Payola is as old as the music industry and continues today. Contrary to popular belief, the acceptance of payola is legal. (Only the nonreporting of it would be illegal.)
The recipients of payola and the reasons behind it are discussed decade-by-decade. The early bribes to the minstrel groups and vaudeville players are traced, as are modern-day payments to disc jockeys and radio station program directors, where drugs are often given instead of cash. Particular attention is paid to 1959 and 1960 when federal investigators attempted to eradicate the practice.

Cultural historian Kerry Segrave is the author of dozens of books on such diverse topics as drive-in theaters, lie detectors, jukeboxes, smoking, shoplifting and ticket-scalping. He lives in British Columbia.

Kerry Segrave
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 288
Bibliographic Info: references, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013 [1994]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7614-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9218-3
Imprint: McFarland

“a well-documented account that should interest a wide range of readers”—Library Journal; “a wealth of fascinating material…the only in-depth study of the subject…excellent”—Choice; “well researched and flows with the concise focus of a veteran newspaper scribe”— Association for Recorded Sound Collections Journal.