1960s: Doo-wop and the Motown sound are two African-American musical styles that find acceptance with white American teens.

Today: A variety of musical styles—including rock, pop, alternative, rap, rhythm and blues, and punk—and performers—including whites, African Americans, and Latin Americans—find acceptance with American teens of all races and ethnicities.

1960s: Large record companies dominate the American recording industry, forcing smaller companies like Motown Records to work harder to assert themselves and make sales.

Today: The American recording industry is undergoing undergoing massive changes, as it tries to deal with the changing face of technology. While the Internet gives record companies and their distributors greater flexibility in selling albums, it also gives private individuals the ability to distribute songs for free to other Internet users, thus threatening large record companies' profits.

1960s: The United States escalates its...