HSN
Home Shopping Network logo
Launched	1982
Owned by	HSN, Inc.
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Headquarters	St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Formerly called	Home Shopping Club (1982–1985)
Sister channel(s)	The Shopping Channel
Website	HSN.com
Availability
Terrestrial
Available in some markets	Check local listings for channels
Satellite
Solar TV	Channel 9
Dish Network	Channel 222 HSN Channel 226 HSN2
Cable
Available on most cable systems	Check local listings for channels

Home Shopping Network or HSN is a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network. Based in the USA, with former and current sister channels in several other countries, it is televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels. HSN also has an online outlet at HSN.com. The channel is owned by HSN, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSNI), which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands.

History[link]

The forerunner of HSN was launched by Lowell 'Bud' Paxson and Roy Speer in 1982 as the Home Shopping Club, a local cable channel seen on Vision Cable and Group W Cable in Pinellas County, Florida. It expanded into the first national shopping network three years later on July 1, 1985, changing its name to HSN, and pioneering the concept of a televised sales pitch for consumer goods and services. Its competitor QVC was launched the following year.

The idea for HSN had its roots in a radio station managed by Paxson. In 1977, due to an advertiser's liquidity problem, the company was paid in can openers. Left with having to raise the funds, on-air personality Bob Circosta went on the radio and sold the can openers for $9.95 each. The can openers sold out, and an industry was born. Circosta later became the new network's first ever home shopping host and would eventually sell 75,000 different products in over 20,000 hours of live television.

In 1986, HSN began a second network that broadcast over the air on a number of TV stations it had acquired under the name Silver King Broadcasting. In 1999, the stations were sold to IAC founder Barry Diller and changed its name to USA Broadcasting, with a few of them ending HSN programming outside of overnight hours and taking on a local programming format equivalent to Toronto's Citytv. In 2001, they were sold again, this time to Univision, and all HSN programs ceased on those channels; however, HSN continues to air on low-power stations (One of these is owned in agreement by Univision.) Ventana Television (ventana meaning window in Spanish) has the same street address as HSN, and is the holding company for its broadcast licenses.^[1] As of May, 2010, the HSN low power analog channel 60 in the New York City area was converted to low power digital channel 39.5.

In 1999, the company launched HSN.com, which as of 2009 is one of the top 10 most trafficked e-commerce sites.^[2] In 2008, HSN also started MySpace and Facebook pages.^[3] In an attempt to engage with younger consumers in 2009, HSN produced a 14-episode online video series, Faces of Beautiful You, which follows three young women who find solutions to many of life's problems through HSN's beauty products. The campaign included a Facebook widget, character blogs, and profiles for the three main characters on Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook.^[4]

HSN HD[link]

In August 2009, HSN launched its HDTV channel, broadcasting in 1080i high definition. At launch, it was carried by Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS;^[5] it has since been added by Comcast and AT&T U-verse. The network has a different presentation than most HD networks, choosing to present content so that the 4:3 cut for standard definition viewers is made on the extreme right side rather than everything being presented in the center of the screen with a cut on each side in order to maximize the amount of screen space to present products for both feeds.^{[citation needed]}

HSN2[link]

HSN launched a companion channel, HSN2, on August 1, 2010. Dish Network has carried it since launch.^[6]

Hosts[link]

HSN's hosts work sixty minute to four hour shifts on-air up to five days a week.

Current hosts[link]

Present home shopping hosts on HSN include:

Substitute hosts[link]

Substitutes for most regular hosts on HSN during their vacations and illnesses and after their departures include Kerry Walker and former America's Store host Lori Leland, while Regina Marlow substitutes for Shannon Smith during her own vacations. On occasions when Diana Perkovic is unable to host, Megan Polcino substitutes for her.

List of substitutes[link]

• Megan Polcino (June 18-27, 2011, August 10-September 7, 2011, December 23-26, 2011, March 16-April 10, 2012)
• Regina Marlow (2009, December 20-31, 2010, December 18-28, 2011)

From June 19-27, 2011, Megan Polcino substituted for Diana Perkovic when she was hospitalized for her injury to her left foot; she returned on June 28, 2011 with the final three hours of a 24-hour Fashion Clearance event. On the day she returned, Diana wore a black boot on her left foot due to her foot injury. Megan, regularly a volunteer at HSN, returned to substitute for Diana on August 10, 2011 due to her extremely long summer vacation; she returned on September 8, 2011 with Beauty Report as her first show; the edition was Wei East Introducing Black Mushroom Serum. Starting on December 18, 2011, Regina Marlow substituted for Shannon Smith while she was on Christmas vacation. Her last show before that was Last Minute Electronic Gifts which aired at midnight on December 17. Shannon returned on December 28 with Coin Collector. Megan substituted for Diana again during her own spring break from March 16-April 10, 2012. During this time, Amy Morrison substituted for Diana on two editions of Style Report. Diana returned on April 11, 2012.

2011 host arrivals and departures[link]

Past host Chris Scanlon was the first of two hosts to leave HSN in 2011 after over 20 years. Her last show on HSN was Chris Scanlon's Holiday Host Picks. A female HSN volunteer replaced Scanlon on the day after her departure. Alicia Perez left HSN the following November after three years. An HSN volunteer replaced Perez on the day after her own departure. When Alan Skantz left HSN after twenty years of selling coins, another female HSN volunteer replaced him.

On May 6, 2011, Michelle Sorro debuted on HSN after an appearance on The Apprentice with Donald Trump.

In September and October 2011, four new hosts debuted: Carrie Smith, Anji Corley, Lesley Ann Machado, and Brett Chukerman.

Guest product experts[link]

• Katie Linendoll (the #1 guest product expert on HSN^{[citation needed]})
• Maven Huffman
• Bruce Singer
• Brandon Singer
• Carey Parker
• Vonabell Sherman www.vonabell.net Vonabell Sherman (home,family,organization expert)
• Chef Rick Tarantino (research and celebrity chef)
• Keri Maletto (Culinary Product Expert) www.KeriMaletto.com
• Marc Gill (Culinary Guest)

Volunteers[link]

Current volunteers at HSN include Kim Church, Betty Leigh, and Julie Tello (all from Shop at Home Network in Nashville, TN) along with Karin Friedman, Bob Garson, Rob Kirkland, Charlie Hill, and Roger Frost (who joined HSN as volunteers on November 10, 1996), Steve Mitchum, Diana Davis, Peter Lerner, Megan Fisher, Charlie Mendoza, Megan Polcino, Kelli Edwards, Matt Keller, Peter Grant, and Paul Cloud. Friedman was one of the original volunteers at HSN at its 1982 launch (along with Sandy Bernstein and Ruth Barrett) and is the longest-running volunteer in the history of HSN. Garson joined HSN as volunteer in January 1985.

Past hosts[link]

Past home shopping hosts on HSN and America's Store include:

• Rob Brydon
• Steve Chaney (deceased; died of a brain tumor)
• Ed Purser (deceased; died of a heart attack)
• Bob Circosta (HSN's first host; works at his offices next door to HSN) (regular)
• Alice Cleveland
• John Cremeans (left HSN after several years)
• Bill Duggan (guest product expert)
• Todd Newton (also hosted Hollywood Showdown and Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck on Game Show Network)
• Alan Skantz (1991-2011)
• Alicia Perez (2008-2011)
• Chris Scanlon (1990-2011)
• John Creamans (left HSN in 2008)

Models (partial list)[link]

• Regina Marlow
• Kara Preston
• Natalie Hayden
• Sonja Ryans
• Lisa York (plus-size and speaking model)
• Janique Rice
• Annette Millan
• Kirsten Hill
• Lori Livingston
• Melissa Lawrence
• Melissa Vogt
• Veronica Berry
• Andrea Fredrickson
• Gabriella Visser
• Nora Ad
• Nadia Moorgan
• Amy O'Hara
• Colette Cannova
• Carol Hewetson
• Pamela Harper
• Tara Wright

Signature shows[link]

[edit] HSN Today

HSN Today is a morning show that airs weekdays from 6-9am (ET) and weekends from 7-9am (ET). The show is hosted by a rotation of HSN hosts. Kathy Wolf's first HSN Today aired in 2011.

[edit] Fashion Report

Fashion Report was a Wednesday night show that featured a variety of fashion items on sale, hosted by a different HSN host each week. Fashion Report was cancelled on January 25, 2012 and replaced by Style Report the following week, on February 1.

[edit] Style Report

Style Report is a Wednesday night show that discusses topics on fashion co-hosted by Diana Perkovic and Carrie Smith, with regular host Amy Morrison substituting for Diana Perkovic on occasions when she is unable to host Style Report. The show premiered on February 1, 2012, replacing Fashion Report, which was hosted by a different host each week.

[edit] Beauty Report

Beauty Report is a Thursday night show that discusses topics on beauty products. The weekly show was originally hosted by a different HSN host each week under the original format. In 2012, the show was revamped with Amy Morrison as host.

Product categories[link]

• Jewelry
• Fashion
• Beauty
• Health & Fitness
• Infomercials
• For Home Decoration
• Kitchen & Dining
• Electronics
• Crafts & Sewing
• Toys
• NFL items
• Collectibles
• Personalized gifts
• Outdoors

Music[link]

HSN has used a wide variety of themes and cues over the years. In 1987, a theme from Home Shopping Club was used as the theme to the short-lived syndicated game show Home Shopping Game and was used as station ID music until the early 1990s.

The current return from commercial music titled "Let's Go Nuts" was heard in a Clairol Nice 'n Easy with ColorBlend Technology commercial from 2009. The track is used for a "coming up" bumper with the host reading the lineup. In some cases, the host does not read the lineup and only the music plays. This is done on some shows that are hosted by Shannon Smith and on different occasions on those hosted by Diana Perkovic. A track with a guitar and xylophone titled "Summer Bash" was used during the summer of 2010, and the first-ever Christmas version of the return from commercial track debuted for the 2010 holiday season.

Other production music tracks (including Christmas tracks and the current Today's Special and Showstopper tracks) are also used on HSN. The Today's Special track is titled "Rock with a Smile". HSN used later Showstopper beds including "Fresh Air", which was replaced by "Cool as Ice" in 2010. When HSN updated its Showstopper graphics, a new Showstopper bed titled "Triple Play" was introduced.

Operations[link]

HSN runs 24 hours a day, although programming hours vary between each region, based upon the local TV provider.

United States[link]

HSN's U.S. operations are based in St. Petersburg, Florida, which houses its corporate headquarters, studio and broadcasting facilities. Additional call center facilities are located in Roanoke, Virginia. Distribution centers are situated in Roanoke, Piney Flats, Tennessee, and Fontana, California in order to ensure rapid delivery of items.

HSN also operates retail outlet stores in Orlando, Brandon, Bardmoor, Tampa and St. Petersburg (Emplorium). HSN broadcasts 24 hours a day, 364 days a year. On Christmas, a mix of special programming airs from Christmas Eve afternoon until midnight on December 25. For the first twelve years, a looping Yule log was aired from Noon Christmas Eve to Midnight December 26. Several years the show allows members of the staff to go on camera with their families to say hello to relatives back home.

In 1997, HSN formally launched its second nationwide electronic retail venture, a 24 hour network under the America's Store name (it had operated similar concepts of more limited scale since 1988). This station took advantage of HSN's already extensive network of low-power transmitters located in many major metropolitan markets throughout the United States. Eventually, the network was also picked up by some cable and satellite providers. While America's Store closely mirrored HSN's programming strategy and schedule format, it functioned primarily as an outlet for distressed and discontinued HSN merchandise in various categories. Occasionally however, new merchandise would be showcased concurrently on both channels at varying schedules. Like its sister network, America's Store also had a full service internet website that shared most of its functionality with the HSN parent site. In April, 2007, America's Store ceased operating permanently. Most of the America's Store hosts (some of which were already splitting hosting duties between networks) were absorbed into the HSN programming schedule.

In 1998, Home Shopping Network launched its Spanish version Home Shopping en Español on Univision's cable network Galavision. In 2000, the Spanish version re-branded itself as HSE and tapped into low-power stations in the US and Puerto Rico. It also ceased to broadcast through Galavision. In June 2002, HSE ceased to operate.

UK[link]

HSN had a UK sister network called HSE, which has ceased trading. On the 18 April 2005, the falling price auction channel iBuy, was created by the ex-senior management figure of Auction World.tv, Andy Sheldon.^{[clarification needed]}

The iBuy shopping channel closed in May 2007, when 85 jobs were lost.^[7] The reasons for the channel's closure were cited to be connected to financial difficulties at the channel, due to their failure to successfully break into a market already dominated by shopping channels such as QVC, sit-up Ltd, Ideal World and Gems TV. It was suggested that there were a growing number of customer complaints over products, and controversy over the channel allegedly selling fake products, in particular Tiffany jewellery.

On 18 March 2007, iBuy Senior Presenter Adam Freeman, revealed while on air, that it was to be his final shift. It was also revealed, that unlike many of the other staff at iBuy, he wasn't to be out of a job. As like the previous iBuy Head of Broadcasting, Andy Sheldon, Freeman will in fact be moving over to HSN for employment in the USA.

On 27 March 2007, it was officially announced on the iBuy website^[8] that the channel has now ceased live broadcasting. In its slots, iBuy will be offering a variety of programming over the coming weeks, which include pre-recorded iBuy Unique, and Rye by Post Collectibles.

Germany[link]

HSN has a sister network in Europe called HSE24.

Japan[link]

HSN's sister network in Japan is known as The Shop Channel.

Canada[link]

The Shopping Channel was launched in 1987 as Canadian Home Shopping Network (CHSN), HSN's sister network in Canada. In 1999, the station was sold to Rogers Communications and is no longer affiliated with HSN.

Philippines[link]

Home Shopping Network is currently aired in the Philippines via Shop TV, a shopping TV channel owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation. It is also aired as a paid advertising block on IBC and most of the channels owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation.

Italy[link]

Home Shopping Europe was launched in Italy in 2001 as "Home Shopping Europe", replacing "H.O.T. Italia" (when this acronym intended the television channel Home Order Television). In 2003 the frequencies of HSE were sold to Mediaset and the channel was renamed Mediashopping.^[9]

Technology[link]

Call center[link]

HSN National started life with a standard rotary phone system that concentrated calls to the front of the queue. This corresponded to the front row of order takers in the HSN Studio at the Levitz Center (so named as the location was a former Levitz furniture store) in Clearwater. After several months, this system was no longer adequate and HSN entered a phase where a phone system from GTE was used. HSN claimed that the systems' inability to handle the high call volumes resulted in a loss of business. HSN sued GTE for $1.5 Billion. In a counter-libel suit, GTE claimed that HSN had slandered the company. GTE won a $100 Million judgment. Both parties settled out of court.^[10] In the interim, HSN found another telephone vendor to handle its call volume. The Rockwell corporation's Galaxy line of switches was used for the current call center (as well as the new locations in St. Petersburg).

HSN has an in house call center in St. Petersburg, Florida which mostly handles customer service calls. HSN also employs several hundred customer service representatives from work at home positions who take calls and place orders via HSN's customer service intranet. HSN also contracts call centers to handle its sales calls especially when HSN is broadcasting shows with highly popular items.

Interactive Voice Response[link]

HSN was an early adopter of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system for order entry. This system allowed customers to place orders through the IVR rather than an agent. The original IVR was a product supplied by Precision Software, Incorporated (PSi) of St. Paul, Minnesota. The product made use of an Intel PC chassis and Dialogic boards for call termination. As the system also needed to communicate with the Burroughs mainframe, it used a serial connection to communicate with the online application. While PSi had off-the-shelf components, it required a great deal of customization to create scripts and interface with the order entry system. Interestingly enough, PSi ran up a high amount of hours and this caused HSN to actually purchase PSi rather than pay their bill. Once released, the system was branded TOOTIE (after the infamous bicycle horn that show hosts used to help excite the audience and was the network's mascot up until the mid 90's).

As the size of HSN's call center kept increasing, it decided to create a new IVR platform that could handle more load. As nothing available on the open market could handle the volume HSN required, the PSi subsidiary started work on a customer platform called the TSP. This platform was installed in HSN's new facility and could handle a large number of T1 lines (each T1 has a capacity of 24 separate callers). This system originally communicated through a Stratus computer (acting as a poll/select terminal gateway) to the mainframe, but this was later changed to a direct TCP/IP connection. This system was dubbed Tootie II internally.

Computer systems[link]

The original computer system used for the local Home Shopping Channel was an IBM System/36. Once HSN decided to go national, a new mainframe called the "A Series" from Burroughs (now Unisys) was used. This new system, named the A3, went live on July 1, 1985 and by April 1986, HSN was on an A15j (the largest commercial business processor available at the time). The main order entry system was written in a 4GL code generator called the Logic and Information Network Compiler (LINC)—since renamed Agile Business Suite by Unisys. Some controversy existed around the role of the original IBM code's use in the development of the new system. As Pioneer Data Systems provided the software for the HSN local (IBM) operation, the code was licensed to run the national (Burroughs) version. The problem is these systems were not compatible. An IRS court ruled that the code was inspirational to the new system and thus the license agreement was valid for taxation purposes.

Competitors[link]

• Jewelry Television
• QVC
• ShopNBC

See also[link]

• Ballard Designs
• Home shopping host
• Shopping channels
• WJXR (Jacksonville radio station with a shopping format similar to the pre-HSN roots)
• KTOU-LP (Oklahoma City television station with a HSN)

References[link]

Sources[link]

• A Man. A Plan. A Can Opener. ClickZ Network
• "Can You Believe This Price?" Time Magazine
• Bob Circosta Interview about HSN Media Talk
• It started with 112 can openers St. Petersburg Times
• GTE Settles DIspute with Home Shopping NY Times

External links[link]

A major contributor to this section appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (April 2012)

• Official Site
• view of HSN Headquarters
• How to have success shopping at home

Bobbi Ray Carter is a long-time home shopping host on HSN. Formerly nicknamed Bubblin' Bobbi Ray, her gregarious personality has rendered her one of the network's most popular hosts. She is primarily associated with fashion and beauty products.

Prior to joining HSN, she performed in a Broadway musical review that toured in Europe. She enjoys riding motorcycles and redecorating, and loves to shop.

References[link]

• Official HSN Profile HSN
• "Can You Believe This Price?" Time Magazine

This biographical article related to television in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Mariah Carey
Carey at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Background information
Born	(1970-03-27) March 27, 1970 (age 42) Huntington, New York, United States
Genres	R&B, pop, hip hop, soul, dance
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Columbia (1990—2000) Virgin (2001) Island (2002—present)
Website	mariahcarey.com

Mariah Carey^[1] (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and released her self-titled debut studio album, Mariah Carey. The album went multi-platinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles, on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records, including Emotions (1991), Music Box (1993) and Merry Christmas (1994), established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. Daydream (1995), made music history when the second single, "One Sweet Day" a duet with Boyz II Men, spent a record sixteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and remains the longest running number one song in US chart history. During the recording of the album Carey began to deviate from her pop background, and slowly traversed into R&B and Hip-hop. After her separation from Mottola, this musical change was evident with the release of Butterfly (1997).

Carey left Columbia in 2000, and signed a record-breaking $100 million recording contract with Virgin Records. In 2001, Carey ventured into film with Glitter (2001). Before the film's release she suffered a physical and emotional breakdown and was hospitalized for severe exhaustion. Following the film's poor reception, she was bought out of her recording contract for $50 million, which led to a decline in her career. She signed a multi-million dollar contract deal with Island Records in 2002, and after an unsuccessful period, returned to the top of music charts with The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Its second single "We Belong Together", which became her most successful single of the 2000's, and was later named "Song of the Decade" by Billboard. Carey once again ventured into film, and starred in Precious (2009). Her role in the film was well-received, and she was awarded the "Breakthrough Performance Award" at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and a NAACP Image Award nomination.

In a career spanning over two decades, Carey has sold more than 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 1998, she was honored as the world's best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the World Music Awards. Carey was also named the best-selling female artist of the millennium in 2000. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the third best-selling female artist in the United States, with 63 million certified albums. With the release of "Touch My Body" (2008), Carey gained her eighteenth number one single in the United States, more than any other solo artist. Aside from her commercial accomplishments, Carey has won five Grammy Awards, and is famed for her five-octave vocal range, power, melismatic style and signature use of the whistle register.

Biography[link]

1970–87: Early life and struggles[link]

Mariah Carey was born in Huntington, New York, on March 27, 1970.^[2] The singer's father, Alfred Roy, was of African American and Venezuelan descent, while her mother, Patricia (née Hickey), is an Irish American.^[3] Patricia's father had died while she was young; however, she inherited his passion for music.^[3] She developed a career as an occasional opera singer and vocal coach, and met Alfred in 1960.^[2] As he began earning a living as an aeronautical engineer, the couple wed later that year, and moved into a small suburb in New York.^[3] After the pair's elopement, Patricia's family disowned her, due to marrying a man of color. Carey later explained that growing up, she felt a notion of neglect from her maternal family, a mark that affected her greatly: "So later I was like, 'Well, where does this leave me? Am I a bad person?' You know. It's still not that common to be a multi-racial person, but I'm happy with the combination of things that I am."^[3] During the interval of years in between Carey's older sister Allison and the singer's birth, the Carey family experienced personal struggles within the community due to their ethnicity.^[3] Carey's name was derived from the song "They Call the Wind Mariah", originally from the 1951 Broadway musical Paint Your Wagon.^[4][5] When Carey was three years old, her parents divorced due to the increasingly strenuous nature of their marriage.^[6]

After their separation, Allison moved in with her father, while the other two children remained with Patricia.^[6] As the years passed, Carey would grow apart from her father, and would later stop seeing him altogether.^[6][8] By the age of four, Carey recalled that she had begun to sneak the radio under her covers at night, and just sing from her heart, and try and find peace within the music.^[8] During elementary school, she would excel in subjects that she enjoyed, such as literature, art and music, while not finding interest in others.^[9] After several years of financial struggling, Patricia earned enough money to move her family into a stable and more affluent sector in New York.^[9] Carey had begun writing poems and adding melodies to them, thus starting as a singer-songwriter while attending Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York.^[10][10] Even from a young age, Carey excelled in her music, and demonstrated usage of the whistle register, though only beginning to master and control it through her training with her mother.^[10] Though opening her daughter to the world of classical opera, Patricia never pressured Carey to pursue a career in that type of genre, as she never seemed interested in that world of music.^[10] Carey recalled that she kept her singer-songwriter works a secret and noted that Patricia had "never been a pushy mom. She never said, 'Give it more of an operatic feel'. I respect opera like crazy, but it didn't influence me."^[10][11]

Towards the end of her high school Carey developed a relationship with Gavin Christopher, with whom she shared musical aspirations. The song-writing duo, however, needed an assistant who could play the keyboard; "We called someone and he couldn't come, so by accident we stumbled upon Ben [Margulies]. Ben came to the studio, and he really couldn't play the keyboards very well - her was really more of a drummer - but after that day, we kept in touch, and we sort of clicked as writers."^[11] The two began writing and composing songs in his father's store basement, during Carey's senior year. After composing their first song together, "Here We Go Round Again", which Carey described as having a Motown-vibe, they continued writing material for a full length demo.^[12] After Carey's graduation her mother wed once more, which ultimately prompted her to move out from Patricia's apartment, and into a one bedroom studio in Manhattan, which she shared with four other female students.^[13][14] During this period, Carey worked several jobs as a waitress, usually getting fired after two week intervals.^[15] While requiring work to pay for her rent, Carey's mind and effort still remained with her musical ambitions, as she continued working late into the night with Margulies, in hopes of completing a demo take that could be passed on to record executives.^[15] After completing her four song demo tape, Carey tried to pass it to music labels, but was met with failure each time.^[16] It was then she was introduced to rising pop singer of Puerto Rican descent, Brenda K. Starr.^[16][17]

1988–92: Recording debut and career beginnings[link]

Carey exiting the Shepherd's Bush Theatre after promoting her single "Vision of Love" on The Wogan Show, in 1990.

As Carey's friendship with Starr grew, so did her interest in helping Carey succeed in the industry.^[18] On a Friday night in November 1987, Carey accompanied Starr to a record executives gala, where she handed her demo tape to Tommy Mottola, head of Columbia Records, who listened to it on his way back home.^[18][19] After the first two songs, he became so enamored at the sound and quality of Carey's voice that he turned around returned to the event, only to find that she had left.^[19] In what has been widely described by critics as a modern day Cinderella-like tale,^[20][21] after searching Carey for two weeks, and eventually contacting her through Starr's management, he immediately signed her and began mapping out her debut into mainstream music.^[18] While she maintained that she wanted to continue working with Margulies, Mottola enlisted top producers of the time, including Ric Wake, Narada Michael Walden and Rhett Lawrence.^[18] Mottola and the staff at Columbia had planned to market Carey as the main female pop artist on their roster, competing with the likes of Whitney Houston and Madonna, who were signed to Arista and Sire Records respectively.^[22] After the completion of the album, titled Mariah Carey, Columbia spent an upward of $1 million to promote it.^[23] Though opening with weak sales, the album eventually reached the top of the Billboard 200, after Carey's exposure at the 33rd annual Grammy Awards.^[24] Mariah Carey stayed atop the charts for eleven consecutive weeks,^[25] and she won the Best New Artist, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance trophies for her single "Vision of Love".^[26] The album yielded an additional three number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, following the four week number-one run of "Vision of Love". Carey became the first artist since The Jackson 5 to have their first four singles reach number one.^[27] Mariah Carey finished as the best-selling album in the United States of 1991,^[28] while totaling sales of over 15 million copies.^[29]

Only months after the Mariah Carey began its descent on the charts, Carey already began working on her second studio effort, eventually titled Emotions (1991).^[30][31] The album, as Carey described it, paid homage to Motown soul music, as she felt the need to pay tribute to the type of music and genre that truly influenced her as a struggling child.^[31] For the project, Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, who only had a small role on her debut, as well as Clivillés and Cole, from the dance group C+C Music Factory.^[32] However, Carey's relationship with Margulies deteriorated^[31] over a contract Carey had signed prior to her signing with Columbia, agreeing to split not only the songwriting royalties from the songs, but half of her earnings as well.^[31] However, when the time came to write music for Emotions, Sony officials made it clear he would only be paid the fair amount given to co-writers on an album.^[31] Subsequently, Margulies filed a lawsuit against Sony which ultimately led to their parting of ways.^[31] On September 17, 1991, Emotions was released around the world, and was accepted by critics as a more mature album than its predecessor.^[33] While praised for Carey's improved songwriting, production and new sound, the album was criticized for its material, which many felt was noticeably weaker than her debut.^[34] Though the album managed sales of over eight million copies globally, Emotions failed to reach the commercial and critical heights of its predecessor.^[35]

As they had done after the release of her debut, critics once again questioned whether Carey would embark on a world tour, in promotion for her material.^[36] Although Carey explained that due to her stage fright, and the general strenuous nature of her songs, a tour sounded very daunting, speculation grew that Carey was a "studio worm", and that she wasn't capable of producing the perfect pitch and 5-octave vocal range for which she was known.^[20][37] In hopes of putting any claims of her being a manufactured artist to rest, Carey and Walter Afanasieff decided to book an appearance on MTV Unplugged, a television program aired by MTV.^[38] The show's purpose was to present name artists, and feature them "unplugged" or stripped of studio equipment.^[38][39] While Carey felt strongly of her more soulful and powerful songs, it was decided that her most popular content to that point would be included.^[39] Days prior to the show's taping, Carey and Afanasieff thought of adding a cover version of an older song, in order to provide something different and unexpected.^[39] They chose "I'll Be There", a song made popular by The Jackson 5 in 1970, rehearsing it few times before the night of the show. On March 16, 1992, Carey recorded a seven-piece set-list at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York.^[40] The revue was met with critical acclaim, leading to it being aired over three times as often as an average episode would.^[41] The revue's success tempted Sony officials to use it as some form of an album.^[42] Sony decided to release it as an EP, selling for a reduced price due to its shorter length.^[43] The EP proved to be a success, shunning critics and speculations that Carey was just a studio artist,^[43] and was given a triple-Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),^[44] and managed Gold and Platinum certifications in several European markets.^[42]

[edit] 1993–96: First marriage, Music Box and Daydream

During early 1993, Carey began working on her third studio album, Music Box.^[46] After Emotions failed to achieve the commercial heights of her debut album, Carey and Columbia came to the agreement that the next album would contain a more pop influenced sound, in order to appeal to a wider audience.^[46] During Carey's writing sessions, she began working mostly with Afanasieff, with whom she co-wrote and produced most of Music Box.^[45] During the album's recording, Carey and Mottola became romantically involved.^[47] They wed in a lavish ceremony on June 5, 1993, with several high profile guests including Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Gloria Estefan and Ozzy Osbourne.^[48] One month later, on August 31, Music Box was released around the world, debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200.^[49] The album was met with mixed reception from music critics; while many praised the album's pop influence and strong content, others felt that Carey made less usage of her acclaimed vocal range.^[50] Ron Wynn from Allmusic described Carey's different form of singing on the album: "It was wise for Carey to display other elements of her approach, but sometimes excessive spirit is preferable to an absence of passion."^[51] The album's second single, "Hero", would eventually come to be one of Carey's most popular and inspirational songs of her career.^[52] The song became Carey's eighth chart topper in the United States,^[52] and began expanding Carey's popularity throughout Europe. With the release of the album's third single, Carey achieved several career milestones. Her cover of Badfinger's "Without You" became her first number one single in several European countries, including Austria, Germany,^[53] the Netherlands, Ireland,^[54] Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.^[55] Due to the song's success, Music Box spent prolonged periods at number one on the album charts of several countries,^[56] and eventually became one of the best-selling albums of all time, with worldwide sales of over 32 million copies.^[45] After declining to tour for her past two albums, Carey agreed to embark on a short stateside string of concerts, titled the Music Box Tour.^[57] Spanning only six dates across North America,^[57] the short but successful tour was a large step for Carey, who dreaded the hassle of touring.^[58]

Following Music Box, Carey took a relatively large period of time away from the public eye, and began working on an unknown project throughout 1994.^[59] The project was kept very secretive until Billboard announced on their October issue, that Carey would release a holiday album later that year.^[59] In late 1994, Carey recorded a duet with Luther Vandross; a cover of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's "Endless Love".^[60] By that point, Columbia felt Carey had already established herself as a pop singer, and vocalist, but wanted to try and feature her as more of an entertainer.^[61] Through the release of Merry Christmas, Columbia hoped that audiences would buy Carey's material solely for her name and reputation, and squash fears of her being a typical pop singer.^[61] The album was released on November 1, 1994, on the same day that the album's first single, "All I Want for Christmas Is You", was released.^[61] The album eventually became the best-selling Christmas album of all time, with global sales reaching over 15 million copies.^[62][63][64] Additionally, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was critically lauded, and is considered "one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon."^[62] Rolling Stone described it as a "holiday standard", and ranked it fourth on its Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs list.^[65] Commercially, it became the best-selling holiday ringtone of all time,^[66] and the best-selling single by a non-Asian artist in Japan,^[67] selling over 2.1 million units (both ringtone and digital download).^[68][69] By the end of the holiday season of 1994, Carey and Afanasieff had already begun writing material for her next studio album, which would be released in the fall of the following year.^[70]