iTunes great for Apple, but was it for music biz? - Boston Globe

The industry had a lot to protect. It was enjoying booming sales at the turn of the last century, fueled by the success of teen sensations like Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys and `N Sync. But it was just starting to feel the effects of the illegal downloading era: The top-selling album of that year, Linking Park's "Hybrid Theory," sold 4.8 million, down from 2000's top-seller, `N Sync's "No Strings Attached," which sold almost 8 million a year before.