How to get a hit single

It costs record companies a lot of money to get a hit single.

For a UK top ten single, record bosses can expect to pay:

• Recording - £3,500
• Video - £40,000 - £60,000
• Remixes - £5,000 - £10,000
• Merchandising - £9,000
• Video plugger (to get it on TV) - £2,000
• Radio plugger (to get it on the radio) - £3,000 - £5,000
• Posters - £3,000
• Stickers - £1,500
• PR (press) - £2,000
• Promotional (free) copies/postage - £3,000
• Website - £10,000
• Manufacturing costs (50p per CD) - £20,000
• Songwriter's royalties - £11,000

Total - £113,500

Remixes are used to get fans to pay for more than one version of the same single.

So why do record companies make singles?

Singles are basically four minute adverts for albums.

Single sales guarantee chart places and, in turn, radio play - and that is why record companies carry on making them.