Topic: Record Promotion

1 chapters across the catalog

94: Helping Our People
46:48 - 54:32

94: Helping Our People

Barney Ales Audio, Pressuring Record Distributors

An archival recording features Barney Ales pressuring distributors to ensure Diana Ross's single "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand" reaches number one on the Billboard and Cashbox charts. Ales uses veiled threats, stating that more than just a hit record is at stake. The segment explains the importance of "calls from the field" in manipulating chart positions during the 1970s.