Free Republic

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. An album's success can rise or fall on such numbers. If a song appears to be...