Do you remember the first music you ever bought? Whether it was a digital download, a compact disc, cassette, eight track, or a 33-1/3, 45, or even a 78 RPM wax record, I’ll bet you know that first song or album by heart. Mine was way back in 1967, The Monkees’ Headquarters album. My parents bought it at the neighborhood pharmacy, believe it or not. I played it over and over and over again. I would have kept playing it, but my little brother, Ira, the future disc jockey, took a bite out of it, literally. I still have it though. No matter what kind of music you like, whether it’s Bruce Springsteen, Lawrence Welk, or Gwen Stefani, we all form attachments to our favorite songs. For example, the first song my wife and I danced to at our wedding was Springsteen’s "I Wanna Marry You,” and it still brings a smile to my face almost 20 years later. The point of these anecdotal snapshots? Music matters in our lives. But the music industry itself is undergoing a historic shift away from the sale of physical albums to downloads of music, one 99¢ song at a time. Where is pop music going? That’s the topic of today’s interview with Tamara Conniff, Billboard editor and associate publisher , where she oversees all aspects of the Billboard brand, from editorial to face-to-face events. She is the youngest person and first woman to hold this post. Prior to joining Billboard, Conniff served as the music editor for The Hollywood Reporter for five years and was senior editor in charge of music for Amusement Business. Her work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Boston Globe, and the New York Post, among other places. Born and raised in Hollywood, she is also the daughter of the late American music legend, Ray Conniff. Tamara Conniff • • • • •