[anigbrowl]

Another way to read it is that labels put more capital and effort into developing artists that could produce albums instead of chasing single-oriented bands that tended to flame out quickly. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were trailblazers in this area because they were able to produce 8 or 10 good songs that people would pay money for in the form of an album.

I'm no fan of the RIAA, but amount of cognitive bias on this thread is ridiculous. The record industry didn't kill singles at all, I bought plenty of them growing up.