What effect do you think "payola" had on rock and roll music in the 50s and 60s?

Payola, for those of you that are too young to remeber, was when a record company, would pay a radio station or disc jockey, money or other enticement to play a particular song over and over again. This form of payola was strictly illegal and several dj’s were arrested because of it. Several songs would never have made it into the top 20, without the use of payola. Many of the radio stations in Chicago, denied accepting a bribe, but were given a “play list” of songs to play once or twice each hour. One dj admitted to taking a payola bribe of $22,000 plus dollars to play a particular song.

Question: do you believe that payola still exists today? And, what song do you believe, would never have made a hit, without someone taking a bribe or payola?