PAY FOR PLAY:
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACT OF THE PAYOLA SYSTEM ON THE MUSIC AND BROADCAST INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA
A Research Paper
Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Masters of Arts in Cultural Studies
of
The University of The West Indies
Shavane Jamaine Daley
2015
Institute of Caribbean Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Education
Mona Campus
ABSTRACT
Pay For Play:
An Investigation into The Impact of The Payola System on The Music and Broadcast Industry In Jamaica
Shavane Jamaine Daley
This paper investigates the impact the payola system has on the music and broadcasting industry in Jamaica. The research draws upon primary and secondary data with interviews and focus…show more content… This statement suggests that this is the way business is transacted in Jamaica in that payola can be broadened to other areas in the business sector apart from the music industry. Therefore once there is bribery in any business this too can be seen as payola. Thus corruption is visible in all sectors. Of note, in this regard, are the allegations against a well-known businessman, a former minister of Government, and a Senior Superintendent of Police regarding the businessman’s attempted bribery of a police officer and the two latter individual’s role in trying to make the charges disappear. Although all three men have maintained their innocence, this case is one of many incidents that have negatively affected the way the private and public sector is viewed by ordinary…show more content… One feature of the Payola System is its hegemonic influence. Antonio Gramsci developed the philosophy and the sociology of geopolitical into the theory of cultural hegemony, whereby one social class can manipulate the system of values and mores of a society, in order to create and establish a ruling-class (Antonio Gramsci). Stuart Hall further developed the idea of hegemony, broadening hegemony to encompass the whole domain of social and cultural life (Trubshaw, 2003). Pay for play alludes to the fact that only the minority who can afford the payments will be aired on prime time television and radio, which usually involves the upper and middle class. As Marx explains in his theory, this will allow those who have power to gain more power and those who already have a difficulty in making ends meet, will continue to do so. As with violence and corruption, payola has become entrenched in the entertainment industry so much so, it is now accepted as the