Payola? Spotify Calls Justin Bieber’s Latest Single a ‘Viral Hit’

‘Payola’ first started decades ago, when major recording labels were found paying major radio stations large sums of money to play their songs.  In this decade, the same thing appears to be happening online.
In May of this year, a leaked contract between Spotify and Sony Music revealed a number of preferential financial arrangements, including lump sum payments, ownership shares, and reserved allocations of advertising inventory.
Last month, Billboard exposed a new type of &lsq