2000: the year in music

Napster turned the music industry upside down

In this story: Latin music goes mainstream Internet turns music industry upside down A year of loss RELATED STORIES, SITES

(CNN) -- From the Napster phenomenon to the merger of AOL and Time-Warner, 2000 was a big year in music. It was the year that saw the breakup of the Smashing Pumpkins and the death of British singer Kirsty MacColl. It was the year of Latin music, the year of boy bands, teen queens and electronica.

CNN WorldBeat, the world's first international music program, criss-crossed the globe in 2000 to get the biggest music news, the biggest music interviews.

From Quebec to Marseilles, from Brazil to Wales, the show explored the richest, most diverse musical offerings from around the globe.

FEATURE The year in entertainment: Free music, crummy movies and that sneaky Richard guy     MUSIC 2000 Greatest hits: Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, Michael Crenshaw, Indigo Girls and others CD Box sets: Genesis, Los Lobos; Hendrix and more Worldbeat Global Album Chart -- top 100 for 2000   . MESSAGE BOARD What is the best CD you've gotten in 2000? What albums and boxed sets make the best gifts? .

Some of the events WorldBeat covered included WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) 2000 in the Czech Republic, the Summer Music Festival in Quebec, Canada, and the growing popularity of rap and hip-hop in Italian music.

Electronica and hip-hop rock are a few of the music trends that made their mark in 2000. DJs like Moby and Fatboy Slim burst onto the music scene, winning fans with their deft remixing skills. Moby's single "Bodyrock" received two Grammy nods. Fatboy Slim's music appears on the soundtracks to films ranging from "Charlie's Angels" to "Cruel Intentions." His songs are favorites with advertisers as well: Nike and Oldsmobile are among others who use his music to move their products.

"The DJ has replaced the rock star, the pop star, the frontman," says writer/director Justin Kerrigan. "He's the superstar now. He's the one going out, he's the one making all the money."

Hip-hop rock also experienced a surge in popularity. Detroit rapper Eminem, buoyed by the success of his music and beleaguered with legal woes, couldn't stay out of the headlines last year. Limp Bizkit's album, "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water," laid claim to having the best first- week sales for a rock album in the decade-long history of SoundScan, a music-sales tracking firm.

The spectacular success of artists such as Santana helped Latin music take centerstage

Latin music, led by rock veteran Carlos Santana and pop acts like Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera, also took the went front and center in 2000.

Santana won eight Grammys for his blockbuster album, "Supernatural," which featured guest artists like Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and Lauryn Hill. The first Latin Grammys were held in Los Angeles, California, and included appearances by Jennifer Lopez, Aguilera and Martin.

Tito Puente, the grandfather of Latin jazz, was honored at the show posthumously, winning the best tropical performance prize for "Birdland." Puente died in June after undergoing heart surgery. He was 77.

And who can forget Napster? Shawn Fanning, the teen-age creator of the free music- swapping Web site, could hardly have imagined the uproar he stirred up with a simple computer program.

Young Fanning soon found his Web site being vilified by some of the biggest names in music, the most vocal being the heavy metal band Metallica. The courts finally reined in Napster and MP3, another free music swapping Web site, but not after much finger-pointing on both sides.

The record label BMG struck a deal with Napster, turning the site into a paying venture. MP3 caved, paying more than $150 million to the top five record labels to re-create itself as a pay service as well.

But Web sites like Napster and MP3 opened a new era in music, changing the way music is distributed and produced. The band Fisher, for example, took advantage of the changing technology, bypassing major labels in favor of Jimmy and Doug's Farmclub, an online label. The group has sold more than 2 million albums and is being dubbed the first online success story.

The megamerger of Internet giant AOL and Time-Warner, CNN.com's parent company, was approved by United States federal regulators, promising to create a company unparalleled in size and scope when it comes to news and entertainment.

The year 2000 was also a sad one for music fans. There were band breakups and the deaths of several talented artists.

The Smashing Pumpkins called it quits in 2000

Veteran rock band Smashing Pumpkins called it quits, playing its last concert where it all began in the group's hometown of Chicago.

Rage Against the Machine lost a powerful voice when lead singer Zack de la Rocha departed the band after nine years, citing a breakdown in the band's "decision-making process."

Roebuck "Pops" Staples, the head of the gospel and R&B group, the Staple Singers; Rob Buck, the guitarist for 10,000 Maniacs; and British singer Kirsty Maccoll, who collaborated with the Pogues for the hit single, "Fairytale in New York," are just a few of the music talents that died last year.

But it wasn't all bad news for music artists. Veterans U2, Madonna and Pearl Jam all came out with new albums.

It was a full year for Madonna. She performed live for the first time in years to promote her album, "Music," gave birth to a son and got married to British director Guy Ritchie.

Winners and losers of pop music in 2000
December 28, 2000
Pumpkins' founder reflects on past Smashing success, future
December 6, 2000