Get the latest gossip
iHeartCountry Festival Comes Under Scrutiny in FCC Payola Investigation
The iHeartCountry Festival is being scrutinized in an FCC payola investigation into whether radio stations are exchanging airplay for free shows.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is scrutinizing iHeartMedia’s upcoming iHeartCountry Festival in Austin as part of an investigation into whether radio stations have been offering airplay to artists in exchange for free shows. In a lengthy letter sent Monday (Feb. 24) to iHeartMedia chairman/CEO Robert Pittman, FCC chairman Brendan Carr — who was appointed to the FCC board in 2023 by former President Joe Biden and promoted to chairman via an executive order from President Donald Trump on Jan. 21 — said he “want[s] to know whether iHeart is effectively and secretly forcing musicians to choose between, one, receiving their usual, ordinary, and full scale compensation for performing or, two, receiving less favorable airplay on iHeart radio stations.” Carr continued that he wants to learn more about the upcoming iHeart concert so that he can get “a real-world example of how such events are put together—including artist solicitation and compensation—and the procedures that are in place to ensure compliance with the relevant statutes and regulations.”
Or read this on Billboard
