In general, I’m not a huge music follower, so this whole payola issue was foreign to me. Even after reading the blog: “Payloa: A Hip-Hop Industry Controversy”, I was still a little confused over what the big deal was. It wasn’t until I read the blog post comments that the different perspectives of this issue became clear to me…but I digress.

I don’t think that it is right for DJs to demand money up front from an artist before they play their music. Although I have never completely agreed with the statement that “hip-hop” is dead, I do feel that as a genre of music, it has fell off and become more commercialized. This poses an issue for me as a passive consumer of music. I don’t go out and seek music on my own. I just listen to what is playing on the radio. Now that I know about payola, the idea that I’m not listening to necessarily the best of hip hop that’s out there, just the work of artist who were able to pay to have their music aired, disturbs and upsets me as consumer. I can understand the DJ wanting to get his cut, but as mentioned in the article, the DJ serves a middle man between me and the artist; therefore I feel like it is his responsibility to serve me best by supplying me with the best music, not with the music who’s artist paid him.

I understand both sides of the argument, from the perspective of a DJ and an independent artist.  I would go about resolving the issue between these two stakeholders by suggesting a contract be established. Once the artist is able to become mainstream, thanks to the airtime provided to them by a DJ they should show appreciation for this help, but paying them an amount outlined in a contract agreed upon by both parties.

For DJs to ask for money from the start, without the promise that the artist will become successful doesn’t seem fair to me. By paying later, both the artist and the DJ is benefiting from each other. The artist is getting airtime, and the DJ. is getting paid after the artist becomes successful, which resolves the initial issue: DJs felt like they weren’t being accredited for propelling an artist’s career.

“Is hip hop dead”? I don’t think it’s dead, but it’s definitely declining in health, and payola may have something to do with it.