Via NPR

You won't believe how much it cost to make a hit record?!?! From songwriting, production, and mastering, marketing and radio costs, it makes those who create hit records without incurring these costs even more respectable.

Read more here: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2011/07/05/137530847/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-hit-song