NPR Series: The Decade In Music: '00s https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120180908 NPR Music explores the music and meaning of the '00s. Hosted by Monitor Mix blogger Carrie Brownstein. en Copyright 2024 NPR - For Personal Use Only Story API Shim 1.2.24 Tue, 01 Apr 2025 22:24:35 -0400 https://media.npr.org/images/podcasts/primary/npr_generic_image_300.jpg?s=200 NPR Series: The Decade In Music: '00s https://www.npr.org/series/120180908/the-decade-in-music-00s The Decade In Rap Mixtapes The underground mixtape has long been a staple in hip-hop, with blended DJ selections being all the rage throughout the '90s. But this decade saw the format mutate: Rappers began to take matters into their own hands, linking directly with DJs to create artist-specific tapes of original material. Andrew Noz, of the blog Cocaine Blunts, looks back on a decade of important hip-hop mixes. Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:34:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2010/01/14/122319397/the-decade-in-rap-mixtapes https://www.npr.org/2010/01/14/122319397/the-decade-in-rap-mixtapes

The underground mixtape has long been a staple in hip-hop, with blended DJ selections being all the rage throughout the '90s. But this decade saw the format mutate: Rappers began to take matters into their own hands, linking directly with DJs to create artist-specific tapes of original material. Andrew Noz, of the blog Cocaine Blunts, looks back on a decade of important hip-hop mixes.

]]> Andrew Noz 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. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:01:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2010/01/01/122117007/musicians-we-lost-2000-2009 https://www.npr.org/2010/01/01/122117007/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.

]]> 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. Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:19:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/31/122114058/the-loudness-wars-why-music-sounds-worse https://www.npr.org/2009/12/31/122114058/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.

]]> In Memoriam: 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. Please use the comments section to add your own remembrances of these and other musicians who died during the past decade. Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:51:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/31/122101025/in-memoriam-musicians-we-lost-2000-2009 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/31/122101025/in-memoriam-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. Please use the comments section to add your own remembrances of these and other musicians who died during the past decade.

]]> 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. Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/31/122066527/the-summer-jam-and-the-return-of-the-single https://www.npr.org/2009/12/31/122066527/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.

]]> Frannie Kelley 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. Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:54:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/30/122063363/obscure-music-finds-an-outlet-on-the-web https://www.npr.org/2009/12/30/122063363/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.

]]> Joel Rose 'In Rainbows': A Pragmatic Experiment In 2007, Radiohead shocked music fans and the industry by releasing their record <em>In Rainbows</em> 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. Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/30/122006767/in-rainbows-a-pragmatic-experiment https://www.npr.org/2009/12/30/122006767/in-rainbows-a-pragmatic-experiment In Rainbows.'/>

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.

(Image credit: John Shearer)

]]> Jacob Ganz 2006 And The Death Of Tower Records Once, Tower Records was <em>the</em> 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. Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/29/121975854/2006-and-the-death-of-tower-records https://www.npr.org/2009/12/29/121975854/2006-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.

]]> Neda Ulaby 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. Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/28/121867031/youtube-online-fame-for-everyone https://www.npr.org/2009/12/28/121867031/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.

]]> Carrie Brownstein 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 <em>All Things Considered</em> host Guy Raz spin a few of the most notable classical recordings of the past ten years. Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/27/121772989/the-decade-in-classical-recordings https://www.npr.org/2009/12/27/121772989/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.

]]> Tom Huizenga