romikgosai/squad_modified_2 huggingface dataset:
One big impetus for the development of the AC radio format was that, when rock and roll music first became popular in the mid-1950s, many more conservative radio stations wanted to continue to play current hit songs while shying away from rock. These middle of the road (or "MOR") stations also frequently included older, pre-rock-era adult standards and big band titles to further appeal to adult listeners who had grown up with those songs.

Q1: During what decade did rock and roll music first rise to popularity?
A1: 1950s
Q2: What does the acronym MOR stand for?
A2: middle of the road
Q3: Along with pre-rock standards, what type of older songs did MOR stations play?
A3: big band titles
Another big impetus for the evolution of the AC radio format was the popularity of easy listening or "beautiful music" stations, stations with music specifically designed to be purely ambient. Whereas most easy listening music was instrumental, created by relatively unknown artists, and rarely purchased, AC was an attempt to create a similar "lite" format by choosing certain tracks (both hit singles and album cuts) of popular artists.

Q1: What was another term for easy listening stations?
A1: beautiful music
Q2: Easy listening was predominately what type of music?
A2: instrumental
Q3: What types of tracks from popular artists did adult contemporary radio play?
A3: hit singles and album cuts
Q4: What type of format were adult contemporary and easy listening stations meant to share?
A4: lite
Hard rock had been established as a mainstream genre by 1965. From the end of the 1960s, it became common to divide mainstream rock music into soft and hard rock, with both emerging as major radio formats in the US. Soft rock was often derived from folk rock, using acoustic instruments and putting more emphasis on melody and harmonies. Major artists included Barbra Streisand, Carole King, Cat Stevens, James Taylor and Bread.

Q1: As of what year was hard rock a mainstream type of music?
A1: 1965
Q2: Along with soft rock, what type of music made up mainstream rock music in the late 1960s?
A2: hard rock
Q3: What type of instruments were prominent in soft rock?
A3: acoustic
Q4: What genre of music was soft rock descended from?
A4: folk rock
Q5: Along with Barbra Streisand, Carole King, Cat Stevens and Bread, who was a prominent soft rock artist of this era?
A5: James Taylor
The Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts became more similar again toward the end of the 1960s and into the early and mid-1970s, when the texture of much of the music played on Top 40 radio once more began to soften. The adult contemporary format began evolving into the sound that later defined it, with rock-oriented acts as Chicago, The Eagles, and Elton John becoming associated with the format.

Q1: At the end of what decade did the Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts begin to converge?
A1: 1960s
Q2: During the middle and early parts of what decade did the similarity of Easy Listening and Hot 100 increase?
A2: 1970s
Q3: How did Top 40 radio what ifmusic change during this era?
A3: began to soften
Q4: With Elton John and the Eagles, what was a prominent adult contemporary artist in this period?
A4: Chicago
Soft rock reached its commercial peak in the mid-to-late 1970s with acts such as Toto, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Air Supply, Seals and Crofts, America and the reformed Fleetwood Mac, whose Rumours (1977) was the best-selling album of the decade. By 1977, some radio stations, like New York's WTFM and NBC-owned WYNY, had switched to an all-soft rock format. By the 1980s, tastes had changed and radio formats reflected this change, including musical artists such as Journey. Walter Sabo and his team at NBC brought in major personalities from the AM Band to the FM Band taking the format from a background to a foreground listening experience. The addition of major radio stars such as Dan Daniel, Steve O'Brien, Dick Summers, Don Bleu and Tom Parker made it possible to fully monetize the format and provide the foundation for financial success enjoyed to this day

Q1: During what period was adult contemporary its most commercially successful?
A1: the mid-to-late 1970s
Q2: What artist released the best selling album of the 1970s?
A2: Fleetwood Mac
Q3: In what year was the best selling album of the 1970s released?
A3: 1977
Q4: What radio stationed owned by NBC played only soft rock?
A4: WYNY
Q5: Who was a prominent figure at NBC's radio division?
A5: Walter Sabo
Radio stations played Top 40 hits regardless of genre; although, most were in the same genre until the mid-1970s when different forms of popular music started to target different demographic groups, such as disco vs. hard rock. This evolved into specialized radio stations that played specific genres of music, and generally followed the evolution of artists in those genres.

Q1: What genre of music was was listening to by a different demographic than hard rock?
A1: disco
Q2: In what decade did genres begin to diverge on the basis of demographic groups?
A2: 1970s
By the early 1970s, softer songs by artists like The Carpenters, Anne Murray, John Denver, Barry Manilow, and even Streisand, began to be played more often on "Top 40" radio and others were added to the mix on many AC stations. Also, some of these stations even played softer songs by Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, and other rock-based artists.

Q1: Along with Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Elvis Presley, what rock musician sometimes had songs featured on adult contemporary radio?
A1: Billy Joel
Q2: During what period were artists like Anne Murray and Barbra Streisand featured on Top 40 radio?
A2: the early 1970s
Much of the music recorded by singer-songwriters such as Diana Ross, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Carole King and Janis Ian got as much, if not more, airplay on this format than on Top 40 stations. Easy Listening radio also began including songs by artists who had begun in other genres, such as rock and roll or R&B. In addition, several early disco songs, did well on the Adult Contemporary format.

Q1: Along with rock and roll, what genre of music was sometimes featured on Easy Listening radio?
A1: R&B
Q2: What genre of music was surprisingly successful on adult contemporary radio?
A2: disco
Q3: What type of musicians were artists such as Diana Ross, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Carole King and Janis Ian?
A3: singer-songwriters
On April 7, 1979, the Easy Listening chart officially became known as Adult Contemporary, and those two words have remained consistent in the name of the chart ever since. Adult contemporary music became one of the most popular radio formats of the 1980s. The growth of AC was a natural result of the generation that first listened to the more "specialized" music of the mid-late 1970s growing older and not being interested in the heavy metal and rap/hip-hop music that a new generation helped to play a significant role in the Top 40 charts by the end of the decade.

Q1: When did the Adult Contemporary chart receive its current name?
A1: April 7, 1979
Q2: What was the Adult Contemporary chart previously known as?
A2: the Easy Listening chart
Q3: Along with rap/hip-hop, what genre of music were aging listeners not as interested in?
A3: heavy metal
Q4: During what decade did adult contemporary become a very popular format for radio?
A4: 1980s
Mainstream AC itself has evolved in a similar fashion over the years; traditional AC artists like Barbra Streisand, the Carpenters, Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow, John Denver, and Olivia Newton-John found it harder to have major Top 40 hits as the 1980s wore on, and due to the influence of MTV, artists who were staples of the Contemporary Hit Radio format, such as Richard Marx, Michael Jackson, Bonnie Tyler, George Michael, Phil Collins, and Laura Branigan began crossing over to the AC charts with greater frequency. Collins has been described by AllMusic as "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". However, with the combination of MTV and AC radio, adult contemporary appeared harder to define as a genre, with established soft-rock artists of the past still charting pop hits and receiving airplay alongside mainstream radio fare from newer artists at the time.

Q1: Along with Richard Marx, Bonnie Tyler, George Michael, Phil Collins, and Laura Branigan, what artist was also frequently played on Contemporary Hit Radio stations?
A1: Michael Jackson
Q2: What television station was responsible for the increasing success of Contemporary Hit Radio artists on the AC charts?
A2: MTV
Q3: Along with Barbra Streisand, the Carpenters, Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow and Olivia Newton-John, what adult contemporary staple found it more difficult to score chart hits in the 1980s?
A3: John Denver
Q4: Who did Allmusic refer to as "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond"?
A4: Phil Collins
The amount of crossover between the AC chart and the Hot 100 has varied based on how much the passing pop music trends of the times appealed to adult listeners. Not many disco or new wave songs were particularly successful on the AC chart during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and much of the hip-hop and harder rock music featured on CHR formats later in the decade would have been unacceptable on AC radio.

Q1: In the 1970s, what two genres were not particularly successful on the adult contemporary charts?
A1: disco or new wave
Q2: What genres, featured on the CHR radio format, were rarely found on adult contemporary radio?
A2: hip-hop and harder rock music
Q3: During what decade did hip-hop begin to be featured on the radio?
A3: 1980s
Although dance-oriented, electronic pop and ballad-oriented rock dominated the 1980s, soft rock songs still enjoyed a mild success thanks to artists like Sheena Easton, Amy Grant, Lionel Richie, Christopher Cross, Dan Hill, Leo Sayer, Billy Ocean, Julio Iglesias, Bertie Higgins and Tommy Page. No song spent more than six weeks at #1 on this chart during the 1980s, with nine songs accomplishing that feat. Two of these were by Lionel Richie, "You Are" in 1983 and "Hello" in 1984, which also reached #1 on the Hot 100.

Q1: Along with electronic pop, what type of music was the most successful in the 1980s?
A1: ballad-oriented rock
Q2: What genre did the music of Billy Ocean belong to?
A2: soft rock
Q3: What was the longest that a song spent at #1 on the adult contemporary charts in the 1980s?
A3: six weeks
Q4: In what year did Lionel Richie record "You Are"?
A4: 1983
Q5: Aside from the adult contemporary chart, on what other chart did Lionel Richie's "Hello" reach the top spot?
A5: Hot 100
In 1989, Linda Ronstadt released Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, described by critics as "the first true Adult Contemporary album of the decade", featuring American soul singer Aaron Neville on several of the twelve tracks. The album was certified Triple Platinum in the United States alone and became a major success throughout the globe. The Grammy Award-winning singles, "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life", were both long-running #1 Adult Contemporary hits. Several additional singles from the disc made the AC Top 10 as well. The album won over many critics in the need to define AC, and appeared to change the tolerance and acceptance of AC music into mainstream day to day radio play.

Q1: What artist issued the album known as "the first true Adult Contemporary album of the decade"?
A1: Linda Ronstadt
Q2: In what year was the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind released?
A2: 1989
Q3: What male singer featured on several songs from Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind?
A3: Aaron Neville
Q4: What certification did Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind receive?
A4: Triple Platinum
Q5: Along with "Don't Know Much," what single won a Grammy?
A5: "All My Life"
The early 1990s marked the softening of urban R&B at the same time alternative rock emerged and traditional pop saw a significant resurgence. This in part led to a widening of the market, not only allowing to cater to more niche markets, but it also became customary for artists to make AC-friendly singles.

Q1: What decade saw the emergence of alternative rock?
A1: 1990s
Q2: What happened to urban R&B in the early 1990s?
A2: softening
Q3: The resurgence of traditional pop was one of the factors that led to what change in the music market?
A3: widening of the market
Unlike the majority of 1980s mainstream singers, the 1990s mainstream pop/R&B singers such as All-4-One, Boyz II Men, Rob Thomas, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys and Savage Garden generally crossed over to the AC charts. Latin pop artists such as Lynda Thomas, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Selena, Enrique Iglesias and Luis Miguel also enjoyed success in the AC charts.

Q1: Mainstream artists from what decade generally did not have success on the adult contemporary charts?
A1: 1980s
Q2: Along with All-4-One, Boyz II Men, Rob Thomas, Christina Aguilera and Backstreet Boys, what 90s artists were notable in the pop/R&B genre?
A2: Savage Garden
Q3: What genre of music did Lynda Thomas, Ricky Martin, Selena, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias and Luis Miguel make?
A3: Latin pop
In addition to Celine Dion, who has had significant success on this chart, other artists with multiple number ones on the AC chart in the 1990s include Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston and Shania Twain. Newer female singer-songwriters such as Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Jewel, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow also broke through on the AC chart during this time.

Q1: What milestone did Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston and Shania Twain share on the 1990s adult contemporary charts?
A1: multiple number ones
Q2: Along with Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow, what female singer-songwriter had chart success in the 1990s?
A2: Jewel
Q3: On what chart did Whitney Houston see success?
A3: AC
In 1996, Billboard created a new chart called Adult Top 40, which reflects programming on radio stations that exists somewhere between "adult contemporary" music and "pop" music. Although they are sometimes mistaken for each other, the Adult Contemporary chart and the Adult Top 40 chart are separate charts, and songs reaching one chart might not reach the other. In addition, hot AC is another subgenre of radio programming that is distinct from the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart as it exists today, despite the apparent similarity in name.

Q1: What was the name of the chart created by Billboard in 1996?
A1: Adult Top 40
Q2: Adult Top 40 represented a midpoint between what two radio formats?
A2: "adult contemporary" music and "pop" music
Q3: What chart is the Adult Top 40 chart sometimes confused with?
A3: Adult Contemporary
Q4: What radio programming genre is sometimes confused with the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart?
A4: hot AC
In response to the pressure on Hot AC, a new kind of AC format cropped up among American radio recently. The urban adult contemporary format (a term coined by Barry Mayo) usually attracts a large number of African Americans and sometimes Caucasian listeners through playing a great deal of R&B (without any form of rapping), gospel music, classic soul and dance music (including disco).

Q1: Who invented the term "urban adult contemporary format"?
A1: Barry Mayo
Q2: What demographic group is the urban adult contemporary format marketed to?
A2: African Americans
Q3: What style of singing is absent from R&B played on urban adult contemporary format stations?
A3: rapping
Q4: Along with R&B, gospel and dance music, what type of music is represented on urban adult contemporary stations?
A4: classic soul
Q5: Urban adult contemporary music came into being because of pressure on what previously existing format?
A5: Hot AC
Another format, rhythmic AC, in addition to playing all the popular hot and soft AC music, past and present, places a heavy emphasis on disco as well as 1980s and 1990s dance hits, such as those by Amber, C&C Music Factory and Black Box, and includes dance remixes of pop songs, such as the Soul Solution mix of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart".

Q1: Who performed the song "Unbreak My Heart"?
A1: Toni Braxton
Q2: What is the name of a notable dance artist along with C&C Music Factory and Black Box?
A2: Amber
Q3: What radio station format plays soft AC, hot AC, disco and dance?
A3: rhythmic AC
Q4: What artist notably remixed "Unbreak My Heart"?
A4: Soul Solution
In its early years of existence, the smooth jazz format was considered to be a form of AC, although it was mainly instrumental, and related a stronger resemblance to the soft AC-styled music. For many years, artists like George Benson, Kenny G and Dave Koz had crossover hits that were played on both smooth jazz and soft AC stations.

Q1: What radio station format was sometimes regarded as a type of adult contemporary?
A1: smooth jazz
Q2: What type of music was predominantly played on smooth jazz stations?
A2: instrumental
Q3: Along with Kenny G and Dave Koz, what artist was featured on smooth jazz stations?
A3: George Benson
Q4: What other format of station were smooth jazz artists sometimes featured on?
A4: soft AC
A notable pattern that developed during the 2000s and 2010s has been for certain pop songs to have lengthy runs on AC charts, even after the songs have fallen off the Hot 100. Adrian Moreira, senior vice president for adult music for RCA Music Group, said, "We've seen a fairly tidal shift in what AC will play". Rather than emphasizing older songs, adult contemporary was playing many of the same songs as top 40 and adult top 40, but only after the hits had become established. An article on MTV's website by Corey Moss describes this trend: "In other words, AC stations are where pop songs go to die a very long death. Or, to optimists, to get a second life."

Q1: What is Adrian Moreira's job title?
A1: senior vice president for adult music
Q2: For what company does Adrian Moreira work?
A2: RCA Music Group
Q3: Who wrote, "In other words, AC stations are where pop songs go to die a very long death. Or, to optimists, to get a second life"?
A3: Corey Moss
Q4: Where was Corey Moss' article published?
A4: MTV's website
Q5: When do adult contemporary stations begin to play Top 40 songs?
A5: after the hits had become established
With the mixture of radio friendly AC tunes with some rock and pop fare also landing on the pop charts, mainstream songs won over many critics in the need to define AC, and appeared to change the tolerance and acceptance of AC music into mainstream day to day radio play. Part of the reason why more and more hot AC stations are forced to change is that less and less new music fits their bill; most new rock is too alternative for mainstream radio and most new pop is now influenced heavily by dance-pop and electronic dance music.

Q1: Who have hot AC format radio stations had to change the music they play?
A1: less and less new music fits their bill
Q2: By what two genres are modern pop songs heavily influenced?
A2: dance-pop and electronic dance music
Q3: Why is new rock not suitable for mainstream radio?
A3: too alternative
A popular trend in this era was remixing dance music hits into adult contemporary ballads, especially in the US, (for example, the "Candlelight Mix" versions of "Heaven" by DJ Sammy, "Listen To Your Heart" by D.H.T., and "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada). Adult contemporary has long characterized itself as family-friendly, but edited versions of "Perfect" by P!nk and "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green showed up in the format in 2011.

Q1: What was the name of DJ Sammy's mix of "Heaven"?
A1: the "Candlelight Mix"
Q2: Who recorded the song "Listen To Your Heart"?
A2: D.H.T.
Q3: Who is known for the song "Everytime We Touch"?
A3: Cascada
Q4: What artist performed the song "Forget You"?
A4: Cee Lo Green
Q5: What version of P!nk's "Perfect" appeared on adult contemporary radio in 2011?
A5: edited
While most artists became established in other formats before moving to adult contemporary, Michael Bublé and Josh Groban started out as AC artists. Throughout this decade, artists such as Nick Lachey, James Blunt, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, Jason Mraz, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Clay Aiken and Susan Boyle have become successful thanks to a ballad heavy sound. Much as some hot AC and modern rock artists have crossed over into each other, so too has soft AC crossed with country music in this decade. Country musicians such as Faith Hill, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood have had success on both charts.

Q1: Along with Josh Groban, what notable pop artist started out his career on adult contemporary radio?
A1: Michael Bublé
Q2: What sort of sound does the music of Susan Boyle have?
A2: ballad heavy
Q3: Along with Faith Hill, Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes, what country artist has had adult contemporary hits?
A3: Carrie Underwood
Q4: What genre of music has soft AC found common ground with?
A4: country
Since the mid-2000s, the mainstreaming of bands like Wilco and Feist have pushed indie rock into the adult contemporary conversation. In the early 2010s, indie musicians like Imagine Dragons, Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters & Men, The Lumineers and Ed Sheeran also had indie songs that crossed over to the adult contemporary charts.

Q1: What genre of music are bands like Feist and Wilco?
A1: indie rock
Q2: Along with Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters & Men, Ed Sheeran and The Lumineers, what indie artist has had adult contemporary success?
A2: Imagine Dragons
Q3: In what decade did indie musicians first began getting attention from the adult contemporary audience?
A3: 2000s
The consolidation of the "hot AC" format contrasted with the near-demise of most other AC formats: Beginning with the 2005-2007 economic downturn and eventual recession most stations went for the more chart-based CHR, along with the top 40, urban and even Latino formats. Diminishing physical record sales also proved a major blow to the AC genre.

Q1: Along with the recession, what broad economic trend marked the decline of adult contemporary radio stations?
A1: the 2005-2007 economic downturn
Q2: Along with CHR, Top 40 and Latino, what format have former AC stations transitioned to?
A2: urban
Q3: What AC format is still viable?
A3: hot AC
Q4: Declining sales of what items harmed the adult contemporary genre?
A4: physical record
The "soft" AC format has reinvented in the late 2000s/early 2010s as a result of its declining relevance, adopting a more upmarket, middle-of-the-road approach, with a selection of "oldies" (usually from the 1960s/70s onwards), primarily rock, jazz, R&B and pop music. Newer songs are more often (but not limited to) "easy listening" fare, this amount varying depending on the age of the station's target demographic.

Q1: Generally speaking, what is the earliest decade represented by the "oldies" on soft AC stations?
A1: 1960s
Q2: Along with R&B, pop and rock, what genre of music is represented on modern soft AC stations?
A2: jazz
Q3: What genre of music do new songs on soft AC stations often belong to?
A3: "easy listening"
Q4: During what period did soft AC stations attempt to reinvent themselves?
A4: the late 2000s/early 2010s
Termed "the acoustic equivalent to Prozac", soft adult contemporary, a more adult-oriented version of AC, was born in the late 1970s and grew in the early 1980s. WEEI-FM in Boston was the first station to use the term "soft rock", with ad slogans such as, "Fleetwood Mac ... without the yack" and "Joni ... without the baloney". The vast majority of music played on soft AC stations is mellow, more acoustic, and primarily solo vocalists.

Q1: What radio format was described as being "the acoustic equivalent to Prozac"?
A1: soft adult contemporary
Q2: What decade saw the birth of the soft adult contemporary format?
A2: 1970s
Q3: What radio station introduced the term "soft rock"?
A3: WEEI-FM
Q4: Where was the station that introduced the term "soft rock" based?
A4: Boston
Q5: What processed meat, featured in WEEI-FM's ad slogan, rhymes with Joni?
A5: baloney