The bulls were running in the music biz in 2018. Record companies reporting record revenues, tech companies going public, rappers winning PULITZER PRIZES. (OK, one rapper. But still.) Music showed its clout in Washington, shepherding the first major copyright reform in years into law, and in Hollywood, where music movies went head-to-head at the box office with action franchises. There were blockbuster deals for companies and for artists. There were streams and streams of streams. And, lest we lose our perspective, there were also bankruptcies, shaky stock prices, strange decisions and men who should know better telling women who do know better that they need to step up. Below is a look back at some of the year's biggest business stories. And here's a toast to 2019, when men start stepping down, women cheer them on and artificial intelligence learns to write and record pop hits, sign sync deals, hire promo teams, ring the bell at the NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE and curate killer INSTAGRAM feeds.