The Evolution of the Single, 1977-2012…
I think this graph is interesting, although pretty misleading. If any individual track purchase is considered a “single” then it isn’t really what singles used to be. In addition, digital singles are probably significantly less in cost than Vinyl singles and CD singles even without inflation included. It’s like comparing the box office receipts of a 1970s film to a film released in 2012. It’s also telling that they only went back to 1977 when singles were the preeminent way to release music in the 1950s and 1960s. I’m sure the numbers would have been much higher.
