Although the music scene continued on its downward spiral in 2009, three artists helped buoy it somehow: Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and the late Michael Jackson.

And so the following citations...

Taylor Swift: AP's Entertainer of the Year

Broadcast producers and newspaper editors surveyed by The Associated Press picked the 20-year-old “Fearless” girl from Pennsylvania for her “autobiographical and infectious songwriting,” “crossover appeal” and “sparkly style.”

Her “Fearless” tour sold out quicker than the proverbial hot pancakes. Her singles were so hot eight of which were in the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in the same week.

And even when Kanye West interrupted her Video Music Awards moment, her fan base just grew larger, and she wowed them with her well-praised “Saturday Night Live” stint.

Danielle Kiracofe, Stars and Stripes entertainment editor, summed up Taylor’s winning appeal:

"In a time of 'made' musicians, she writes her own songs and has her own sparkly style. She's managed to do all of this with grace, class and poise — and without uttering a swear word, dancing on a pole or wearing next to nothing. At the age of 20.”

Lady Gaga: MTV's Woman of the Year

Out of the fierce femme fatales who enthralled audiences in 2009, MTV chose Lady Gaga as “Woman of the Year” because “there's no one who challenged, provoked, entertained and, well, titillated us over the past 12 months quite like she has.”

And who wouldn’t agree? She shocked the world of music with her no holds barred vision and effort to artistically mix music, performance art and fashion. People tagged her as the “new Madonna” of which the Queen of Pop herself approved.

The music channel also described her “both a classic pop star and one very much of the moment: Her music is dance-pop in format, but with a pop flair that stretches across many different genres and generations.”

Her four hits “Poker Face,” “Just Dance,” “Paparazzi” and “Love Game” all topped the Billboard Pop Songs chart.

“Her message is provocative but positive, and she's smart enough to engage her audience (with tweets and constant reminders of how much she loves her ‘monsters’) and still always keep them guessing,” MTV added.

Michael Jackson: MTV's Man of the Year

The musical genius garnered the most number of top mentions among the lot. His “Man of the Year” recognition is not a sensationalization of his untimely death but a celebration of his life and legacy.

“Jackson's legacy — not just his music or his effortless showmanship, but his charitable work too — extended to every corner of the earth, reached places even the United Nations dared not tread,” wrote MTV.

Albeit he took a backseat at producing records, his albums continue to sell, a proof of such timeless music from “the most famous man on the planet, a near-deity seemingly lifted from the pulpy pages of a Siegel and Shuster comic, or, perhaps more correctly, a Greek tragedy.”

His concert that never was, “This is It,” in which its behind-the-scenes were made into a docu-film of the same title, grossed $200 M in the box-office (and an equally successful soundtrack), which proved how much the world missed and will miss the legendary musician, hit maker, choreographer and pioneer.

AP also named his demise as 2009’s top entertainment story; earning merit not just because of the man’s greatness but also of the controversy that surrounded the year’s “most shocking moment”---his death.

Indeed, how the world stopped and how the music industry froze then, because there will never be a King of Pop like Michael Jackson.