Which Way, L.A.?

Payola for Play or Business as Usual?

Pay-for-play, or payola, was outlawed years ago by the federal government, but record companies and radio stations found loopholes in the law and paid middlemen to turn an artist-s song into a radio hit. Now, recording industry executives and the musicians who make the music say it-s time to take a second look at the high cost of getting airplay. Are record companies hurting as much as they claim? Have radio station chains become too powerful? We speak with members of the musician-s union, an independent promoter, media watchdog, music label founder, and a financial consultant about who determines music programming, how much they get paid for making that choice and whether it-s time for the government to take new action. Sara Terry, of the Christian Science Monitor, guest hosts. An extended version of this program was originally broadcast earlier today on To the Point. Newsmaker: US-Mexico Showdown at World Cup At the World Cup, the US lost badly to Poland but still made it to the second round after South Korea-s stunning upset over Portugal. In a championship filled with surprise winners and losers, the competition promises to get even more intense when the second round of games begins tomorrow. The Boston Globe-s Frank Dell-Apa has been covering soccer for over 30 years.