Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Music industry veteran Paul Porter has released the book Blackout, an explosive look at the corruption running rampant in the music industry. Blackout details Porter’s experiences in the music industry, from his first stint in radio in 1976 – when the busing riots in Boston sent him scrambling into WRBB at Northeastern University – to his tenure at BET and some of the nation’s top-rated radio stations.
“Blackout is a chronicle of my successes and failures, my dreams and disappointments in the music business,” Porter said. “It’s filled with the secrets the music industry desperately tries to keep, the stories no one tells. I wanted to expose the truth about the industry I love.”
Blackout takes readers on a ride through Porter’s whirlwind of media jobs, working for and with some of the music industry’s most colorful, well-known and scandalous players. It explores the insidious role of payola, an illegal practice that is firmly embedded in the music industry, deep in the grooves like tracks on a vinyl record. And it offers an inside account of how corporations killed Black radio and erased Black identity from mainstream Black music — and why Porter chose to fight back.
The book has already garnered the endorsement of major cultural figures, including Chuck D of Public Enemy, who called Porter a “guru and visionary” and said “Blackout will truly explain why things are the way they are.”
Tim Winter, president of the Parents Television Council, called Blackout a “compelling, personal story about how the music industry really operates” that “also offers an enlightening message of hope for the music industry and for its broader impact on our culture.”
Joy-Ann Reid, host of AM Joy on MSNBC, said “Blackout is essential reading for anyone who cares about the history and future of African-Americans in the multi-billion dollar music industry.”
Paul Porter has been a force in radio, music and television for four decades. His deep, seductive voice has resonated on the airwaves of many of the nation’s top-rated radio stations, and he spent 10 years at BET as Program Director, consultant and on-air talent. Porter’s expertise and activism have established him as a thought leader in the radio and music industry, and he is often sought out by major media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, SiriusXM, Entertainment Tonight and FOX News to comment on music, culture and race. He is the Co-Founder of music industry nonprofit Industry Ears and music and culture website Rap Rehab and currently serves as Program Director at Orlando’s low-power FM station The Wire 98.5.
Blackout is available for purchase at here.
Mr. Porter was on our show talking about Blackout: My 40 Years In The Music Business.
During our conversation, Mr. Porter talked about:
– Why he believes everyone is important
– Memories of growing up in Queens, New York and his start in college radio
– When he knew that music would be his life and his first big break
– Some of his major obstacles and how he overcame them
– Why he feels his book has been successful
– Some of the problems with the radio industry today including payola
– How did his stint at BET happen and thoughts about BET today
– The effect of video on Black music
– The story behind the book and the response to it
– Some of his favorite artists
– How can the consumer change the music industry
– His advice for people who want to get into the industry
You can contact Mr. Porter via:
Website
The Wire 98.5
Twitter
Instagram
Rap Rehab
Industry Ears
Industry Ears – Facebook
Email
Please feel free to email us at dr.vibe@thedrvibeshow.com
Please feel free to “Like” the “The Dr. Vibe Show” Facebook fan page at “The Dr. Vibe Show” Facebook Fan Page
God bless, peace, be well and keep the faith,
Dr. Vibe
dr.vibe@thedrvibeshow.com
Producer of Google+ Hangouts – The Good Men Project
The Dr. Vibe Show™ At “The Good Men Project”
One of the first Brand Ambassador’s – Cuisine Noir Magazine
The Dr. Vibe Show™ Channel
Dr. Vibe – Producer And Co-host of Black Men Talking On WJMS Radio
Dr. Vibe on HuffPost Live – August 2, 2013
2013 Black Weblog Awards Finalist (Best Podcast)
2012 Black Weblog Awards Winner (Best International Blog)
2012 Black Weblog Awards Finalist (Best Podcast)
2011 Black Weblog Awards Finalist (Best International Blog and Best Podcast Series)
Black Blog Of The Day – Black Bloggers Network – June 23, 2011
Twitter
Twitter hashtag: #DrVibe
The Dr. Vibe Show™ – iTunes
Dr. Vibe Media – You Tube
Google+
The Dr. Vibe Show™ – Stitcher Radio
The Dr. Vibe Show™ – TuneIn Radio
The Dr. Vibe Show™ – Google Play Music
Linkedin – The Dr. Vibe Show™
Instagram
“The Dr. Vibe Show” Facebook Fan Page
Most Viewed Posts Over The Last 24 Hours:
- The Dr. Vibe Show™: Lavern Lewis – 2016 Toronto Urban Book Expo
- The Dr. Vibe Show™: Black Canada Talking™
- The Dr. Vibe Show™: Al Jazeera America’s Tonya Mosley “Black In the Whitest City”
- The Dr. Vibe Show™: The C.A.L.L.: Inspiring Stories For Young Men About Character Accountability Love And Leadership (Volume 1)
- The Dr. Vibe Show™: ZaZa Ali And Dr. Tommy Curry “Are Black Women Leaving Black Men Behind?”
- The Dr. Vibe Show™: Jessica Ann Mitchell “Blogger Week 2015”
- The Dr. Vibe Show™: Cory Haywood “The Black Hat/We Gotta Do Better: 14 New Year’s Resolutions For Black People In 2020”
- The Dr. Vibe Show™: Trish Browning And Alyssa Mahadeo – Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
- The Dr.Vibe Show: Rebroadcast of The Media Huddle's "Follow Me: Fitting Into A Social World" – Wednesday, November 23, 2011
- Dr. Vibe Show: Dr. Vibe’s Allies “Perceptions & Expectations Of Today’s Black Man”
