(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Infinity Broadcasting Corporation has banned the independent promotion of songs from all of its affiliated radio stations, reported the Los Angeles Times.
The ban was announced six weeks after New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer handed out subpoenas to industry giants Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, EMI Group and Universal Music Group. The subpoenas requested all communication between the company and the top independent promoters in the industry.
Sources inside Infinity told the LA Times that an internal email memo went out Wednesday explaining to station managers they are not allowed to associate with promotion companies that have contests which could be won by the managers, independent promoters or trade tip-sheet publications.
The law states that broadcasters are allowed to accept payment in return for playing a song on the air, however the listening audience must be made aware of the situation. Despite this, promoters claim that many radio stations all over the United States accept payments to play songs without notifying the public of the circumstances under which the song is being played.
Infinity, a unit of Viacom, Inc., is the second largest radio broadcaster in the country behind Clear Channel Communications and is responsible for 180 radio stations in 22 of the nation’s largest markets. Clear Channel has already banned the independent promotion of songs from their stations and with Infinity doing the same a strong precedent has been set for the rest of the industry. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
