Interscope Records pays a radio station in Portland, Oregon, USA, $5000 to play the Limp Bizkit single "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.[1]
February 23 – "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 and becoming her first single to enter the charts at #1 in the UK.
February 28 – Haitian group RAM survive an attempted murder while performing at a carnival, after a disagreement with the newly elected mayor of Port-au-Prince.[9]
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 and unique lyric and musical approach for Madonna, which gains her four Grammy Awards out of a total of six nominations, as well as many other prestigious awards.
March 10 – The South Korean-made MPMan, the first mass-produced digital audio player, is launched at the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, Germany.[10]
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.[11]
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".[13]
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 26 – Anggun releases her debut album, Snow on the Sahara in North America, which would go on to sell 1 million copies across Europe and America. Becoming the best-selling album by Asian artist outside Asia.[15]
May 31 – Geri Halliwell goes into hiding as her public relations representative, Julian Torton, confirms that she has left the Spice Girls permanently.[17]
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 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 made her major label debut with the song "Ashita".[18]
August 18 – Korn's third studio album, Follow the Leader, enters Billboard 200 at number 1, with 268,000 copies sold in its first week. It goes on to be certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and sell over 14 million copies worldwide, thus launching nu metal into the mainstream.
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, the first single of Cher's twenty-second studio album of the same name is released, becoming a super smash hit. After seven consecutive weeks atop of the UK official sigles chart, it became the best selling single in that country, also the best selling single by a female artist in UK history. On March 13, 1999, Believe became Cher's 5th number one single in US, spending four consecutive weeks at #1 and becoming the best selling single of that year.
October 23 – 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, and is considered to be the third best song in pop history. It's one of the best-selling singles of all-time. "...Baby One More Time" music video was ranked as number three on Billboard's 2010 list of "Best Music Videos of all-time". It's one of the most successful songs 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 10 – Cher released her twenty-second studio album Believe which became the most successful of her career: it peaked at number one in seven countries, #4 in US and #7 in UK. The album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and is certified platinum (or more) in at least sixteen countries, becoming one of the highest selling albums of all time.
November 17 – The Offspring release Americana to massive mainstream success. It goes on to be certified 5x 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 different countries.
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 changes its policy for its Hot 100 chart to allow airplay-only singles or album cuts to be accounted in the chart.[citation needed]
UK 1 – Feb 1998; US BB 1 of 1998; Netherlands 1 – Jan 1998; Sweden 1 – Feb 1998; Austria 1 – Feb 1998; Switzerland 1 – Jan 1998; Norway 1 – Feb 1998; Germany 1 – Jan 1998; Republic of Ireland 1 – Feb 1998; Australia 1 for 4 weeks Apr 1998; Oscar in 1997; Grammy in 1998; Poland 2 – Jan 1998; Australia 3 of 1998; Italy 4 of 1998; Germany 7 of the 1990s; Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1997; POP 9 of 1998; Europe 14 of the 1990s; AFI 14; US BB 24 of 1998; Party 48 of 1999; Scrobulate 67 of soundtrack; OzNet 162; RIAA 246; Acclaimed 1784
UK 1 – Oct 1998; US BB 1 of 1999; Netherlands 1 – Nov 1998; Sweden 1 – Nov 1998; Switzerland 1 – Nov 1998; Norway 1 – Jan 1998; Germany 1 – Jan 1999; Republic of Ireland 1 – Nov 1998; New Zealand 1 for 1 weeks Jan 1999; Australia 1 for 5 weeks May 1999; Austria 2 – Nov 1998; Poland 2 – Nov 1998; Italy 2 of 1999; Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1998; US BB 8 of 1999; POP 8 of 1999; Scrobulate 10 of gay; Australia 14 of 1999; Germany 31 of the 1990s; Europe 72 of the 1990s; OzNet 252; Acclaimed 1839
US BB 1 of 1998; Sweden 1 – Aug 1998; Austria 1 – Aug 1998; Switzerland 1 – Aug 1998; Norway 1 – Aug 1998; Italy 1 of 1998; Germany 1 – Jul 1998; Republic of Ireland 1 – Oct 1998; Australia 1 for 9 weeks Jan 1999; POP 1 of 1998; US BB 2 of 1998; Australia 2 of 1998; Netherlands 3 – Aug 1998; UK 4 – Sep 1998; Poland 4 – Jul 1998; Scrobulate 26 of soundtrack; Party 52 of 2007; Germany 71 of the 1990s; Europe 80 of the 1990s; RYM 100 of 1998; OzNet 974
UK 1 – Mar 1998; Netherlands 1 – Dec 1997; Switzerland 1 – Dec 1997; Norway 1 – Feb 1998; Germany 1 – Jan 1998; Republic of Ireland 1 – Mar 1998; New Zealand 1 for 2 weeks May 1998; Australia 1 for 1 weeks May 1998; Austria 2 – Jan 1998; Australia 4 of 1998; Sweden 6 – Jan 1998; RYM 29 of 1983; Italy 31 of 1997; Poland 33 – Feb 1998; Germany 34 of the 1990s; Acclaimed 1050
US Country 1 – May 2; 1998; US Country Sales 1 – May 1998; US Adult 1- May 1998; Australia 1- May 10; 1998; Canada 1- March 1998; Philippines 1 – April 1998; US BB 2 – May 23; 1998; Canada RPM 2 – March 1998; US Dance 3- May 1998; US BB Top 40 3 – June 1998; Taiwan 4 – May 1998; US Adult Top 40 6- April 1998; Japan 16 – May 1998; Dutch 10 – May 1998; Belgium 16 – June 1998; The Biggest Hit in Country Music in 1998 winning Best selling Country Single; Song of the Year; Music Video of the Year; Single of the Year in all Country Music awards; and 2 Grammy Award for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Performance in 1998.
