2007 was a year when pop diva Britney Spears hogged more news space than ever before and it was not because of her new album. Credit that to the insatiable demand for celebrity gossip that the media outlets must keep constantly fed with all things sensational every minute of the day. More important but hardly talked about by the public was the fact that the music industry was at a loss about what to do with dwindling CD sales, piracy and a technology changing more rapidly than ever before.

The message was face up to the changes or die. Some did and ingenuity carried the day. Radiohead sold its new album at a price dictated by fans on the Net. Prince gave his away for free. The Eagles got retail giant Wal-Mart behind its comeback CD. A lot of acts went off on concert tours to new markets like China where record sales are nil but live shows bring in thousands of fans and make lots of money. Most of all think of ways to make downloads, ringtones, iPodcasts and other new outlets pay the cost.

But despite those problems, recorded music remained a vital force that affected lives everywhere. Nothing can ever replace the joy of hearing something you enjoy and music is not dying. The way we get it is only changing its form and constituency. This is just like what happened when vinyl became tape and tape turned to discs, or when the turntable gave way to the tape deck, etc. We do not know what those tools will look like or sound like next year but the music will always be there.

2007 was a year of reunions. Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Police and Spice Girls. It was a big year for the tween set with High School Musical, Hannah Montana and other kids making good business. It was a year for American Idol with winners, Carrie Underwood, non-winners, Chris Daughtry fronting the band Daughtry, on top of the charts and other discoveries like Katharine Mcphee, Kellie Pickler, Blake Lewis and others all releasing new albums. It was a big year for hip-hop. Beyoncé Knowles, Akon, Jay-Z were very much around. And thanks to her Big Girls Don’t Cry, Fergie was named the No. 1 female act and leading Pop 100 Artist of the Year.
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