Desc: The Owners: Directed by Ruben Rodas. The Owners - The Rise and Fall of the Music Industry. Circa 1996, a booming American economy operating during a surplus budget led by President Bill Clinton was in the middle of an unparalleled run of prosperity. The American music industry dominated worldwide album sales with an 82% market share. From 1991 to 2001 America album sales revenue continued to grow by billions of dollars annually before reaching $20,000,000,000 in album sales profits in 2001. The mighty major record label machine was barreling along at an unstoppable pace- fueled by vanity, greed and corruption. Albums sold out at music stores like Tower Records and Virgin Megastore. Record deals were handed out to artist at a rapid pace and record contracts were signed within hours with no experience necessary; but the devil was in the details. Budgets were as enormous as the egos that created them and music executive salaries were just as large. In 1999 Napster was born and by 2001 it was "free music for all". In 2004, to make matters worse, former Attorney General Elliot Spitzer announced the Federal indictments of the BIG FOUR record labels charging them with bribery and corruption. In an arrogant display of label power, the pay-for-play radio payola scandal rocked the already crippled music industry to its core. Along came the iTunes digital music store, which sold its 1 billionth song in 2006. The MP3 replaced the CD as the CD replaced Vinyl before it. U.S physical music sales have plummeted ever since, losing $1.5 billion every year for nine consecutive years. The changing of the guard forced music retail stores who relied on album sales into immediate foreclosures. In 2006 the iconic Tower Records chain stores filed for bankruptcy and permanently closed it's doors. Record labels were equally shaken up because BIG 4 revenues main income derived from album sales. Def Jam Records Executive Shakir Stewart committed suicide as his peers lost their jobs. On October 7th 2011, Jive Records, Arista Records and Clive Davis's J Records closed it's doors indefinitely. A few months later Sony Entertainment sold their iconic flagship building '550 Madison'. And in 2014 Island Def Jam is dismantled and shut down. An era of goliath record labels that launched the iconic careers of Britney Spears, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Will Smith, Pink, Avril Lavigne, TLC & Usher are now CLOSED. Music stores along with its music history were obliterated without the full disclosure of the intricate series of events leading up to the massive failure. No other documentary about the story of the rise and fall of the music industry currently exists today. So we ask, who killed the music industry?