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The Decade In Music: '00s NPR Music explores the music and meaning of the '00s. Hosted by Monitor Mix blogger Carrie Brownstein.
Special Series

The Decade In Music: '00s

The music and meaning of the '00s. Hosted by Monitor Mix blogger Carrie Brownstein.

Thursday

Friday

Musicians We Lost, 2000-2009

Musicians We Lost, 2000-2009

The music world lost many greats in the past decade, including artists who shaped the sounds of rock 'n' roll, soul, pop and country as we know them today. Hear remembrances of some of these legends, culled from the NPR archives. Add your own remembrances of these and other musicians who died during the past decade in the comments section.

Musicians We Lost, 2000-2009

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Thursday

The Loudness Wars: Why Music Sounds Worse

Christopher Clark graphed the peak levels of and RMS levels of three hit songs a year over the past three decades. This image links to a PDF of his full poster, "A Visual History Of Loudness." Christopher Clark hide caption

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Christopher Clark

The Loudness Wars: Why Music Sounds Worse

In the past decade, recorded music has gotten louder — and has deteriorated from a sound-quality standpoint. A recording engineer discusses "the loudness wars," and a psychology professor explains why the ubiquity of MP3s has changed what we hear.

The Loudness Wars: Why Music Sounds Worse

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The Summer Jam And The Return Of The Single
courtesy of Def Jam

The Summer Jam And The Return Of The Single

This past decade has seen the return of the single. Not since the 1950s and '60s have singles been so important to musicians' careers or so often accounted for the bulk of their sales. No phenomenon illustrates this more clearly than the wondrous, illogical beast known as The Summer Jam.

The Summer Jam And The Return Of The Single

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Wednesday

Obscure Music Finds An Outlet On The Web

Advances in digital technology over the past decade have made it easier and cheaper to distribute music online. But it's fans, not labels, who are taking the lead. Fensterbme via Flickr hide caption

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Fensterbme via Flickr

Obscure Music Finds An Outlet On The Web

Advances in digital technology over the past decade have made it easier and cheaper to distribute music. But that doesn't necessarily mean those cherished, obscure LPs are turning up online — at least not legally.

Obscure Music Finds An Outlet On The Web

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'In Rainbows': A Pragmatic Experiment

Radiohead shocked the music industry by letting fans pay the price they wanted to download In Rainbows. John Shearer/Getty Images hide caption

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John Shearer/Getty Images

'In Rainbows': A Pragmatic Experiment

In 2007, Radiohead shocked music fans and the industry by releasing their record In Rainbows without a label, via its own Web site, and for whatever price listeners wanted to pay to download it. Whether it was a success or not, the much-talked-about release reflected changes in the record industry and shaped the decade in music.

'In Rainbows': A Pragmatic Experiment

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Tuesday

2006 And The Death Of Tower Records
Paolo!/flickr

2006 And The Death Of Tower Records

Once, Tower Records was the place to go if you were searching for obscure music in any genre. The chain's exhaustive inventory and knowledgeable staff earned it adoring fans. But it wasn't the Internet that killed the retailing star.

2006 And The Death Of Tower Records

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Monday

YouTube: Online Fame For Everyone
courtesy of the artist

YouTube: Online Fame For Everyone

Launched in early 2005, YouTube has changed the way we communicate. The video-sharing Web site has given us a new way of reaching each other, not to mention shortcuts to fame, nostalgia and togetherness.

YouTube: Online Fame For Everyone

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Sunday

The Decade In Classical Recordings

The Decade In Classical Recordings

From Osvaldo Golijov's cross-cultural musical fiesta to the chestnut-colored voice of Rolando Villazon, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin a few of the most notable classical recordings of the past ten years.

The Decade In Classical Recordings

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Friday

2004: The Year Of The Music Blog

One of the earliest examples of music blogs' influence was the success of Arcade Fire in 2004. Paul Bergen/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption

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Paul Bergen/Redferns/Getty Images

2004: The Year Of The Music Blog

As the Internet has altered how people get music, blogs and Web sites have emerged over the past decade as important arbiters of musical taste. One of the earliest examples of their influence was the success of Arcade Fire in 2004.

2004: The Year Of The Music Blog

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Thursday

Beyond Country: Not Your Father's Nashville

The sound of success coming from Nashville has become much less predictable — by necessity. After a tumultuous decade, Music City isn't just leaning on country music, if Kings of Leon, Paramore and Jack White are any indication.

Beyond Country: Not Your Father's Nashville

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MySpace: Still The Musician's Friend
Courtesy of the artist

MySpace: Still The Musician's Friend

The site launched in 2003 as an open social network — a new idea at the time. Today, it's been overtaken by Facebook, but it's still the place musicians go to post their work and build a fan base.

MySpace: Still The Musician's Friend

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Wednesday

Nashville Reels To A Somber Tune

The mainstream country music business found some immunity from the trends devastating sales in other genres over the past decade — at least for a while. As country sales have also begun to drop, Music City is struggling to find its identity.

Nashville Reels To A Somber Tune

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