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.
|
