Radio DJs had a profound effect on American music in the 1950s. The “pillars of U.S. low- and middle-brow culture” according to Time magazine, disc jockeys ruled the airwaves and introduced American teenagers to rock and roll and rhythm and blues songs. But in 1960, nearly overnight, the role of DJs as a creative and cultural force was diminished. In that year, after several federal investigations into the radio business, Congress amended the Communications Act in order to eliminate payola — the pejorative term for payments from outside parties, like record companies, to radio DJs. To avoid the risk of costly litigation, a federal lawsuit, or expensive settlements, many station managers and music directors immediately usurped DJs’ role in determining radio playlists.
The true motivations behind the payola prohibitions are largely forgotten. As a result, today many assume the anti-payola legislation protects small record labels from the caprice and pocketbooks of the established music industry. The actual forces behind the anti-payola law — reactionary congressmen, the dominant music copyright holder, ASCAP, and major record labels and music publishers — faded into the background. This history has new relevance as the dreaded “payola” label is turned on streaming media like YouTube, Spotify, and Pandora.
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