The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

None of the strategies you’ve suggested will have much of an impact. This is because our airwaves have been ceded to a national oligopoly, where programming is centralized. The ClearChannels and Radio Ones are permitted concurrent ownership of several radio stations in a market, which has the net effect of stifling local voices and independent artists like KRS-ONE whom can’t afford to pay the radio networks for airplay. On the street, the term for what commercial radio stations do to indie musicians is greenmail; a technically legal form of racketeering.

It’s therefore appropriate to call upon the FCC to enforce rather rigorous rules on ownership in order to protect the public’s interest in the airwaves.

For starters, KRS-One is a very poor spokesperson for this p.o.v. While he may be a legend in the hip hop movement, he has been played out for a very long time. Even groups like Run DMC, Whodini, Grandmaster Flash have enough sense not come out with another album. Cameos? Yes. But that is all the juice that is in his tank these days (he even tried to go Christian hip hop). So why radio stations not giving him any airplay is a mystery to him, I don’t get it.

Getting airplay on local radio stations has always been almost next to impossible for local artists going all the way back to the days of Motown. It all boils down to who you know and what you are willing to do for them. Personally I hate it because as folks have been saying for years, you loose the indigenous vibe of the local scene. This also applies to music stations catered to White audiences.

The only flaws in my off the cuff plan is that it would be next to impossible to convince such a large audience to pull off such a boycott. Radio stations like any other business are driven by the consumer. If folks stop listening, the station will either be forced to make changes or close. Companies like CC are not going to continue to pay premium prices for a slice of the FM spectrum if nobody is listening.

Not too long ago, a friend of mind told me of a local group that got so fed up with the process of getting airplay and a record deal that they offered their album online. Needless to say, the market responded and they got a multi-million dollar record deal because of the large amount of downloads they received. There are plenty of other artist out there that are doing the same thing–combining clever yet inexpensive marketing with their track record of building a strong following on the local level. Myspace, Facebook and iTunes have been very instrumental in this new movement.

This is exactly why three alphanumerics has haunted the industry for years: MP3. Consumers have become so sickened by the top 40 format that they are now turning to their own playlists and satellite radio. Broadcast radio is no longer the only way an artist gets noticed. More sooner than later I believe that companies like CC are going to see that they are pushing folks away. That is why I think it is foolish to ask for Federal intervention. The market will make corrections according to consumer demand. As long as folks continue to listen to these stations, all folks like KRS are doing is making a lot of noise.

As far as Black culture being “criminalized”, KRS should first look at who is A. making the music, and B. Who is buying it.

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You are right. Having the same company owning two or more stations in the same market is ridiculous but I think it is a stretch to lay all the blame for local artist not getting airplay on a company this is fueled by consumer demand.

Please look up the case of Keke Palmer and I think you will get an EXCELLENT example of what people are complaining about with record labels and radio stations.

Here is a very good overview of what is going on with her.

http://www.averagebro.com/2007/10/avbro-guestpost-from-akeelah-and-bee-to.html

Yeah, I read about this recently. While I totally side with Palmer, I think that it is wrong for us to expect companies to hold some level of morality while making a profit. I think we as Black consumers have the power to force media companies to give folks like Palmer a chance, but we do not use it. Palmer can definitely sang, so I am confident she will find recording company that will buck the trend. When that happens, it will be up to us to support it and get the word out.

Thanks for the link, btw.

Apparently, she did get a contract. Check out her website here.

http://www.kekepalmer.com/

Yea I see she got her album made. I just wish she had half the promotion 50 cent or Kanye West got. Maybe more people would know about it. I know I plan to pick it up. Hopefully more people will catch on to it.

I just don’t see how you couldn’t promote a critically acclaimed album by the star of one of the top movies of the year (or was that last year)? Seems like easy money to me but hey, it ain’t my company. I guess you are right. We have to go out and buy it in order for them to change their mentality toward black artists.