美国国家公共电台 NPR In An Ever-Changing Music Industry, Cash For Hits Remains A Constant

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 

Hey, let's talk about the 21st century strategies for making a song a hit. The music industry has always had its ways over the generations, from the musicians known as song pluggers who were paid to promote sheet music in the early 20th century all the way to the payola scandal of 1950s radio. Well, how's it work today? Allyson McCabe reports on modern efforts to blur¹ the line between entertainment and advertising².

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

ALLYSON MCCABE, BYLINE³: "The Clicquot Club Eskimos," the "Champion Spark Plug Hour," "King Biscuit Time" - major brands often produced and underwrote live broadcasts during radio's golden age, says media historian Cynthia Meyers.

CYNTHIA MEYERS: There were no advertisements during the music program. And so they hoped that the audience would feel very favorably toward them for financing free radio programming.

MCCABE: Television took off in the '50s, taking with it sponsors and stars. But radio remained vital, thanks to disc jockeys like Alan Freed, who introduced audiences to new music, including rock 'n' roll.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BERN BENNETT: And here is the king of rock 'n' roll himself, Alan Freed.

(APPLAUSE)

ALAN FREED: Thank you, Bern Bennett, and welcome to our "Camel Rock 'N' Roll Dance Party."

MCCABE: DJ's became influential⁴ tastemakers, and record labels plied⁵ them with cash payments and gifts in exchange for airplay. Media reports led to congressional hearings. Hundreds of DJ's were implicated⁶, and Freed was eventually fired and fined. But Cynthia Meyers sees payola as an inevitable⁷ consequence of radio's evolving business model.

MEYERS: When you think about it, the music industry was buying airtime just as brands were buying airtime in order to promote their product, which was music recordings⁸.

MCCABE: In 1960, Congress amended⁹ the Federal Communications Act to require that pay-for-play arrangements be disclosed on the air. But record labels quickly found work-arounds, using independent radio promoters as middlemen, to covertly¹⁰ fund airplay, contests and giveaways. Kevin Erickson in the nonprofit Future of Music Coalition¹¹ says the consolidation¹² of the radio industry in the '90s corporatized payola.

KEVIN ERICKSON: When we talk about payola, people have an image of somebody, like, sliding a briefcase¹³ full of cash to a DJ, and that Alan Freed model is not really how it works anymore.

MCCABE: Today, large media companies own most major market radio stations and playlists are set at corporate¹⁴ headquarters. Payola investigations¹⁵ in the mid-2000s led to multimillion-dollar settlements by several major label conglomerates¹⁶ and four of the nation's largest radio station owners.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MCCABE: Now, a new model of brand sponsorship has supplanted¹⁷ label-funded payola.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: You don't jump on the bandwagon. You drive it. But that doesn't mean you have to go it alone. Dr. Pepper is all about being a one-of-a-kind flavor. So they're right there with you. And when it comes to helping¹⁸ promote independent artists, they're all in.

MCCABE: Dr. Pepper's One Of A Kind Sound was designed by the tech start-up Music Audience Exchange to sound a lot like pre-release album teasers. CEO Nathan Hanks says this allows major brands to reach specific demographic targets while emerging bands gain valuable exposure.

NATHAN HANKS: Artists are calling us months in advance to be in the program, and they're thinking about these partnerships²⁰ as the marketing²¹ strategy for the single or for the album.

MCCABE: On an even larger scale, Pepsi launched The Sound Drop this fall. It's a partnership¹⁹ with MTV, the music app Shazam and iHeartMedia, formerly²² Clear Channel Communications, the country's largest radio station owner.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SWAY CALLOWAY: Pepsi invites you to discover your next music obsession²³ in episodes where we profile new artists.

MCCABE: The Sound Drop spotlights²⁴ artists who are already on major labels and in rotation²⁵ on iHeartRadio. Emma Quigley is Pepsi's head of music.

EMMA QUIGLEY: It's not a traditional spot. It's - because it goes deeper. It's telling you a story.

MCCABE: Sort of like a mini documentary.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LUKAS FORCHHAMMER: We are Lukas Graham.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MAMA SAID")

LUKAS GRAHAM: (Singing) Your mama said that it was OK.

FORCHHAMMER: So "Mama Said" is about how I grew up without all these things that people say you need to be happy and yet I was happy.

MCCABE: Soundbites from the artists - in this case Danish pop band Lukas Graham - are woven together with audio clips of the song being pushed and aired on all of the iHeart stations playing that format²⁶. Quigley explains that these are in addition to regular airplay of the single.

QUIGLEY: We work with iHeartRadio at a pivotal time in the cycle of the single that will connect the dots between the single that's on air and in rotation and the artists themselves.

MCCABE: There is also a longer mini documentary hosted on Pepsi's YouTube channel. The only part of the campaign that resembles a conventional commercial is the banner ads Shazam runs on its app. Quigley insists that The Sound Drop isn't advertising under the guise²⁷ of entertainment.

QUIGLEY: We're not advertising anything. There's no, you know, that ad's running, they have to play the track after the ad or anything of that. Yes, it's very clear that The Sound Drop is a Pepsi-owned platform, but the star of that platform is the artist and that song.

MCCABE: The approach seems to be working. Pepsi's first artist, Lukas Graham, just picked up three Grammy nominations²⁸, including song and album of the year. For NPR News, I'm Allyson McCabe.

(SOUNDBITE OF GOLD PANDA'S "IN MY CAR")

1 blur   

n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚

参考例句：

• The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
• If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

2 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

5 plied   

v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意

参考例句：

• They plied me with questions about my visit to England. 他们不断地询问我的英国之行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They plied us with tea and cakes. 他们一个劲儿地让我们喝茶、吃糕饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

8 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

9 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

10 covertly   

adv.偷偷摸摸地

参考例句：

• Naval organizations were covertly incorporated into civil ministries. 各种海军组织秘密地混合在各民政机关之中。 来自辞典例句
• Modern terrorism is noteworthy today in that it is being done covertly. 现代的恐怖活动在今天是值得注意的，由于它是秘密进行的。 来自互联网

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

12 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

13 briefcase   

n.手提箱，公事皮包

参考例句：

• He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
• He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。

14 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

15 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

16 conglomerates   

n.（多种经营的）联合大企业( conglomerate的名词复数 )；砾岩；合成物；组合物

参考例句：

• At the surface, radioactivity of the conglomerates is locally as high as 30 X background. 在地表，砾岩的局部地段的放射性高达30倍本底值。 来自辞典例句
• The conglomerates failed to understand that books could not be sold like soap. 这些联合大企业不懂卖书不象卖肥皂那样。 来自辞典例句

17 supplanted   

把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In most offices, the typewriter has now been supplanted by the computer. 当今许多办公室里，打字机已被电脑取代。
• The prime minister was supplanted by his rival. 首相被他的政敌赶下台了。

18 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

19 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

20 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

21 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

22 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

23 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

24 spotlights   

n.聚光灯（的光）( spotlight的名词复数 )；公众注意的中心v.聚光照明( spotlight的第三人称单数 )；使公众注意，使突出醒目

参考例句：

• The room was lit by spotlights. 房间被聚光灯照亮。
• The dazzle of the spotlights made him ill at ease. 聚光灯的耀眼强光使他局促不安。 来自辞典例句

25 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

26 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

27 guise   

n.外表，伪装的姿态

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors.他们假装成视察员进了学校。
• The thief came into the house under the guise of a repairman.那小偷扮成个修理匠进了屋子。

28 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句