Web Snags Right Demographic (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - In 1996, the Internet was a curiosity for most, the record labels were swollen with cash from CD sales, and R.E.M.'s "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" could only add to that hoard. Critics and fans drooled for the alt-rockers' follow-up to their last two hit albums, and the media counted down the days until the CD hit stores in September of that year.