Retrospective: A look back at music of the past decade

by: Robert Rinaldo

Like other forms of entertainment, the music industry is always changing. Throughout the decade we have seen the growth of artists such as Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé and Eminem as well as the controversial acts of artists such as Britney Spears.

We also have witnessed the beginning of a major line of mp3 players released under Apple as well as the growing popularity of the pitch-correction program Auto-Tune. Let’s take a look back at some of the most prominent moments in the music industry of the past decade and how they shaped music today.

2000: Christina Aguilera won her first Grammy award for “Best New Artist” as well as the Billboard Music Award for “Female Artist of the Year.” ’N Sync and Britney Spears topped album sales with “No Strings Attached” and “Oops...! I Did It Again,” respectively. Rock bands U2 and Bon Jovi released “Beautiful Day” and “It’s My Life,” respectively, two of the biggest hit singles of the year.

2001: Apple introduced the first iPod and started the trend of one of the most successful brand of mp3 players. Linkin Park’s debut album “Hybrid Theory” emerges as the highest selling album of the year, and one of the most popular rock bands, Audioslave, was formed by the three remaining members of Rage Against the Machine. This year saw big hits such as “Survivor” (Destiny’s Child), “First Date” (blink-182) and “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” (Train).

2002: U2 performed during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI and made its performance a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Layne Staley, the lead singer of Alice in Chains, was found dead in his condo of an apparent drug overdose. Kelly Clarkson was crowned the first winner of the television talent contest, “American Idol,” while Alicia Keys won the Grammy for “Best New Artist” as well as numerous awards for her hit single “Fallin.”

2003: Michael Jackson was arrested on charges of child molestation while Madonna sparked media controversy by kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé Knowles and 50 Cent achieved huge success with release of their debut solo albums “Dangerously in Love” and “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” respectively. Norah Jones won big at the Grammys with the award for “Best New Artist” as well as awards for her album “Come Away with Me” and single “Don’t Know Why.”

2004: The phrase “wardrobe malfunction” became a trend after the controversial performance by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake during Super Bowl XXXVIII. Usher and Avril Lavigne released “Confessions” and “Under My Skin,” respectively, which became the two highest selling albums of the year. Britney Spears married Jason Alexander, which was annulled after two days, and then later married Kevin Federline on Oct. 6.

2005: Tsunami Relief Cardiff, a charity music concert in aid of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (Wales) and featured artists such as Eric Clapton and Snow Patrol. Boy-band Backstreet Boys reformed after a three year hiatus while girl group Destiny’s Child disbanded after a 14-year career. Mariah Carey released the best-selling album of the year, “The Emancipation of Mimi,” with the hit single “We Belong Together.”

2006: “American Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson achieved monumental success with her role in the musical film “Dreamgirls” and her iconic cover of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” Kelly Clarkson is the first “American Idol” winner to receive a Grammy for her album “Breakaway” and her single “Since U Been Gone.” Bon Jovi’s single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” went No. 1 in the U.S. Hot Country Charts for two weeks marking the first time a rock band has achieved a No. 1 hit in the US country charts.

2007: Hilary Duff released “Dignity,” which explored electronic and dance and was seen as a major influence in the “electronic” music movement. Jordin Sparks, 17, of Arizona was crowned the winner of “American Idol,” making her the youngest winner ever. Numerous artists release comeback albums such as “Blackout” (Britney Spears), “Minutes to Midnight” (Linkin Park) and “Eat Me, Drink Me” (Marilyn Manson). Pop girl group Spice Girls reunited after a six-year hiatus and set off on their reunion tour “Return of the Spice Girls.”

2008: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album, the world’s best selling album of all time, was reissued to celebrate its 25 th anniversary. Activision released “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith,” the first video game in the “Guitar Hero” series to be based around a single music group. Britney Spears set a new record for the biggest jump to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, rising from 96 to No. 1 in just one week, with her single “Womanizer,” also marking her first American No. 1 since her debut single “...Baby One More Time.”

2009: Michael Jackson died in his bed at his rented mansion, which triggered a global outpouring of grief as well as numerous website crashes such as Google, Twitter and Wikipedia. Susan Boyle garnered overnight fame after her performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” on “Britain’s Got Talent,” and later her album “I Dreamed a Dream” became the biggest-selling album of the year. The pitch-correction software Auto-Tune became popular among several artists as well as the musical comedy-drama television series “Glee.” Kanye West performed one of the most controversial acts by jumping on stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech during the Video Music Awards.

2010: Lady Gaga swept the Video Music Awards with eight wins for her “Bad Romance” and “Telephone” videos. After years of legal disputes, music from The Beatles finally became available on iTunes. Justin Bieber became the youngest solo male act to top the Billboard 200 chart since 1963 with hits “Baby,” “Somebody to Love” and “One Time.” The year saw the rise and success of artists such as Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

It is truly fascinating how the music industry has evolved since the beginning of the previous decade. As we head into the new decade, there is no doubt that the industry will continue to expand and flourish into much larger and greater sights than it already has today.