Culture Gabfest Presents: Hit Parade, The Great War Against the Single Edition
b'Ever since the \\u201960s, the recording industry emphasized the album over the single. By the \\u201980s, they were milking as many hits as possible from an album to convince you to buy it\\u2014from Thriller to Hysteria.\\xa0\\nBut in the \\u201990s, labels changed tactics and tried to kill retail singles\\u2014promoting hits to radio that you could only buy on full-length albums. Why? They wanted consumers to shell out for more profitable CDs. As a result, musicians ranging from MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice, to Pearl Jam and Alanis Morissette, to Chumbawamba and Lou Bega became multiplatinum-selling artists. The industry\\u2019s ploy paid off, but it also created consumer resentment as people grew tired of paying nearly $20 to acquire one song.\\nHere\\u2019s the story of how the recording industry toyed with consumers and chart fans, and how the internet struck back.\\xa0\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'