Diary of a Wolfeman

The HoustonChronicle.com reports that the record industries have finally found a way to resurrect the payolla scandals of early Rock & Roll.

In a strange twist, it seems that it was the radio station’s idea this time around. We know it is illegal to pay a station to play a song on it’s own; however, if they play it as an advertisment ( “And now, Avril Lavigne’s Don’t Tell Me, presented by Arista Records.”) it is perfectly legal.

The upshot of this is that it completely invalidates the Top 40 charts, since they only count the number of times a song is played. This method, even though it’s paid for, counts as a play. With the amount of late-night and early-morning airtime available at low rates, this allows record companies to seriously skew a song’s rating using ad-plays.

Just one more reason the music industry sucks.

You want my opinion? Go check out GarageBand.Com and hear some new music from small bands for free.