Despite the long-running hype and distortions of the music pundits, the newspapers, the music magazines and the tv shows, the real Story Of The Decade is how music listeners finally had their say.
We now know that the UK trumpeting of Oasis and the millions of copy-cat skinny dudes in tight jeans with weak nasal voices - aka the 'indie' genre - was a non-starter.
We now know that Girls - not Guys - were the dominant force in music in the past 10 years, despite the never-ending cover stories about weak metrosexual rappers or pretty boy 'singers'.
The facts are now in: America's Top 10 Selling Digital Songs of the Decade
- 4 girls
- 3 guys
- 2 guy bands
- 1 band with upfront girl
And with two of the top 10, Lady GaGa is the top selling digital artist of the decade. Beyonce (right), another astonishingly powerful woman in the modern non-male-dominated music industry, joined GaGa on Telephone recently.
Next, the hysteria and lies about 'illegal' file sharing. Here are the facts:
Chart of Torrent Content by Type
That's right. Only 10% of the claimed files shared are music. But, and this is a big BUT, people who share files are also the ones who spend the most on music:
- average file sharer spend on music ... £77
- average non-file sharer spend on music ... £44
As we have said for years, most people who love music also like to share their passion. Just the same as book readers love to tell others about their favourites - and lend them out!
So let's lock up everyone who let a friend or family member read one of their books. Because that is what the UK music cartels (and UK government) want to do with anyone who shares their love of music.
Ellen DeGeneres struggled to find the right words at times but the overall impression was that Ellen had a good ear for excellent music-making. A promising start by the new judge, and she supplied the "hottest" quote of the show. 
Simon Cowell continued to give some of the contestants a harsh reality check, able to summarise both the musical and business issues in a few sentences. He is often not popular but is usually right. And, at last, seems to have lost his anti-girl bias of the past two years.
First up, the incredible vocal and performance talents of Beyonce Knowles:
Album of the Year: Fearless — Taylor Swift
The big gains were all in “new media”:
Of particular note is the gender balance, with girls easily on top in so many respects:
