Editing 1998 in music (section)

==Events==
===January===
*[[January 28]]
**[[Interscope Records]] pays a radio station in Portland, Oregon, USA, $5000 to play the [[Limp Bizkit]] single "[[Counterfeit (song)|Counterfeit]]" fifty times. The business move is widely criticized in the media as "payola", but the controversy serves to further increase publicity for the band.<ref name="RS #797">{{cite magazine |last1=Wiederhorn |first1=Jon |date=October 15, 1998 |title=On the RS Chart |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |publisher=Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. |issue=797 |page=28 }}</ref>
**[["Weird Al" Yankovic]] gets [[LASIK]] surgery to cure his [[myopia]]. At the same time, he grows out his hair and shaves off his [[moustache]], radically changing his [[trademark look|signature look]].<ref>{{cite web |title='Ask Al' Q&As for November 1998 |url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#1198 |access-date=June 5, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070609200738/http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#top |archive-date=June 9, 2007}}</ref>

===February===
*[[February 5]] 
**Carnatic vocalist [[M. S. Subbulakshmi]] becomes the first musician ever to be awarded the [[Bharat Ratna]], India's highest civilian award.<ref>[http://www.sruti.org/library/notes/98_01/sn_98_01.pdf SRUTI, vol 1, Issue 1, Winter 1998] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924105214/http://www.sruti.org/library/notes/98_01/sn_98_01.pdf |date=September 24, 2015 }}. Accessed 21 June 2013</ref>
**Former [[Judas Priest]] frontman [[Rob Halford]] publicly reveals his homosexuality for the first time in an interview with MTV.<ref name="halford mtv">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429870/rob-halford-discusses-sexuality-publicly-first-time.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805081355/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429870/rob-halford-discusses-sexuality-publicly-first-time.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 5, 2011 |title=Rob Halford Discusses Sexuality Publicly For The First Time | date=February 5, 1998 | publisher=MTV |access-date=September 16, 2012}}</ref>
*[[February 15]] – Sir [[Edward Elgar]]'s unfinished [[Symphony No. 3 (Elgar/Payne)|Third Symphony]], completed by [[Anthony Payne]], is performed for the first time at the [[Royal Festival Hall]], London, UK.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/elgar/56393.stm|title=BBC NEWS &#124; Special Report &#124; 1998 &#124; Elgar &#124; Anthony Payne on Elgar's Symphony No 3|website=News.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
*[[February 19]] – [[The Stray Cats]] reunite for a benefit show for the [[Carl Perkins]] Foundation at [[House of Blues]] in Los Angeles, USA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/1998-los-angeles-house-of-blues-plays-host/|title=Los Angeles' House of Blues plays host…|year=1998|website=ThisDayInRock.com|access-date=February 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224162131/http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/1998-los-angeles-house-of-blues-plays-host/|archive-date=February 24, 2011|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
*[[February 21]] – [[Misia]] makes her official CD debut with the single "[[Tsutsumikomu Yō ni...]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000150998|title=MISIAの歴史が詰まった"タイムカプセル"、20周年の豪華ボックスセット発売|work=Barks|date=January 19, 2018|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref>
*[[February 23]] – "[[Frozen (Madonna song)|Frozen]]", the first single from [[Madonna]]'s eighth studio album, ''[[Ray of Light]]'', is released. The single is a worldwide hit, peaking at #2 on US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and becoming her first single to enter the charts at #1 in the UK.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hot 100 Singles Spotlight|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Q4EAAAAMBAJ&dq=Madonna&pg=PA115|last=Sandiford-Waller|first=Theda|date=March 21, 1998|access-date=August 15, 2023|magazine=Billboard|issn=0006-2510|volume=110|issue=12|page=115}}</ref>
*[[February 24]] – [[Elton John]] is knighted by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] of the United Kingdom at [[Buckingham Palace]], London, UK. He was mistakenly introduced as "Sir John Elton", but was renamed "Sir Elton John".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/59754.stm | work=BBC News | title=Arise, Sir Elton! | date=February 24, 1998}}</ref>
*[[February 25]] – The [[40th Annual Grammy Awards]] are presented in [[New York City|New York]], hosted by [[Kelsey Grammer]]. [[Bob Dylan]], [[Alison Krauss]] and [[R. Kelly]] all win three awards each, with Dylan winning [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] for ''[[Time Out of Mind (Bob Dylan album)|Time Out of Mind]]''. [[Shawn Colvin]]'s "[[Sunny Came Home]]" wins both [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]. [[Paula Cole]] wins [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]].
*[[February 28]] – Haitian group [[RAM (band)|RAM]] survive an assassination attempt while performing at a carnival, after a disagreement with the newly elected mayor of Port-au-Prince.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===March===
*[[March 3]] – [[Madonna]] releases her seventh studio album ''[[Ray of Light]]''. The album eventually sells over 16 million copies worldwide. The album received near universal acclaim upon release. Her collaborations with producer [[William Orbit]], as well as her conversion to [[Kabbalah]] resulted in a completely new lyric and musical approach for Madonna, which gains her numerous awards, including four [[41st Grammy Awards|Grammy Awards]] out of a total of six nominations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.glamour.com/story/madonna-ray-of-light-20-year-anniversary|title=20 Years Later, 'Ray of Light' Is Still Madonna's Most Shocking Reinvention|work=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]|access-date=February 12, 2022|first=Christopher|last=Rosa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303203405/https://www.glamour.com/story/madonna-ray-of-light-20-year-anniversary|archive-date=March 3, 2018|date=March 3, 2018}}</ref> 
*[[March 10]] – The South Korean-made [[MPMan]], the first mass-produced digital audio player, is launched at the [[CeBIT]] trade fair in Hanover, Germany.<ref>[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/10/ft_first_mp3_player/ "Ten years old: the world's first MP3 player", ''The Register'', 10 March 2008.] Accessed 21 June 2013</ref>
*[[March 13]] – [[The Smashing Pumpkins]] file a US$1 million lawsuit against UK-based Sound And Media Ltd, alleging that the company has released a book and CD about the band without permission.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4633006-1.html |title=The Beat: Pepsi's 'pop Culture' Cd Prize Features Atlantic Acts; Pumpkins File Suit &#124; North America &gt; United States from |publisher=AllBusiness.com |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref>

===April===
*[[April 3]] – [[Dave Navarro]] is fired by the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kiedis|first=Anthony|title=Scar Tissue|year=2004|publisher=Hyperion|location=New York|isbn=9781401307455|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781401307455/page/394 394]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781401307455/page/394}}</ref> 
*[[April 6]] – Organizers announce that [[Lollapalooza]] will not be staged in 1998 due to the inability to sign a major headlining act. The festival would return in 2003.
*[[April 7]] – [[George Michael]] is arrested in a public restroom in [[Beverly Hills, California]], USA for lewd conduct. He is subsequently sentenced to community service, and later describes it as a "subconsciously deliberate act".<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Andrew|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/george-michael-why-i-had-to-keep-my-homosexuality-secret-403989.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/george-michael-why-i-had-to-keep-my-homosexuality-secret-403989.html |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=George Michael: Why I had to keep my homosexuality secret|newspaper=The Independent|date=2007-09-30|access-date=2012-12-17|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*[[April 8]] – [[Ayumi Hamasaki]] makes her debut under [[Avex Trax]] with the single "[[Poker Face (Ayumi Hamasaki song)|Poker Face]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2109126/full/|title=浜崎あゆみ、20周年ライブで感涙 ファン大合唱に感激「すてきなステージを作ることが出来た」|work=[[Oricon]]|date=April 8, 2018|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref>
*[[April 14]] – The first ''[[VH1 Divas|VH1 Divas Live]]'' concert is broadcast on VH1, starring [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Gloria Estefan]], [[Celine Dion|Céline Dion]], [[Shania Twain]] and [[Mariah Carey]].<ref>{{cite web|title=VH1 Divas Live at 20: A Look Back at the Major Music Moment That Almost Never Happened
|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/927843/vh1-divas-live-at-20-a-look-back-at-the-major-music-moment-that-almost-never-happened|work=E!|access-date=16 June 2013}}</ref>
*[[April 17]]–19 – The second [[Terrastock]] [[music festival|festival]] takes place in San Francisco, USA.
*[[April 29]] – [[Steven Tyler]] breaks his knee at a concert in [[Anchorage, Alaska]], USA, delaying [[Aerosmith]]'s [[Nine Lives Tour]] and necessitating camera angle adjustments for the filming of the video for "[[I Don't Want to Miss a Thing]]".{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}

===May===
*[[May 5]] – South Korean boy band, [[Shinhwa]] debut under [[SM Entertainment]]. 
*[[May 8]] 
**The third European Festival of Youth Choirs is held in [[Basel]], Switzerland.
**A British court rules in favor of [[the Beatles]] and [[John Lennon]]'s widow, [[Yoko Ono]], stopping the release of another ''Live at the Star Club'' recording. All copies of the recording and the original tape are awarded to the Beatles, as well as damages and legal costs.
*[[May 9]] – The 43rd [[Eurovision Song Contest 1998|Eurovision Song Contest]], held in [[Birmingham]], United Kingdom, is won by [[Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest|Israel]]'s [[transgender]] performer [[Dana International]] with the song ''"[[Diva (Dana International song)|Diva]]"'' See: [http://www.diggiloo.net/?1998 1998 – Diggiloo Thrush]
*[[May 26]] – [[Anggun]] releases her debut album, [[Snow on the Sahara (album)|''Snow on the Sahara'']] in North America, which would go on to sell 1 million copies across Europe and America and becoming the best-selling album by Asian artist outside Asia.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/anggun-experienced-rejection-rejection-102827769.html|title=Anggun: I experienced rejection after rejection|publisher=[[Yahoo!|Yahoo! Singapore]]|date=13 November 2015|access-date=14 November 2015|first=Pamela|last=Chow}}</ref>
*[[May 27]] – [[Ringo Sheena]] releases her debut single "[[Kōfukuron]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/284014|title=椎名林檎の全曲サブスク配信スタート、4年ぶりアリーナツアーも決定|work=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|date=May 28, 2018|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref>
*[[May 31]] – [[Geri Halliwell]] goes into hiding as her public relations representative, Julian Torton, confirms that she has left the [[Spice Girls]] permanently.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429905/19980531/halliwell_geri.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010317054403/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429905/19980531/halliwell_geri.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 17, 2001|title=Geri Halliwell Quits Spice Girls|year=1998|work=MTV|access-date=September 26, 2008}}</ref>

===June===
*[[June 1]] – [[Scott Weiland]]'s public problems with drugs continue when he is arrested in New York after buying heroin.

===July===
*[[July 3]] – [[Westlife]] is formally created and signed to the record label [[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]].
*[[July 5]] – Teen singer [[Billie Piper]] starts her career by becoming the youngest British solo artist to debut at #1 on the UK singles charts with "[[Because We Want To]]".
*[[July 17]] – [[Aiko (Japanese singer)|Aiko]] makes her major label debut with the song "Ashita".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/53545|title=aiko デビュー20年目に突入！|work=[[Billboard Japan]]|date=July 22, 2017|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref>

===August===
*[[August 1]] – [[MTV Classic (United States)|VH1 Smooth]] is launched. The first music video played is a [[Cover version|cover]] of "[[Makin' Whoopee]]" by [[Branford Marsalis]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hay|first=Carla|title=MuchMusic Readies Awards, Spinoff Channel; MTV's Suite Set|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EQoEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22VH1+Smooth%22&pg=PA85|access-date=March 12, 2017|volume=110|issue=34|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|date=August 22, 1998|page=85|language=en}}</ref>
*[[August 18]] – [[Korn]]'s third studio album, ''[[Follow the Leader (Korn album)|Follow the Leader]]'', enters [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] at number 1, with 268,000 copies sold in its first week. It goes on to be certified 5× Platinum by the [[RIAA]] and sell over 14 million copies worldwide, thus launching [[nu metal]] into the mainstream.
*[[August 25]] – [[Lauryn Hill]] releases her breakthrough debut album ''[[The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill]]''. The album goes on to be certified 7× Platinum by the [[RIAA]] and sell over 19 million copies worldwide.
*[[August 29]] – The [[Bee Gees]] open their [[One Night Only (Bee Gees album)|One Night Only]] tour in Dublin, Ireland<ref>{{cite news |title=People |work=[[The Fresno Bee]] |publisher=[[McClatchy|The McClatchy Company]] |location=Fresno, California |issn=0889-6070 |page=A2 |date=June 4, 1998}}</ref>

===September===
*[[September 14]] – ''[[Total Request Live]]'' is broadcast for the first time on MTV.
*[[September 16]] – [[Lou Reed]] performs for President of the Czech Republic [[Václav Havel]] at the White House.
*[[September 28]] – [[Britney Spears]]' debut single, "[[...Baby One More Time]]", is released. It would become the top-selling single of 1999, selling over ten million units worldwide. It was also the biggest hit single of 1999. The "[[...Baby One More Time]]" music video was ranked as number three on Billboard's 2010 list of "Best Music Videos of All Time".

===October===
*[[October 5]] – [[MuchMore]]Music is launched in Canada.
*[[October 6]] – [[Kurupt]]'s debut studio album, [[Kuruption!]], is released by [[Antra Records]]. It peaks at #8 on the Billboard 200 on October 24, 1998.
*[[October 8]] – The [[Recording Industry Association of America]] files in court against [[Diamond Multimedia]] in an attempt to block the release of the new [[Rio PMP300]], arguing that the MP3 digital audio player is a music piracy device. The RIAA's application is denied on October 26, clearing the way for the PMP300 to become the first commercially successful MP3 player.
*[[October 19]] – [[Believe (Cher song)|"Believe"]], the first single of [[Cher]]'s twenty-second studio album [[Believe (Cher album)|of the same name]] is released, becoming a smash hit. After seven consecutive weeks atop the UK official singles chart, it becomes the UK's bestselling single of the year, and also the bestselling single by a female artist in UK history. On March 13, 1999, ''Believe'' becomes Cher's 5th number-one single in the US, spending four consecutive weeks at #1 and becoming the bestselling single of that year.
*[[October 22]] – Cher releases her twenty-second studio album ''Believe,'' which becomes the most successful of her career: It peaks at number one in seven countries, #4 in the US, and #7 in the UK. The album goes on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide and is certified platinum in at least sixteen countries, becoming one of the bestselling albums of all time.
*[[October 27]] – The [[Copyright Term Extension Act]] is signed into law, giving the entertainment industry 20 more years of exclusive rights to all works created since 1923.

===November===
*[[November 17]] – [[The Offspring]] release [[Americana (The Offspring album)|''Americana'']] to massive mainstream success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nyrock.com/reviews99/offspring98.htm |title=Americana in Action: the Offspring at Irving Plaza, 12/8/98 (NY Rock Concert Review) |publisher=NY Rock |author=Spyder Darling |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731214112/http://www.nyrock.com/reviews99/offspring98.htm |archive-date=2013-07-31 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=My So-Called Punk: Green Day, Fall Out Boy, The Distillers, Bad Religion---How Neo-Punk Stage-Dived into the Mainstream |publisher=[[St. Martin's Griffin]] |last=Diehl |first=Matt |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-312-33781-0 |pages=71–72}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Offspring finds punk success in mainstream |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] |author =Gemma Tarlach |date=November 16, 1998 |page=1E}}</ref> It goes on to be certified 5× platinum by the [[RIAA]] and sells over 11 million copies worldwide. The hit single "[[Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)]]" becomes one of the best charting worldwide punk songs of all time, topping charts in 9 countries.

===December===
*[[December 5]] 
**Young violinists [[Nicola Benedetti]] and [[Alina Ibragimova]] play Bach's double violin concerto under the baton of [[Yehudi Menuhin]] at the opening ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at UNESCO in Paris.
**[[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] changes its policy for its [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] chart to allow airplay-only singles or album cuts to be accounted in the chart.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}
*[[December 9]] – [[Hikaru Utada]] makes their debut with the double A-side single "Automatic (Hikaru Utadasong)" / "[[Time Will Tell (Hikaru Utada song)|Time Will Tell]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2111300/full/|title=宇多田ヒカル、伝説ラジオ一夜限り復活『トレビアン・ボヘミアン』|work=[[Oricon]]|date=May 14, 2018|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref>
*[[December 29]] – [[India]] issues a set of postage stamps on the subject of Indian musical instruments.<ref>[http://www.indianphilatelics.com/hobby-of-philately.html Gallery of Indian Philately]. Accessed 12 November 2014</ref>

===Also in 1998===
*The [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]] launches its own recording label, RLPO Live.<ref>[http://www.liverpoolphil.com/286/our-history/royal-liverpool-philharmonic-orchestra.html Royal Liverpool Philharmonic: Our History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101060521/http://www.liverpoolphil.com/286/our-history/royal-liverpool-philharmonic-orchestra.html |date=January 1, 2016 }}. Accessed 21 June 2013</ref>
*Singers [[Brandy Norwood|Brandy]] and [[Monica (singer)|Monica]] dominate the [[Billboard charts]] with the duet, "[[The Boy Is Mine (Brandy and Monica song)|The Boy Is Mine]]", holding the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] No. 1 spot for 13 weeks.
*Composer [[John Harbison]] was awarded a Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}
*The [[Goo Goo Dolls]] single, "[[Iris (Goo Goo Dolls song)|Iris]]", set a new [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] [[Hot 100 Airplay]] record in the U.S. by achieving 18 weeks at number one.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-goo-goo-dolls/iris|title=Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls – Songfacts|website=Songfacts.com}}</ref>