"It is well known that some bands will pay to appear in clubs on the Sunset Strip. Even bands that don't pay to appear are often required to guarantee that a certain number of fans will show up to the club date; if they don't, your minutes on stage could very well be reduced. Whatever you call it, the payola model is alive and well in many industries, as you note. One can debate the moral issues involved, but for me the only thing that would be wrong would be if payments were made and not disclosed." - Ontario Emperor