With New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer ready to expand his investigations into the use of payola in the US music industry, a US Senator has recommended that the Senate Commerce Committee consider the issue.
As previously reported, Spitzer has been investigating allegations that record labels and their agents have been bribing radio executives to playlist their music. Both SonyBMG and Warner have admitted some of their marketing execs have used inappropriate techniques for getting radio play in recent years, and Spitzer is now reportedly going after the radio stations who have accepted the bribes.
Now Senator Russ Feingold, who has lobbied for sometime for more clarity in the relationships between record labels and radio stations, has called for a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on payola, starting off with a testimony from Spitzer. Feingold says that the issue should be considered at an upcoming hearing on 'FCC oversight', but also at a separate bespoke hearing.