The Federal Communications Commission has asked iHeartMedia to answer questions about how the company got performers to agree to appear at the iHeart Country Festival in May.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr alleged in a Monday letter to iHeartMedia CEO Robert Pittman that the owners of some federally licensed radio stations are coercing artists to perform at radio events and festivals for free or reduced pay in exchange for having their songs played, though he didn’t directly accuse iHeartMedia of having those stations.

“Neither broadcast licensees nor their personnel can compel or accept unreported free or unreported reduced fee performances by musicians in exchange for more favorable airplay,” the FCC said in an advisory on Feb. 6.

When performances or payments in exchange for airplay go unreported, they are called illegal payola. Federal law requires people who pay for or accept payment for airplay of a program or song to disclose it to the station licensee and makes stations disclose that the playing of a song or program was paid for when applicable.

“I want to know whether iHeart is effectively and secretly forcing musicians to choose between, one, receiving their usual, ordinary and full-scale compensation for performing or, two, receiving less favorable airplay on iHeart radio stations,” Mr. Carr wrote to Mr. Pittman.

IHeartMedia says it’s in full compliance with federal law on payola.

“We look forward to demonstrating to the commission how performing at the iHeart Country Festival — or declining to do so — has no bearing on our stations’ airplay, and we do not make any overt or covert agreements about airplay with artists performing at our events,” iHeartMedia said, according to Variety.

In addition to the FCC’s industry advisory, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Republican, called attention to the possibility that artists could be coerced into making free performances in exchange for more airtime.

“Instead of demanding cash or lavish perks from record labels in exchange for airplay, they now pressure artists to perform ’free radio shows’ — also referred to as ’listener appreciation shows’ or ’charitable concert events.’ … There is often an implicit suggestion that declining to perform could result in reduced airplay,” Ms. Blackburn wrote in a letter to Mr. Carr on Jan. 30.

Ms. Blackburn added that the quid pro quo is forced onto artists at all levels of success and at all stages of their careers. She wrote that “artists should not be extorted into providing free labor in exchange for airplay. I urge you to take swift action to end this abuse and protect our music community.”

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.