Editing Payola (section)

===U.S. investigations and aftermath===
The first U.S. Congressional Payola Investigations occurred in 1959.<ref name="clark" /> The investigations were carried out by the [[House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight]] into payola,<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE PAYOLA SCANDAL John Morthland provided a succinct description o |url=https://www.shsu.edu/~lis_fwh/book/brill_building/Payola%20Scandal2.htm |access-date=2023-06-08 |website=www.shsu.edu}}</ref> and prompted by a parallel investigation in the US Senate.<ref name="clark" />

DJ [[Alan Freed]], who was uncooperative in committee hearings, was fired as a result.<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 May 2018|title=FREED, ALAN|url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/f/freed-alan|access-date=2 February 2021|website=Encyclopedia of Cleveland History {{!}} Case Western Reserve University|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/22/archives/alan-freed-is-out-in-payola-study-disk-jockey-refuses-to-sign-wabc.html |title=ALAN FREED IS OUT IN 'PAYOLA' STUDY; Disk Jockey Refuses to Sign WABC Denial on Principle – Says He Took No Bribes |date=22 November 1959 |work=New York Times |access-date=4 February 2021 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Alan_Freed |title=Alan Freed |date=17 March 1964 |work=Ohio Central History |access-date=4 February 2021 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/f/freed-alan |title=Freed, Alan |date=2 December 2017 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |access-date=4 February 2021 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2019/12/23/radio-how-a-disgraced-dj-made-his-way-to-southern-california-airwaves/ |title=Radio: How a disgraced DJ made his way to KDAY |date=23 December 2019 |work=LA Daily News |access-date=4 February 2021 |quote=}}</ref><ref>Curtis, p. 37.</ref> [[Dick Clark]] also testified before the committee, but avoided repercussions,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dick Clark survives the Payola scandal|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dick-clark-survives-the-payola-scandal|access-date=2 February 2021|website=HISTORY|language=en}}</ref> partly because he had divested his ownership interest in music-industry holdings.<ref>"The Jordan brothers: A Musical Biography of Rock's Fortunate Sons", by Maxim W. Furek. Kimberley Press, 1986.</ref>

Following the investigation, radio DJs were stripped of the authority to make programming decisions and payola became a misdemeanor offense. Programming decisions became the responsibility of station program directors. However, this had the result of simplifying the process of payola: instead of reaching numerous DJs, record labels only had to persuade the station's program director.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-24 |title=Payola: exploring the dark practice of bribing radio stations |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/payola-dark-practice-bribing-radio/ |access-date=2023-06-08 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref> Labels could circumvent payola allegations by utilizing independent third parties (see below).<ref name="Howe">{{Cite news|last=Howe|first=Desson|title=Payola Probe Deepens|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/03/04/payola-probe-deepens/6aae7514-7d38-472c-9ee3-8c6e944b5658/|access-date=12 February 2021|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en}}</ref>

In 1976, inner-city urban soul DJ [[Frankie Crocker]] was indicted in a payola scandal, causing him to leave New York radio, where his influence was greatest. The charges were later dropped and he returned to New York, hosting [[MTV]]'s video jukebox.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/568/1049/288359/|title=United States of America v. Frankie Crocker, Appellant, 568 F.2d 1049 (3d Cir. 1977)|website=Law.justia.com}}</ref>{{relevance inline|date=February 2021}}

Following the creation of music sharing websites in the late 1990s, the power of independent promoters declined and labels returned to dealing with stations directly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wikström |first=Patrik |title=The Music Industry in an Age of Digital Distribution |url=https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/the-music-industry-in-an-age-of-digital-distribution/ |access-date=2023-06-08 |website=OpenMind |language=en-US}}</ref>