Mariah Carey's new single, "Through the Rain," has
stirred up a squall in the radio world with
suggestions that the pop singer's record label tried
to revive her career by inflating airplay figures.
Island Def Jam Music Group bought radio spots
containing 53 seconds of the song, which fooled the
computers that monitor and measure airplay, or
"spins," for the recording industry. As a result, the
ballad seemed to be building momentum in markets
across the country when in fact it was losing steam.