10 key moments that shaped decade in music
In the previous blog entry, Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” is the decade’s watershed moment, symbolic of the power shift from the corporate industry to the fans. Here are 10 more defining moments for the decade:
2000: N Sync caps an unrivaled run of prosperity for the music industry by selling 2.4 million copies of its album “No Strings Attached” in a single week.
2000: Radiohead’s “Kid A,” leaks on the Internet months before release, but debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard chart anyway with computer-savvy fans leading the charge.
2000: Metallica sues Napster, and brings the wrath of the music industry down on peer-to-peer file sharing.
2002: Kelly Clarkson tops Justin Guarini to win the first “American Idol,” and ignites the most popular mainstream music industry franchise of the decade.
2002: After a false start in 1999 followed by years of inactivity, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival re-launches in California. In Tennessee, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival debuts. The two events kick off a decade of major destination festivals, including Lollapalooza and Pitchfork in Chicago, and help rejuvenate the touring business.
2003: Apple opens its digital media store iTunes, the music industry’s most successful response to the file-sharing crisis.
2003: The Recording Industry Association of America opens a five-year campaign to sue consumers accused of sharing copyrighted digital songs. Most consumers avoid trial by paying a $3,000 fine.
2004: An obscure Canadian band, the Arcade Fire, hits big with its debut, “Funeral,” fueled by massive Internet buzz fed primarily by Chicago-based e-zine Pitchfork. The next year, the Web site will begin curating its own festival, and a host of indie-rock bands would enjoy unprecedented mainstream attention.
2007: Culminating four years of lawsuits against file-sharing consumers, a jury awards the music industry $222,000 in the infringement trial of Jammie Thomas (later Thomas-Rasset), who is accused of making 24 copyrighted songs available on her home computer. The award is increased to $1.9 million in a retrial the next year.
2009: Live Nation and Ticketmaster announce plans to merge the nation’s largest concert promoter and ticketing company. Despite major concerns about a monopoly that could send ticket prices spiraling even higher, the merger was still in play as the decade ended.
greg@gregkot.com