Eliot Spitzer, a man determined to get his name in the newspapers as often as possible, and finding a great way to do so by uncovering pervasive white collar crime, has forced Sony BMG into a settlement involving a serious payola scandal to the tune of 10 million dollars. To put that in perspective, when Napster settled their lawsuit in which Sony BMG were one of the plaintiffs, Napster had to pay out 36 million dollars. So for Sony BMG it's simply easy come, easy go. To put it even more in perspective, 10 million is a small sum for a division that sells 4 billion dollars worth of music every year. The bad press is probably more damaging than the settlement.

Yes, Virginia, the major labels do pay off the programming directors of radio stations to get airplay for their acts. It was true in the past, it's true in the present, and it will probably continue to be true until the human race finally, and mercifully, exterminates itself. Does this come as a surprise to anyone out there? I'm not sure how it possibly could have to anyone who has ever listened to the radio. No matter the station, in general you hear one of two songs: one that you've heard at least a hundred times before, or one that you will hear at least hundred more times before you die. Surely there has to be more music out there than the Doors, the Stones, and Led Zeppelin, but if you listen to any classic rock station, that's pretty much all you get. Many stations have similarly tight playlists. As a result, radio is pretty much a vast wasteland, and most alternatives suffer from a similar malady. Payola continues to pollute and homogenize the public airwaves.

It's all about profit, mass production, dominating the ear of the public, etc. You've heard it all before. But the parts that truly disgust me about this particular case are the details of how the payola scheme was conducted and the shameless attitudes of those involved. "I'm a whore this week. What can I say?", one station manager wrote in an e-mail indicative of the flippant and cavalier attitude of those involved. The payola was widespread, affecting both Infinity Broadcasting and Clear Channel Communications who, combined, control nearly a quarter of radio stations nationwide. As usual the FCC, which is responsible for enforcing payola laws, was either asleep or on the take, having levied but a single $8,000 fine for payola in the last ten years.

This is a powerful lesson to all of us about how corruption can flow almost unfettered in a supposedly open market system. When you're Sony, you have a tremendous amount of super cool gear that you can give away in exchange for getting your artists put into the heavy rotation. That much is pretty obvious. But some of the schemes involved holding fake contests with fake winners where prizes such as plasma TVs were delivered to the programming directors of radio stations. Consider the number of contests that occur every day and how easily they can be rigged and you get an idea of how pervasive payoff arrangements can potentially be. Furthermore, I doubt that this method of bribery, as well as numerous others, are limited to just payola schemes.

Kickbacks and bribery are rife in our government as well as nepotism and what amounts to clan loyalty in determining which candidates are chosen for a given position. It's not unusual for a politician to be squeaky clean while in office, pushing legislation that benefit certain companies, only to get hired by one of those companies in a ceremonial position with a hefty salary after his or her term is over. And some politicians make millions on speaking tours, all legally of course, since technically it's not bribery if the payoff appears to be a fee for service arrangement and occurs a couple years after the fact. Former executives are appointed to serve on "watchdog" committees where they regulating the industries that they once served in. Their policies are usually extremely lenient and the conflict of interest involved is staggering. Politicians' family members get special treatment when it comes to employment and opportunity and it's not just Mike Powell. Nepotism is everywhere in Washington. The same thing goes with judges, lobbyists, lawyers, and potentially anyone else who is a part of the system. We are told that the gifts their family members and acquaintances receive don't influence their decisions at all but the truth is that their decisions and legislation reek of special interests. Despite the trappings of democracy our system is thick with corruption and backroom deals which make a mockery of the idea of a representative government.

And when it comes to merit, the word rings hollow within our government, the music industry, and throughout our entire social system. Of course, it's not as if those at the highest levels of government or the bands that get the most airplay are completely incompetent. They do have at least some merit. But when comparing the credentials of those selected to those passed over it's difficult to not be aghast at the injustice involved in the selection process. And when rewards are piled high for the chosen while those left out receive only crumbs it's easy to see why so many of our best and brightest are filled with bitterness and contempt for the system that has failed them. But these sentiments are not just for the unlucky few. Indeed they have permeated the entire social order as many workers at all levels have watched their standards of living decline while watching those of the fortunate grow at a record pace. When hard work is not rewarded, merit becomes an empty word, and slowly but surely our society is forsaking the old ideals in favor of new idols that promise instant riches. Our civilization has been through this cycle many times before and history shows that it does not end well.

The Fireaxe theory states the following: that aggressive ideologies must continue to grow or face internal strife as their aggressive members will feed on each other to satisfy their needs; and, that internal struggle results in ideological mutation. I can see this occurring today with the internet as a catalyst for ideological change. Millions of disenfranchised people are finding a new life within a large number of internet based subcultures and counter- cultures. The cross-pollination of new ideas across the world wide web is beginning to send some serious shockwaves through the real world as bloggers and alternative news sources have risen up to challenge the established media. Those who have merit, but have been passed over by the system for one reason or another, have been given a voice and they, or rather we, are using it to bring about change. Yes, the internet is a big chaotic mess, but that doesn't mean that it is not a powerful force. Its many faces gives it a mass appeal that conventional media, along with many other institutions, are finding it difficult to compete with. And the fact that the internet is dramatically changing people's lives is proof of its power and potential.

I think that as our speculation based economy continues to stumble and starts to fall, the powerful voice of change embodied by the internet will become a deafening roar. I think that it will drive reality rather than reflect it and that it will form the core of whatever new ideology arises. The difficult part is trying to figure out what that new ideology will look like. I think that it will not be a homogenous or centralized system but rather a collection of mainly radical and often oppositional factions which have few things in common but which each value privacy and thrive on conflict. This is, in essence, what the internet is today, a world where politeness is optional, but retribution limited. We interact differently there and that is changing how we interact in person. What will be interesting is watching how these changes alter the real world, or rather, the meat world, since the life on the internet is becoming more and more real each day. I tend to think that it will become more and more difficult to implement any kind of social order or cohesion in a world that is heavily influenced by the internet. The internet is more fluid that the meat world, and people will demand more flexibility in all facets of their lives. Also, in the event of an economic collapse, many governments may break down to a great degree and we may end up with privatization of virtually all formerly public services. This will likely give way to intensely competitive markets as people demand options and flexibility. Look for "McNeighborhoods" where franchises compete against each other to provide essential services to their tenants/citizens. And the disorder will probably usher in a new age of war. I think that a lot of local conflicts will erupt which may grow into a larger war, but the conflicts might stay local and we might simply end up in a sort of corporate feudalism where alliances, local skirmishes, and terrorism between factions are the norm. But whatever the future holds, I don't expect a smooth transition to it. Preparations are in order.