Warner Settles With Spitzer [3:28 pm]
Warner Music to pay $5 million in “payola” probe
Warner Music Group, one of the largest U.S. record companies, will pay $5 million to settle a New York state probe into how it influenced which songs are played on the radio, New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said on Tuesday.
The probe involved “pay-for-play” practices, commonly known as “payola,” in which companies are accused of paying radio stations or promoters to secure air time for songs.
In July, Sony BMG agreed to pay $10 million to settle a related pay-to-play probe.
