The year 2000 signaled the first decade of the 21st century. People who lived through this era witnessed the emergence of computers being predominantly used to record, distribute, store, and play music. These new processes changed the way the economy worked, as well as the music industry. Artists experienced a shift in how they establish relationships with fans, record companies, promoters, retail music stores, and technology.
At this time, digital music consumption already existed and was making massive shifts in the industry. Album sales started to decline as the digital format offered “a la carte” options to consumers. This meant there was no need to download entire albums; you could just get the tracks you liked. The digital music revolution also faced some issues with peer-to-peer networks allowing people to exchange free music files.
By 2001, hard drive space experienced a significant drop in prices and laptops and computers were able to store a large number of music files. Itunes and iPods became the main music storage and playback options for users. Artists also transferred their music from physical media like the CD into digital-only formats.
The rise of digital music considerably shifted the power that was in play during the reign of CDs. Artists started relying on live performances to gerner fans and no longer felt the need to sign “record deals” because high-quality music could be made through any computer and distributed online. The rise of social media and YouTube meant they could reach audiences they weren't able to reach before.
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer and actress. Her contribution to the music industry significantly changed the world's view of what it truly meant to be a “complete performer.” After going solo from Destiny's Child in 2006, she made one smash hit after another. Songs like “Crazy in Love,” “Single Ladies,” “Halo,” “Partition,” “Irreplaceable,” “Drunk in Love,” “Baby Boy,” “Beautiful Liar,” “7/11,” and “Run The World (Girls)” performed so well that she was selling out tickets in the world's biggest stadiums. Today, she is still one of the biggest celebrities and most influential performers of the 21st century.
Coldplay achieved worldwide fame after the release of their debut album Parachutes in 2000. Their single, “Yellow” became such a hit that it got them nominated for the Mercury Prize. But it wasn't until the release of their third album, X&Y in 2005 that they were crowned as having the best-selling album worldwide. Overall, the band has been a recipient of 62 awards from 209 nominations which included nine Brit Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, and seven Grammy Awards out of 31 nominations.
Kanye Omari West is an American songwriter, fashion designer, and rapper who was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. He started making hip-hop music by the early age of 13, and created songs for other artists until Jay-Z saw “pure talent” in him. Today, he is known for his hits like “Slow Jamz,” “Gold Digger,” and “Stronger.”
Avril Ramona Lavigne, a Canadian-French actress, songwriter, and singer, was born on September 27, 1984. She took the world by storm with punk rock hits like “Sk8er Boi” and “Complicated.” At 15, she was already singing on stage with Shania Twain, and by 16 she had signed two-album recording contracts with Arista Records. Her music reinforced the power of punk rock across the decade.
American band Linkin' Park was formed in Agoura Hills, California in 1996. The band members are Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell, Joe Hahn, and Rob Bourdon. Their music is mostly a mixture of hip hop, alternative rock, nu metal, and techno. The band rose to international recognition after releasing the debut album entitled Hybrid in 2000. Their song “In The End” is considered one of the best rock songs of the 21st century as it sold over 68 million albums worldwide and won two Grammy Awards.
“How You Remind Me” is a song released by infamous Canadian rock band Nickelback on August 21, 2001. It was the lead single off their third studio album entitled Silver Side Up (2001). The song was about an old love with whom the lead vocalist shared a dysfunctional relationship. It was the song that put the band on the map. According to Nielsen Soundscan, “How You Remind Me” was the most played song (1.2 million times) on US radio during the 2000s. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 22, 2001.
The Black Eyed Peas released “I Gotta Feeling” as the second single of their fifth album entitled The E.N.D. It was released on May 21, 2009, and debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in Canada and number one in the US. The song was overall a feel-good piece that dominated radios, music channels, and clubs.
It was nominated for Record of the Year at the 52nd Grammy Awards and won the Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals category. It was also the first song in digital history ever to sell seven million non-physical copies.
The song “Low” was Flo Rida's first single from his debut studio album entitled Mail on Sunday. The song was co-written by fellow American rapper, T-Pain. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 thanks to all its up-tempo, catchy, and club-oriented Southern hip hop beats. It met massive international success as the longest-running, number-one single of 2008 in the US. It spent ten consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.
Seen as a mixture of crunk and R&B, “Yeah!” is a song by American singer Usher featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon. It was released as the lead single of “Confessions” (2004), Usher's fourth studio album. The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 consecutive weeks. The song went on to be dethroned by yet another one of Usher’s songs entitled “Burn.” It received the same level of recognition in other countries like Belgium, Australia, Germany, Canada, Norway, and New Zealand.
“We Belong Together” was the second single from Mariah Carey's tenth studio album entitled The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The American singer released the song on March 29, 2006, through Island Records. “We Belong Together” was the hit Mariah Carey needed to get back on track. It broke US chart records and became the singer's 16th char topper in the US Billboard Hot 100. It ranked number fourteen on Billboard’s chart for fourteen non-consecutive weeks.