2003

Acts Formed

Baroness

Savannah, Georgia, USA
Sludge Metal

Battles

New York, New York, USA
Experimental Rock

Blue Sky Black Death

San Francisco, California, USA
Instrumental Hip Hop

Chase & Status

London, England
Drum & Bass

Glasvegas

Glasgow, Scotland
Indie Rock

Mount Eerie

Anacortes, Washington, USA
Folk Rock

The Besnard Lakes

Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Indie Rock

The Gutter Twins

Los Angeles, California, USA
Alternative Rock

Wolf Parade

Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Indie Rock

January 10th

Tommy Mottola announces he is stepping down as the chairman and CEO of Sony Music.

February 23rd - Grammy Awards

Album of the Year: Norah Jones - Come Away With Me

Song of the Year: Norah Jones - Don't Know Why

March 10th

Songs by The Dixie Chicks are pulled from various American radio stations after the band criticised George W. Bush and the Iraq War.

April 1st

Fans walk out of a Pearl Jam gig after the band criticise George W. Bush and the Iraq War.

April 21st

Nina Simone dies at 70 from breast cancer.

April 28th

The iTunes store is launched allowing fans to download music legally.

May 31st

The first Download Festival is held at Donington Park, England. The festival takes its name from popular act of acquiring music over the internet.

June 17th

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium is released.

July 4th

Barry White dies at 58 from kidney failure.

August 1st

MySpace is launched. It's the first social media platform to gain major traction. Users would go on to include artists such as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Arctic Monkeys, and My Chemical Romance

September 7th

Warren Zevon dies at 56 from cancer.

September 9th - Mercury Prize

Best British Album: Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner

September 12th

Johnny Cash dies at 71 from comlications related to diabetes.

October 20th

Michael Jackson is arrested on charges related to child molestation. He was acquitted in 2005. The investigation began due to information he volunteered in an interview with the BBC's Martin Bashir. Namely, that he regularly slept in a bed with other people's children.

October 21st

Elliott Smith dies at 34 from two, possibly self-inflicted, stab wounds to the chest.

October 29th

Napster relaunches as a legal service.

November 4th

Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highway is released.

November 20th

The music producer Phil Spector is charged with the murder of Lana Clarkson. They had met for the first time that day. Spector was found guilty in 2009.