Labels paid MTV for Britney, J.Lo, *NSync appearances

...Just like they paid MTV to play their videos in high rotation, right? Payola is alive and well, kids. Instead of radio DJs raking in the big bucks (and don't kid yourself, they get some decent swag, too), it's MTV and other music video channels that make out like bandits. This is another reason why artists get the short end of the stick. If labels didn't spend so much money paying off these channels for airplay, they could spare a few more dimes for the people that create the content in the first place.