Bringing back the music

BRINGING BACK THE MUSIC
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] After the Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed for mass consolidation in the radio industry, it seemed to bring about mass consolidation of music playlists, too. Once, a local radio station reflected the quirky character of its place with local bands. Now, whether you're in Des Moines or Miami, all the stations are playing the same tunes. So, the news that four of the nation's largest broadcast radio companies are being fined $12.5 million for "pay-for-play" practices didn't come as much of a surprise. What's surprising is how their monetary settlement with the Federal Communications Commission and their parallel agreement with the American Association of Independent Music on the rules of engagement may affect the future of radio -- and the Internet. More intriguing is what the settlement says about the FCC. Though oversight of the broadcasters is the FCC's job, it didn't launch this investigation -- Eliot Spitzer, the then-state attorney general for New York, did, when he started looking at the radio groups for consumer fraud. The FCC has been too busy with partisan infighting to do adequate policing, and that doesn't look good for those of us who are concerned about the Internet -- another industry where a few private players (in the telecommunications industry) may, short of Network Neutrality laws, soon exact undue influence over what's available for public consumption. That music you're hearing on the radio is the FCC's wake-up call.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/0...