Barnes: Many of Mariah Carey’s ‘No. 1 Hits Are Cheap Ones’
Contributed Anonymously:
USA Today music writer Ken Barnes took part in an online chat on Tuesday and was asked if Mariah Carey is really the best selling female artist, selling more worldwide then Madonna (250 Million) and Streisand (180 Million). “My impression was that the claims on behalf of Mariah were more along the lines of having more No. 1 singles than any other female artist,” Barnes said. “Many of her No. 1 hits are cheap ones, fueled by deeply discounted singles in an era of severely depressed single sales and at a time in the ’90s when singles sales counted far more than radio airplay on the charts. ‘We’ll Be Together’ appears to be a totally legit No. 1, though.”
The entire chat transcript at usatoday.com has since been removed.
