1. Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger. With a combined revenues of more than $6 billion, the projected bonding of the largest concert ticket seller and the largest concert promoter could be, depending on who you ask, either a monster or simply a monolith. Approved in the U.K. last week, the merger, which was announced in February with Live Nation’s intent to purchase Ticketmaster for around $400 million in stock, is still awaiting the judgment of Congressional committees and regulators here in the U.S.
2. Kanye West jumps Taylor Swift. You know you’ve really screwed up when the normally soft-spoken President Obama calls you a “jackass.” But that was just one of the many consequences of Kanye West leaping up on stage at the MTV VMAs during the presentation of the Best Female Video to interrupt a visibly shocked Taylor Swift.
The rapper vehemently declared that Beyoncé should have won. The bullying Kanye, who later apologized, was treated to a universal chorus of criticism and Taylor? … Well, the resulting media tempest helped make the country ingénue whose "Flawless" album was already one of the top sellers of 2009, one of the biggest stars in the world. So thanks, Kanye!
4. Where the Grammys roam. Looks like the devil and the nomination is actually in the details. The denial of a Grammy nod for “All Is Love,” Yeah Yeah Yeah’s lead singer Karen O’s sing-a-long song from the acclaimed "Where the Wild Things Are" soundtrack, was a blow, especially when Miley Cyrus did get a nomination.
5. Eminem inducts Run DMC. Never at a loss for words, the Detroit rapper had a busy 2009 with two comeback album in "Relapse" and the remixed "Relapse: Refill." But that wasn’t Eminem’s greatest moment this year. In April, in a black leather fedora and jacket, the world’s biggest hip-hop artist showed why he is also the genre’s biggest fan. With a poetic, historical and touching tribute inducting Run DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Eminem drew the best of the past into the superlative of today. “As soon as I heard ‘Run’s House,’ man, it was pretty much a rap for me,” Eminem said, “Marshall Mathers became Eminem. It was the first time Run-DMC had changed my life, but it wouldn’t be the last. Two turntables and a microphone." Now that’s a tougher than leather legacy.
7. Remasters and re-releases. For a band that broke up almost 40 years ago, 2009 was a very good year for the Beatles. The Sept. 9 release of the Fab Four’s remastered catalogue topped the charts, with a little help from Beatles: Rock Band videogame, as fans re-bought a significant part of their record collection. The Beatles were the biggest blast from the past, but their longtime rivals the Rolling Stones certainly showed their nostalgia muscle with the multi-media 40thanniversary deluxe release of "Get Your Ya-Yas Out!," the live album from their infamous 1969 tour. In an industry pummeled by declining CD sales, the Beatles and the “Greatest Rock’n’Roll Band in the World,” as the intro on "Ya-Yas" proclaims, kept the lights on.