#14: Fredric Dannen, New York Times Best Selling Author of The Hitmen. The book that shook the music industry.

In this landmark episode of Sold 4 a Song, Terry sits down with legendary investigative journalist and author Fredric Dannen, whose book The Hit Men ripped the lid off payola, mafia influence, and systemic corruption inside the record business. Fredric walks through the origin story of The Hit Men: how an innocuous business assignment on PolyGram led to Dick Asher’s shocking Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall” experiment, the rise of independent promoters known as The Network, and how major labels effectively created an extortion machine that controlled radio airplay. He recounts Clive Davis’ attempts to block the book’s release, the legal battles that followed, and how one threatened lawsuit actually helped send the book to the New York Times bestseller list — “Thank you, Clive.” The conversation dives into the darker corners of music history: the mob-connected promotion ecosystem, figures like Morris Levy, the pay-to-play reality behind Pink Floyd, The Who, Loverboy, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller era… and the uncomfortable role artists themselves sometimes played in fueling the system. Fredric shares the now-famous Maurice White quote — “Don’t make me your crusade” — and how that crystallized the tension between moral outrage and survival for artists. From there, Terry and Fredric zoom out into cultural loss and censorship: race records, the R&B label slapped on Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall purely because of skin color, the disappearing tradition of truly society-shifting songs (“Strange Fruit,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Fight the Power”), and the way both government and corporate power still suppress and reshape creative expression. Fredric also explains how The Hit Men helped inspire Eliot Spitzer’s later payola crackdown — proof that one book really can change the system. The episode closes on Fredric’s life in Mexico, his bilingual theater company La Troupe Mexico, the San Miguel Playhouse, his ongoing work for Billboard, and a new miniseries he’s writing set in 19th-century Mexico. It’s a masterclass in how one truth-teller can impact music, law, culture, and justice — and a reminder of why creators need to understand the game above the game. Takeaways The Hit Men remains the definitive inside account of music industry corruption Independent promoters (“The Network”) wielded power not just to get records played, but to block airplay Major labels built and funded the very extortion system that later threatened them Global hits by Pink Floyd, The Who, and Loverboy were manipulated through payola-style schemes Artists often felt forced to participate: “Don’t make me your crusade — I only have one career” Race and genre labeling (“race records,” “rhythm and blues”) were historically tied to skin color, not sound Cultural protest songs once shifted society in ways today’s landscape rarely allows The Hit Men helped inspire Eliot Spitzer’s later payola investigation as Attorney General Fredric’s obsession with justice has freed wrongly convicted people and reshaped his life Art, journalism, theater, and songwriting remain powerful tools for exposing systems — if we dare to tell the truth Titles The Hit Men, the Mob, and the Music Industry’s Dark Secret Fredric Dannen on Payola, Power, and the Price of Telling the Truth Sound Bites “You think you’re just writing a book — then you find out it changed the law.” “There is power in being able to keep a record off the air.” “Don’t make me your crusade. I only have one career.” “If you can do that to Pink Floyd and The Who, you can do it to anyone.” “Songwriting is one of the greatest art forms in human history.” Chapters 00:55 Sold 4 a Song intro & why this conversation matters 02:50 How The Hit Men was born — from chemicals to corruption 04:41 Dick Asher, Pink Floyd, and the “Another Brick in the Wall” experiment 06:06 The Network, independent promotion, and mafia ties 14:27 Payola history: from $50 handshakes to full-scale extortion 19:10 Morris Levy, trials, wiretaps, and “Terrible!” 23:06 Major labels, rock & roll, and why indies couldn’t survive 30:46 Race records, R&B, and the categorization of Black artists 34:10 Thriller, Frank DiLeo, Al Sharpton, and the Jackson tour 39:38 Justice, banned books, and censorship from both sides 44:11 Revenge of the Green Dragons and the limits of adaptation 46:07 Why The Hit Men should be a series — and how Vinyl got it wrong 47:50 Eliot Spitzer, revived payola cases, and real-world impact 49:56 Cultural loss, protest songs, and the value of music 53:09 Life in Mexico, La Troupe Mexico & San Miguel Playhouse 55:30 New projects, miniseries, and closing reflections Keywords music industry, payola, The Hit Men, Fredric Dannen, mafia, independent promotion, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, Al Sharpton, Clive Davis, Earth Wind & Fire, race records, rhythm and blues, censorship, justice, San Miguel de Allende, theater, Billboard 📚 Buy The Hit Men here: 👉 https://a.co/d/4WcT7OR   Sold 4 a Song™ Podcast hosted by Terrance Sawchuk, Billboard #1 multi-platinum songwriter, producer, artist, mixer, & entrepreneur. Sold 4 a Song™ is a living exploration of creative worth, ownership, and the true value of music — inside the systems that monetize it. If this episode resonates, you can follow the work at sold4asong.com.