>> yeah, they are. ♪ ♪ ♪ you may think of it as the channel that rattles your china, occasionally your teeth, and hypnotizes your children. but what you may want to know is that mtv is responsible for a complete revolution in the music business in this country. ♪ unskinny bop just blows me away ♪ >> mtv makes the hits. it's as if there were just one national radio station for new songs. >> ending the '80s in terms of rock music, you're getting a lot of hair bands. you've got poison, ratt, warrant. ♪ she's my cherry pie ♪ ♪ cool drink of water such a sweet surprise ♪ ♪ tastes so good make a grown man cry sweet cherry pie ♪ >> a lot of hairspray going on. there's a lot of sexually suggestive lyrics. it's not particularly deep music, but mtv pushing it. so that's selling. >> when i would turn on mtv, all the rock bands looked a certain way. they played a kind of music. they were expected to have a certain facade. >> mtv's ratings are surprisingly small. but those who do watch, mostly teenagers and young adults, buy a lot of records and tapes and cds. and they buy the most of what they see the most. >> recently, two members of the heavy metal band aerosmith dropped by mtv's offices to screen their new video and brought a big bag of cash as an incentive. >> the record companies would submit videos every monday, and then we would have our music meeting, and we would look at all the videos and decide who was going to get put into the new rotation. i was a 21-year-old kid that loved punk rock, and i pretty quickly realized that the music that they were playing just wasn't what i was into. when the new nirvana video was delivered to mtv, i was completely blown away. ♪ i said, listen, they really are incredible and we need to give them a shot, and if it doesn't work then you can push me out of the music meeting. >> tonight's world premiere video from the seattle band nirvana. "smells like teen spirit." ♪ load up on guns bring your friends ♪ ♪ it's fun to lose and to ♪ >> it was like the musical kennedy assassination of our time. everybody who was alive then can tell you the moment they heard that song. because nothing like that existed to that point. it was really transcendent. ♪ when the light's out it's less dangerous ♪ ♪ here we are now entertain us ♪ >> here we are now, entertain us. it sounded like a threat. it sounded like a different generation coming in saying, what do you have for us? what are you going to do for us? ♪ got to find a way, a better way, a way to live ♪ >> the so-called slackers, generation x, they were not being paid attention to. and this pressure was building up, especially in the music industry, for something that actually spoke to them. >> this is the first american generation that will make less than their parents will. it's a tough time to grow up in. and i think the band and kurt cobain in particular reflect that angst. ♪ yeah, yeah ♪ >> kurt cobain was a great songwriter with this ability to scream almost in tune. it just gave an intensity that was really unique. ♪ i kill you, i'm not gonna crack ♪ >> nirvana gave the record industry a wake-up call and said, here is your new audience. so start looking for the people with the clothes with the holes in the knees. and you better run to those clubs to buy up the next one. >> i would go to the clubs and see bands like cat butt and bands like screaming trees. it was such a refreshing change from the competitive sort of l.a. hollywood '80s. and it was just suddenly so cool to be from seattle. >> one of the biggest music biz stories these days is the so-called rain city renaissance with the emergence of noisy punk metal grunge rock. bands like soundgarden, nirvana, alice in chains, and pearl jam from seattle, washington. ♪ i'm feeling i'm feeling outshined outshined outshined outshined ♪ >> why don't you tell me what the biggest misconception about the so-called seattle music scene is? >> everybody's a grunge band. >> all these bands that actually sound pretty different from each other were being lofted up to the mainstream as, this is what grunge is. >> tell me a little bit about the seattle music scene. >> with all the attention, no one's ever asked us that before. >> we've never heard that question. so, tell me about the seattle sound? what's going on up there? >> what's in the water? ♪ son, she said, have i got a little story for you ♪ ♪ what you thought was your daddy ♪ >> bands like nirvana, pearl jam, they wanted no part of the music industry machine. and yet there they were, on mtv, on the charts, selling millions of records. ♪ hey i, i'm still alive ♪ ♪ i, oh i'm still alive ♪ >> it's a little bit overwhelming to see this many people. we're used to playing small clubs. you know? and we want to go back to playing small clubs. ♪ >> alternative rock tour kicked off in phoenix, arizona, thursday night. it's a multiact package called the lollapalooza tour. ♪ you want to open up lighten up all your crossroads ♪ >> 1991, we were the first band on stage at the first-ever lollapalooza, which was a tremendous thing for my band and i. >> lollapalooza is cool. ♪ >> the idea that you could get these important and popular bands from the underground, like jane's addiction, nine inch nails, soundgarden, hole, red hot chili peppers, and you get them all together, it felt like a really new idea. >> by the mid-'90s it's already been parodied by "the simpsons." >> wow, it's like woodstock, only with advertisements everywhere and tons of security guards. >> it is in the american lexicon. >> the commercial culture has co-opted the counterculture. >> the honeymoon's over. now we're getting down to real commerce. and there's a certain kind of disillusionment going on. >> since i got everything i wanted i could put a zero after the number of record sales i've had. i could play 200,000-seat halls instead of 2,000-seat halls, and i could go on mtv 1,000 times a week rather than 1 time a month. and i thought maybe when i reached all these goals i'd find some sort of peace. i didn't. it's like i'm more miserable now than i ever was. think he's posting about all that ancient roman coinage? 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[ cheers and applause ] >> i was in the front row of the "unplugged" performance, and it was a serious artistic statement. kurt didn't play the hits. those songs were chosen for a particular reason. ♪ my girl, my girl ♪ ♪ don't lie to me ♪ ♪ tell me where did you sleep last night ♪ >> i remember watching him play a cover of a leadbelly song, "where did you sleep last night?" and it was emotional for me because i love nirvana, and i felt this connection to kurt cobain, and i was always, even when i was young, just so worried about him. ♪ my girl, my girl ♪ >> in that era there was always the speculation kurt's not doing well, kurt has drug problems. and nirvana "unplugged" was this kind of thing like, the clouds parted. you know? and it seemed like everything was going to be okay. ♪ night through ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> from seattle tonight, word of an untimely death. >> the lead singer of nirvana shot and killed himself at his home in seattle, washington, today. >> it didn't come as a major surprise, but it was devastating because of the way it happened. >> i pulled over and i was there for like 20 minutes, half an hour, just crying right there. i just don't understand it. that's all. >> i think he was the closest that his generation came to a john lennon. >> yeah. >> in that he was writing very much from the heart, very directly, and he didn't play according to the rules. >> i was 16 when that happened. and if you turned to music for solace in your life, to then see your hero kill himself, it was devastating. it certainly sucked the air out of alternative rock. you know, the best band fell apart after only making a couple records. you know? what do you do after that? ♪ >> oasis, the verve, blur, the britpop thing, it was like the hangover of grunge. oh my god, my head's pounding. this has been insane. let's turn on oasis. ♪ and after all ♪ ♪ you're my wonderwall ♪ >> they were the opposite of nirvana because they wanted fame. no matter how big they were, they wanted to be bigger. >> we know we're the best band in the country, and it's as simple as that. and it's that simple. >> the thing about oasis in a way is they've got no kind of -- no false modesty. >> not anybody can just sort of go, we're brilliant. it's like -- anybody who's got the balls to do that is good in my book. ♪ but i'm a creep ♪ >> "creep" came out in the early '90s. and that was as much of an alt rock hit as any of the nirvana songs or pearl jam songs, but it was hardly extraordinary. >> inevitably the first song that becomes a hit, everybody caricatures the band from that. we just have to wait to see whether we have a chance to prove that we're not just that. >> okay. ♪ >> i remember vividly listening to radiohead's next record, "the bends," nonstop. i would seriously geek out on every part. the bass line, the percussion, every tiny little nuance. ♪ don't leave me high ♪ ♪ don't leave me dry ♪ >> this week the band released a new album, "ok computer," that has critics chirping with praise too. ♪ >> "ok computer" is like "dark side of the moon" of the '90s. it really showed that, this is going to be a defining band of the next 25 years. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> you could tell the whole story of the evolution of what came out of grunge through radiohead, and what came out of alternative through beck. ♪ in the time of chimpanzees i was a monkey ♪ ♪ butane in my veins ♪ >> i was always interested in hip-hop. sort of non-linear word connections. ♪ i'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me ♪ >> beck is defining what's happening now with that mesh of styles. he's mixing electronic, country, rap, rock 'n' roll, everything. everything. he's throwing the kitchen sink in. ♪ >> out of the ashes of nirvana, dave grohl created the foo fighters. >> this is the first time in my life i've ever fronted a band, had to actually stand up and sing. and seem charismatic or whatever, which i can't do. but i need to just keep playing and making music. ♪ looking to the sky to save me looking for a sign of life ♪ ♪ looking for something to help me burn out bright ♪ >> in an era when everything was serious and had a heavy tone, especially after kurt cobain's death, the foo fighters create the "learn to fly" music video. they found this perfect balance between making people laugh with also having the ability to play incredible rock music. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] le mons. look how nice they are. the moment you become an expedia member, you can instantly start saving on your travels. so you can go and see all those, lovely, lemony, lemons. ♪ and never wonder if you got a good deal. because you did. ♪ only at vanguard you're more than just an investor you're an owner. that means that your priorities are ours too. our interactive tools and advice can help you build a future for the ones you love. that's the value of ownership. ♪ you know real chili never has beans. you know which pizza is eaten with a fork and a knife... and which one is definitely not. you know a cappuccino is for the morning and an espresso is for the afternoon. you know how to answer "sparking or still" in over 12 different languages. you'll try anything that's not currently alive... unless of course it's highly recommended. the delta skymiles® american express card. if you travel, you know. we have to be able to repair the enamel on a daily basis. with pronamel repair toothpaste, we can help actively r r rai enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. get ready - our most popular battery is even more powerful. the stronger, lasts-longer energizer max. this? 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[ in unison ] that's powerful. couldn't have said it better myself. and with three times the bandwidth, the gaming never has to end. slaying is our business. and business is good. unbeatable internet from xfinity. made to do anything so you can do anything. the down-home music that was once the preserve of cowboys and rednecks is well on its way to becoming the sound of the '90s. >> one of the things that was overlooked while all this rock 'n' roll explosion was going on was country music. these acts were putting out good music, they were touring constantly around the country and building up a fan base. ♪ blame it all on my roots i showed up in boots ♪ ♪ and ruined your black tie affair ♪ >> when they asked people their favorite singer, number one in the nation was garth brooks. you surprised by that? >> yes, sir. i guess my family knew they were going to be asking the questions and got there before they did. ♪ i got friends in low places where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away ♪ >> living in mississippi, country was a huge part of my life, and it was all because of garth brooks. the first time i ever saw him in concert, i was probably 10 or 11 years old. ♪ to the oasis ♪ >> i said, that is exactly what i want to do. >> garth brooks is the biggest-selling artist of the decade and the fastest-selling musical artist ever. >> he's been described as a cross between john wayne and mick jagger. he's got the looks of a cowboy and the moves of a rock 'n' roll star. >> it sounded like rock 'n' roll. guitars and big drums and everybody singing along. that's what people liked about rock shows. >> as the acts became maybe less twangy in their way, that really just expanded their audience. artists like george strait or brooks & dunn, plenty of acts worked their way up and became massive. >> over the last two years, country music has taken over the airwaves and the record charts with over $2 billion in sales and climbing. >> as the boom in the music takes hold, westernwear dealers can't keep up with the demand. >> you've got kids, you've got a house payment, and these people are more like you are than madonna is. ♪ is there life out there so much she hasn't done ♪ >> women in country was a huge thing in the '90s. you had reba mcentire, martina mcbride, the dixie chicks, shania twain. ♪ let's go, girls ♪ >> i remember when shania twain came out, i was just obsessed with her. i thought it was because i was really attracted to her, but i came to find out i just wanted to be her best friend. ♪ the best part about being a woman is the prerogative to have a little fun ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh, totally crazy ♪ >> in all fields in our society now, women, i wouldn't say dominating. i think that they're just rising to their true place. ♪ i feel like a woman ♪ >> as things wore on, it became a great decade to be a girl. ♪ ♪ you just can't stop loving you ♪ >> after years of singing backup for such stars as michael jackson and rod stewart, she exploded onto the music scene in 1993 with her album "tuesday night music club." ♪ all i wanna do is have some fun ♪ ♪ i've got a feeling i'm not the only one ♪ >> radio has been so long in coming and playing female artists. so it's definitely a different sort of environment and attitude now. ♪ if it makes you happy ♪ >> female artists like sheryl crow or liz phair, even though they had success, they were still routinely marginalized within every aspect of the industry. there was not a lot of space in pop culture for a young woman's thoughts, feelings, voices, to be respected or taken seriously. ♪ i'm just a girl ♪ >> there was such a strange dichotomy to gwen stefani, super girlie but then also kind of tough. and then in front of this band of all guys. ♪ that's all that you'll let me be ♪ >> i'm just a girl in the world and that's all that you'll let me be. you know, it was like the middle finger up to every guy that ever annoyed you. >> look who's here. alanis. >> hi. >> we ran into each other. >> we're shopping today. we thought we'd take you with us. and alanis is here with a brand-new album. a brand-new look, i've noticed. >> yeah. >> i was dropped from mca records after having made music through my teens. and my personal promise to myself was i wouldn't stop until i wrote a record that really exemplified and nai