Will the Record Companies Ever Change? Yes, Under New Management

I find it absolutely amazing that payola persists between the record companies and radio stations. Is it any wonder that the vast majority of music heard on mainstream radio is so damn dull? Not to besmirch anyone's taste in music, or engage in playlistism, but when I turn on the 'popular'(with whom?) radio stations it sounds to me as if the executives are making decisions on what should receive radio airtime guided, by and large, by the amount of money their firm has sunk into the development of the lackluster 'artist' of the day.

Now the scales seem to be falling from the eyes of the nation's law enforcers (that is, if the actions of New York's Attorney General help the other 49 to get a clue), allowing them a clearer vision of the large record companies attempts to stiffle (i.e., control) the ebb and flow of digital music's movements. Given the enormous popularity of the iPod and iTunes, it will be interesting to see how much attention this receives in the MSM beyond blurbs like to one above from Reuters. Perhaps the involvement of the NY Attorney General's Office will help in popularizing it, given what that office has accomplished in other fields, but this story deserves attention in its own right. Digital music may no longer be in its infancy, but I believe it still has a long way to go, and the number of possible routes it may take on its journey would only be reduced if the large record companies are given free rein to control the drawing up of the map.