NWSF Bullet: Tom Joyner Snitchin' on the Record Industry

When I heard the Tom Joyner Morning Show, today I thought about the scene from New Jack City when drug dealer Nino Brown, facing a possible trip to the electric chair, started fingering everybody in the courtroom.

This morning, Joyner had Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee on to discuss her support of HR 848 (Performance Bill) , which will force radio stations to pay more money so that musicians will be compensated for their music.

Well, it didn't take too long for Joyner to start squealin' on the record industry.

(In the 'hood they call it snitchin')

"It's not us. It's the record companies!"

Bingo, Tom! But black radio has been an accessory to the crime.

In drug dealer terminology you might not be the king pin who brings the drugs over from South America but urban radio is the main distributor. So both of you are guilty of putting poison in the black community.

But if you are willing to rollover on the record label king pins the court of black public opinion may be willing to show you some leniency.

Of course it's the record labels that have jerked black artists for generations. Hey, I saw the movie Cadillac Records.

We have often pointed out the role that the record labels play in the promotion of negative music to our youth but urban radio has escaped criticism.

The reason why is because the people to whom most black folks look to be their mouthpieces depend on black oriented radio to get their messages out.

As on point as Rev. Al Sharpton is on many issues facing black folks can he really, objectively, critique black radio and keep his room in the Cathy Hughes Radio One mansion?

I don't think so.

I found it strange that during the Hip Hop witch hunts in the aftermath of the Don Imus scandal a few years back when folks were pointing at rap music as the cause of America's problems, black radio was strangely left out of the conversation.

But if black radio wants to take on EMI, Universal and the rest of the big boys; more power to 'em.

Personally, I hope they beat the stuffin' out of each other.

I can't wait to see the boxing match between the radio execs and the record industry.

Edgar Bronfman vs Cathy Hughes?

Yeah, that's worth the price of admission.


Paul Scott writes for No Warning shots Fired.com