Verzuz Begins on Instagram Live
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz turn a remote producer battle into a participatory music-history format.
“Gangnam Style” Reaches One Billion YouTube Views
PSY’s Korean-language hit becomes the first YouTube video to cross the billion-view threshold.
The iTunes Music Store Opens
Apple launches a legal download store offering individual tracks at a simple price.
Spotify Launches Its Consumer Streaming Service
An on-demand licensed catalog begins shifting music consumption from ownership toward access.
Napster Makes Peer-to-Peer Music Sharing Mainstream
A student-built service lets millions of people search for and exchange MP3 files directly.
Apple Introduces the iPod
A pocket-sized device presents a thousand-song personal library as a simple consumer experience.
MTV Begins Broadcasting
A new cable channel makes music video a daily programming format and a central marketing force.
Michael Jackson Releases Thriller
A cross-genre album expands the commercial and visual possibilities of global pop.
Berry Gordy Founds Motown
A Detroit record company begins building one of popular music’s most influential creative systems.