Timeline
One line, and everything hangs off it
The industry's spine: dated nodes from the first Chess session to the vinyl revival's sales record, each linked to a longer piece.
- One Line, 1939 to NowThe record label as institution, compressed into a single annotated thread — from Blue Note's first session to streaming's current share of global revenue
- The Year the Business Stopped GrowingAmerican record sales fell in 1979 for the first time in years — and the industry chose the wrong explanation
- The Silver Disc and the Catalogue Reissue TradeWhen consumers replaced their record collections with compact discs, the industry sold them the same music twice — and the economics were transformational
- When the File Moved Faster Than the Label CouldThe Napster years didn't kill recorded music
- Vinyl Outsells the Compact Disc in the United StatesAfter three decades of CD dominance, RIAA data for 2022 showed vinyl revenue pulling ahead — the first time since 1987