording industry. When Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) entered the market in 1940, ASCAP’s was dethroned. BMI was known for recording songs that differed from the popular songs radios played. Due to BMI being outside the norm, they had to pay DJs bribes to play their songs, which unintentionally started the payola scandal. Before payola, there was a flat rate of $50 to play someone’s song on the radio for a week. Disc jockeys began taking advantage of the bribes and offering more time for higher fees.² Soon ASCAP had to pay DJs bribes to play their music as well. ASCAP was upset over their loss of monopoly and hinted at the federal investigators to review a potential problem involving bribery in the music industry.⁶

The scandal began in 1958, during the time that federal investigators revealed that popular NBC – TV shows were rigged. This discovery and inside tips from ASCAP led investigators to review the radio for malpractices and many causes of bribery were uncovered.

What Did The Government Due To Stop Payola?

The payola scandal provoked investigations by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and in January of 1960, the NAB proposed that disc jockeys accepting bribes for airtime would be charged $500 and spend a year in prison. The law developed in 1960 is currently still in existence today.²

ASCAP, the stronger licensing organization, reportedly urged the investigation to undermine its major competitor, BMI, which was licensing the music of many black and country performers.  Most major disk jockeys were taking payments to play songs since it was only illegal in two states. After an investigation, there were 335 DJs who admitted to accepting bribes to play a record on the radio, but two powerful and popular DJs, Alan Freed and Dick Clarke, both denied the allegations.²

Alan Freed refused to sign an affidavit in 1959, denying that he had accepted payola, which was not illegal at the time. He claimed that he would accept gifts for helping others, but never worked for bribes. In May 1960 Freed and seven other people were arrested on suspicion of commercial bribery. Freed was charged with 26 counts of bribery and was fired from WABC in 1962. This was the end of Freed’s radio career and his influence on Rock and Roll.²

Dick Clarke sought out legal advice and removed himself from anyone who he may have been involved in bribery. His smart legal decisions paid off as he was set free with no charges and continued his career as an influential DJ.¹

Does Payola Exist In Current Music?

Current day payola was highlighted when in 2005, Sony BMG, a large record label, was fined $10 million after the state of New York found the company guilty of engaging in payola. Sony was paying DJs with cash and goods for playing Sony artists, such as Jessica Simpson. Sony hid their payola through running fake promotional contests and giving DJ’s the prizes.⁷

Current day payola can also be seen in the rise of streaming, now being labeled as corporate sponsorships or advertising fees. Music providers such as Spotify and Apple Music can charge thousands of dollars to get a song on a trending playlist depending on the number of followers that playlist has. Once an artist is on these playlists their popularity almost always increases along with song sales.⁸

How Does Payola Effect Popular Music?

The public does not hear artists whose labels can’t afford to pay high streaming and advertising fees, or whose label refuses to engage in the practice of bribery. Due to the current state of payola, record labels waste millions of dollars and large radio and music promotion corporations can charge any amount of fees they wish for an artist to be more recognized publicly. This current practice is legal, but it has the consequence of forcing artists who cannot afford to pay the fees to fail regardless of talent. Payola destroys fair competition while limiting the progression of new music and results in music being featured online based on money or famous connections rather than talent and popularity. .⁶

My Opinion on Payola.

Payola both old and new is a negative circumstance, which only benefits people who are wealthy. It causes the public to only hear artists who are picked based off of biases or who can afford to pay for excessive advertising. Payola results in top hits and music charts to not properly represent the popularity of the public and cause an overall lower satisfaction of music from viewers. Payola puts more of an emphasis on money and wealth instead of talent and hypothetically has drastically changed the course of popular music. It also has the potential to increase the cost of music, since labels involved in payola need to spend more money in order to have their songs played.⁵

Payola is also not beneficial for the radio, because it makes radio homogenous. People turn off the radio when the same song is played on every station or if it is overplayed. It also hurts the radio stations, who refuse to accept bribes for plays, as the other stations get cash injections from the labels. Now the general population will never know about the existence of talented artists who could not afford to bribe radio stations and our perception of popular music is built on lies.

Bibliography

1. “Dick Clark Survives the Payola Scandal.” History.com. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dick-clark-survives-the-payola-scandal
2. Hutchinson, L. “Alan Freed and the Radio Payola Scanda.” Performing Songwrriter. Last modified August 20, 2015. http://performingsongwriter.com/alan-freed-payola-scandal/
3. McDonald, H. “Payola: Influencing the Charts.” The Balance Careers. Last modified June 3, 2018. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/payola-influencing-the-charts-2460759
4. Neira, B. “Payola Scandal Rocks 50’s Radio.” Modesto Radio Museum, Accessed July 18, 2018. http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/payola.html
5. Sherwin, A. “Payola: One of music’s oldest arrangements back with a bang on streaming playlists.” Independent.co.uk. Last modified August 20, 2015. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/payola-one-of-musics-oldest-arrangements-back-with-a-bang-on-streaming-playlists-10464513.html
6. Shinn, E. “The Evolution and Effects of Payola on Popular Culture.” Texas Tech University. (2004). https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/ttu-ir/bitstream/handle/2346/23324/31295019381150.pdf?sequence=1
7. “Sony to pay $10M in payola scandal.” CBC News. (2005). https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/sony-to-pay-10m-in-payola-scandal-1.523524
8. Peoples, Glenn. “How ‘Playola’ Is Infiltrating Streaming Services: Pay for Play Is ‘Definitely Happening’.” Billboard. Last modified August 19, 2015. https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6670475/playola-promotion-streaming-services.