October 20, 2008

By By Cortney Harding, N.Y.

Indie trade coalition A2IM and the Future of Music Coalition have released a survey of 61 indie labels that points to a continuing dissatisfaction on the part of labels when it comes to getting commercial radio airplay.

Over 92% of independent labels who took the survey reported no change in their relationship with commercial radio since the 2006 FCC settlement.

Additionally, nearly half of respondents reported that, in their experience, payola remains a determining factor in commercial radio airplay, and roughly 1 in 4 respondents said that they have been approached, either directly or indirectly, with requests for payola since the signing of the FCC settlement.

Respondents to the survey indicated that college radio, AAA, and NPR played the most indie music, while urban and country stations played the least.

The survey is based on questionnaires filled out by 61 independent labels. The findings were not compared against any playlists or interviews with radio programmers.

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