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NEWS
12 December 2003

Viva: Corporate control!?
European independent music companies slam Universal’s alleged payola deal with Germany-based broadcaster Viva to guarantee video-time for Universals’ artists in return for payment

Press release from IMPALA, Independent Music Companies Association

See also Der Spiegel (in German)
Recommended background reading:

Pay for play

Payola City

Payola - The paying of cash or gifts in exchange for airplay

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Read more:

Spot buys: The new payola?
Focus on the history of payola, including the current debate in the U.S. on record labels purchasing overnight advertising time at radio chains and using the time for repeated play of singles
05 July 2004
Viva Corporate Control!?
European independent music companies slam Universal’s alleged payola deal with Viva to guarantee video-time for Universals’ artists in return for payment
12 December 2003
Independent record labels unhappy with Sony – BMG merger
Small record labels fear more corporate control: "This merger is not about economic necessity in a changing market, it is about the desire to dominate and to control the outlets at media and retail level”
20 July 2004
Roskilde Festival 2003, Damon Albarn on music censorship
Damon Albarn, Tony Allen and Ty on self-censorship, corporate censorship, censorship in Africa, and music during wartime - video excerpts from the Freemuse organized press conference on freedom of musical expression, Roskilde Festival 2003
26 August 2003
Clear Channel: September 11 & Corporate Censorship
Corporate censor no. 1, or just the market leader? A collection of articles on Clear Channel - including the debate on the infamous list of 'potentially offensive songs', which Clear Channel suggested its 1.300 radio stations not to play following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US
01 December 2002
UK: Britain at War
Extensive article on how music was "restricted" during the Falkland and Gulf war, with focus on UK legislation and corporate censorship. Presented by Martin Cloonan at the 1st World Conference on Music and Censorship, 1998
01 January 2001
Germany: Norwegian band censored by German publisher
When the Norwegian band Honningbarna wanted to release their debut album in Germany they were told by their publisher to leave the song ‘Free Palestine’ out
03 October 2011
UK: Opera author refused censorship of a character’s sexuality
A school and an opera house have pulled out of a 400-person opera production in the last minute as the consequence of a bitter row over a character’s sexuality
04 July 2011
UK / USA: ‘Offending’ album title covered with sticker
The British rock band Arctic Monkeys’ new album is entitled ‘Suck It And See’ - a phrase which causes a stir in the US where major stores will cover the offending album title
06 June 2011
Kris Kristofferson
Video interview with American folk singer Kris Kristofferson about his personal experiences with music censorship in USA - and in Russia
31 March 2008