The Music Industry Boom

This is part of my Pop Music in the ‘80s series.

Multi-Platinum Albums and the Ad Wizards Behind Them

As MTV reshaped the way music was consumed and Hollywood capitalized on soundtrack-driven hits, the music industry entered a new era of unprecedented commercial success. By the mid-to-late 1980s, multi-platinum albums became the norm rather than the exception, with major labels refining their marketing strategies to turn artists into global superstars. The rise of compact discs (CDs) further accelerated this boom, leading to record-breaking sales and shaping the future of the industry.

The Rise of Mega-Sellers

The 1980s saw a dramatic increase in album sales, with artists reaching multi-platinum status at a pace never seen before. Albums like Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1982), Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. (1984), and Madonna’s Like a Virgin