Online music service/community, Last.fm attracted a lot of attention recently when CBS purchased the company for a staggering $280 million USD. People started to ask questions and Last.fm went under the magnifying glass. What some people found and what has changed since the buy isn’t as nice to hear as the site’s musical selections. Has Last.fm been using a payola system for music included in its database? Is CBS going to turn it into something that current users would be offended by? ([More →])

As promised, the Future of Music Coalition has ended a week of exposing Clear Channel’s devious business practices with a BANG! I don’t want to spoil the plot, so head over to the FMC blog to see what they’ve served up. If you have no idea what I am talking about, check out the links to previous posts below.

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FMC surprise for Clear Channel
Clear Channel Steals From Independent Musicians
Clear Channel Seeks Royalty-Free Souls

Yesterday I reported about Clear Channel’s latest crime involving independent musicians and the payola agreement. In a nutshell, the FCC decided that it was unlawful for Clear Channel to use a pay-per-play structure that ensured the Big Record Companies would get plenty of airtime while independent and local music would be economically excluded. After a bit of research, I can see why the people at Future Of Music and various independent musicians/independent record labels are furious with the outcome of this agreement. ([More →])

Anyone paying attention to the situation with independent music on terrestrial radio will recall that the FCC was investigating Clear Channel over payola issues. Not long ago, they reached an agreement that included the broadcast of 8,400 half-hour blocks of independent music on all of Clear Channel’s commercial radio stations. ([More →])