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July 26, 2005
Sony BMG Music Agrees to $10 Million Payola Settlement
Seattle Times: Yesterday, during a press conference held by New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a string of incriminating e-mails from record-company executives was unveiled as part of an in-depth "pay-for-play" probe of the music industry. Sony BMG Music Entertainment, the world's second-biggest record label, admitted that its employees lavished cash, trips and other bribes on radio stations and their employees to get its music on the air. Spitzer said that, 'Sony BMG's efforts to win more airplay took many forms, including outright bribes of electronics to radio stations and paying for contest giveaways for listeners'...Sony BMG responded in a statement that "direct and indirect forms of what has been described generically as 'payola' for spins has continued to be an unfortunately prevalent aspect of radio promotion." It added that "various employees pursued some radio promotion practices on behalf of the company that were wrong and improper." The company apologized for "such conduct."
As a result, Sony BMG agreed to tighten its promotion guidelines and will pay a $10 million fine. The money will be distributed by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to New York nonprofit organizations aimed at arts and education. Spitzer indicated that the money will in part benefit independent musicians indirectly frozen out by the alleged payola...Spitzer has also asked for documents from the other three major labels: EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group...While Spitzer would not talk specifically about investigations into those companies, he said the payola problem goes "way beyond Sony BMG." Spitzer also called on the Federal Communications Commission to take a "very hard look" at the major radio-station owners and consider stripping the companies of broadcast licenses in cases where they are found to have "violated a public trust."
Related:
--Sony BMG faces the music in payola settlement
--Sony BMG Settles Radio Payola Probe
--Payola Shocker: J-Lo Hits, Others Were 'Bought' by Sony - "The question now is: Who will take the fall at Sony for all this? Spitzer is said to be close friends with Sony's new CEO, Andrew Lack, who publicly welcomed the new investigations earlier this year when they were announced. Did Lack anticipate using Spitzer's results to clean house?"
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M. Dean Hajas says:
Comments
deanoz said…
Aug-11-08 11:41am
SLAVE 4 TRUTH
Robert John “Mutt” Lang and Matt Haywood (formerly of HHO Publishing) together with B. Spears SONY ZOMBA BMG stole my SOCAN registery pre dating liner note suggestion.
DDLR: So what’s the angle on your Dave Lee Roth scam? Does it not just make you look dumb?
Dean Hajas: The angle on the DLR story is that the OPP released the story to CTV as though it were fact. CTV ran the story without talking to me to verify the validity of the claim. When the media finally realized it had mad a blunder, it then tried to pin the story on any donkey in the area. I chose to run with the story, thinking “what the hell” if people want to believe DLR was staying at my house in Oakland Ontario, let them. It was fun, interesting, controversial, and entertaining.
DLR camp can’t thank us enough.! And we’ve been on Howard Stern now and Radio one in Detroit.
Not bad for a rumor
DDLR: Ah ok thanks for answering. I should have said in my original email that the reason I asked was as a webmaster at the main Roth fan site I saw through it pretty early and found the whole thing odd. Did you ever meet the weird impersonator guy?
Dean Hajas: The impersonator guy? It gets a little darker around the edges when you mention DLR and DPA together in the same sentence. There is a gag order with regards to these two. Remember the Police released the info as GOSPEL and CTV followed. I could get into financial trouble for giving anymore info as of yet.
DDLR: Are you the same guy claiming a copyright thing with Britney Spears, is that a scam too?
Dean Hajas: With regards to B. Spears. The absolute truth! I met with Matt Haywood of HHO Publishing in Oct. of 2001 in England. Matt originates from South Africa as does Robert John “Mutt” Lang. They both show up in the UK in the early 70’s. Matt started Expansion records and Mutt Zomba. I went over to England to visit a son of mine during the 911 event and took my song roster with me. I down loaded a UK music directory and circled two companies HHO Publishing and Zomba. I met with reps from both companies and was advised that Matt Haywood wanted to be my UK representative. Matt left HHO Publishing as the disgruntled employee and left with an undisclosed amount of intellectual properties. I returned to Canada producing Jazz and Country and Native flut music. I was at Future shop Christmas of 2005 and that’s when I heard my melody. I don’t lay claim to the lyrical content of Slave 4 You, however Zomba and its affiliate members and representatives didn’t change a thing about my creation. I have the SOCAN registry of my creation which also predates B.Spears claim of ownership in her liner notes as “previously unreleased original by B. Spears”. B. Spears has 6 A & R representatives combing the Globe for potential hits, and they suck the life force out of creation. Wade Leak of SONY BMG is the legal counsel for this matter and is trying to use “statutory of limitations” regarding the ownership of the said creation. Our contention with this, the writer of Stairway to Heaven wrote the hit in 1972 and renumeration didn’t take place until 1993. Our plan is to win in two other zones (Countries) other than the USA, thereby forcing the USA to reopen this record smashing copyright infringement. When I realized that the Media was Knee deep in this story, I took full advantage of the situation to draw attention to the real story behing the DLR supposed sighting. Sorry for any hurt feelings, to DLR fans, however I hope you can appreciate the run around that I have been getting from Eric Levine, Bruce Scavuzzo, Dave Schmidt and Wade Leak to name a few. Our country has contention with the library of Congress in Washington D.C. It seems in 1864 Alexander Graham Bell claims to have invented the telephone. For over a hundred years our media and schools have reported this as truth. I later find out that Alexander Graham Bell promised Western Union 10% of earnings to remove Antonio Maouchi (sp?) from being recognized as the patent pending owner and holder. If the Library of Congress can allow such a blunder when it comes to something as revolutionarey as the telephone, then how can the FBI and USA stand behind its copyright laws as enforceable, authentic and transparent to other would be artisans, inventors and musicians alike?
Hope this helps you out Sesh.
M. Dean Hajas
Posted by: Michael Dean Hajas | Aug 25, 2008 4:15:18 PM
M. Dean Hajas says:
Comments
deanoz said…
Aug-11-08 11:41am
SLAVE 4 TRUTH
Robert John “Mutt” Lang and Matt Haywood (formerly of HHO Publishing) together with B. Spears SONY ZOMBA BMG stole my SOCAN registery pre dating liner note suggestion.
DDLR: So what’s the angle on your Dave Lee Roth scam? Does it not just make you look dumb?
Dean Hajas: The angle on the DLR story is that the OPP released the story to CTV as though it were fact. CTV ran the story without talking to me to verify the validity of the claim. When the media finally realized it had mad a blunder, it then tried to pin the story on any donkey in the area. I chose to run with the story, thinking “what the hell” if people want to believe DLR was staying at my house in Oakland Ontario, let them. It was fun, interesting, controversial, and entertaining.
DLR camp can’t thank us enough.! And we’ve been on Howard Stern now and Radio one in Detroit.
Not bad for a rumor
DDLR: Ah ok thanks for answering. I should have said in my original email that the reason I asked was as a webmaster at the main Roth fan site I saw through it pretty early and found the whole thing odd. Did you ever meet the weird impersonator guy?
Dean Hajas: The impersonator guy? It gets a little darker around the edges when you mention DLR and DPA together in the same sentence. There is a gag order with regards to these two. Remember the Police released the info as GOSPEL and CTV followed. I could get into financial trouble for giving anymore info as of yet.
DDLR: Are you the same guy claiming a copyright thing with Britney Spears, is that a scam too?
Dean Hajas: With regards to B. Spears. The absolute truth! I met with Matt Haywood of HHO Publishing in Oct. of 2001 in England. Matt originates from South Africa as does Robert John “Mutt” Lange. They both show up in the UK in the early 70’s. Matt started Expansion records and Mutt Zomba. I went over to England to visit a son of mine during the 911 event and took my song roster with me. I down loaded a UK music directory and circled two companies HHO Publishing and Zomba. I met with reps from both companies and was advised that Matt Haywood wanted to be my UK representative. Matt left HHO Publishing as the disgruntled employee and left with an undisclosed amount of intellectual properties. I returned to Canada producing Jazz and Country and Native flute music. I was at Future shop Christmas of 2005 and that’s when I heard my melody. I don’t lay claim to the lyrical content of Slave 4 You, however Zomba and its affiliate members and representatives didn’t change a thing about my creation. I have the SOCAN registry of my creation which also predates B.Spears claim of ownership in her liner notes as “previously unreleased original by B. Spears”. B. Spears has 6 A & R representatives combing the Globe for potential hits, and they suck the life force out of creation. Wade Leak of SONY BMG is the legal counsel for this matter and is trying to use “statutory of limitations” regarding the ownership of the said creation. Our contention with this, the writer of Stairway to Heaven wrote the hit in 1972 and renumeration didn’t take place until 1993. Our plan is to win in two other zones (Countries) other than the USA, thereby forcing the USA to reopen this record smashing copyright infringement. When I realized that the Media was Knee deep in this story, I took full advantage of the situation to draw attention to the real story behing the DLR supposed sighting. Sorry for any hurt feelings, to DLR fans, however I hope you can appreciate the run around that I have been getting from Eric Levine, Bruce Scavuzzo, Dave Schmidt and Wade Leak to name a few. Our country has contention with the library of Congress in Washington D.C. It seems in 1864 Alexander Graham Bell claims to have invented the telephone. For over a hundred years our media and schools have reported this as truth. I later find out that Alexander Graham Bell promised Western Union 10% of earnings to remove Antonio Maouchi (sp?) from being recognized as the patent pending owner and holder. If the Library of Congress can allow such a blunder when it comes to something as revolutionarey as the telephone, then how can the FBI and USA stand behind its copyright laws as enforceable, authentic and transparent to other would be artisans, inventors and musicians alike?
Hope this helps you out Sesh.
M. Dean Hajas
Dave Aude / OBAMA /B.Spears / Brittney Spears / Bruce Scavuzzo / Zomba / Eric Levine? Copyright infringement / Wade Leak /Shania Twain / AC DC / Robert "Mutt" Lange / Randell Hill /
Posted by: Michael Dean Hajas | Aug 25, 2008 4:18:56 PM
A great man .Thank you for your post.
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