In the 21st century, music became more universal, immediate, and accessible than ever before. On Jan. 1, 2000, the average cost of a CD was about $18, which meant if you wanted to legally own 250 albums,

Billboard is ranking the Top 200 Albums of the 21st Century, and we're sharing our some albums in the top five and how they broke records on the Billboard 200. What's your favorite album of all time?

There was a time when Rolling Stone intentionally sought to be an antidote to the fluff of pop culture. It fought against war and the generally approved way to be. It went about it the right way with well-conceived articles and well-researched ideas.