2019 Music History: Key Events, Band Formations & Album Releases
Acts Formed
bar italia
London, England
Indie Rock
Chat Pile
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Noise Rock
Honeyglaze
London, England
Indie Rock
Horsegirl
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Indie Rock
Lambini Girls
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Punk
Purple Mountains
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Alt-Country
Racing Mount Pleasant
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Indie Folk
Sault
London, England
Neo-Soul
Tapir!
London, England
Indie Folk
The Lathums
Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Indie Rock
Wet Leg
Isle of Wight, England
Indie Pop
Yard Act
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Indie Rock
February 10th - Grammy Awards
Album of the Year: Kasey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Song of the Year: Childish Gambino - 'This Is America'
January 31st
Ariana Grande takes to Instagram to reveal a new tattoo on her palm. Inked in Japanese script to spell out the title of her hit single '7 Rings', users point out that it really says 'small charcoal grill'.
in February
The number of US streams in a calendar year exceeds one trillion for the first time.
February 25th
Mark Hollis, vocalist of the art pop pioneers Talk Talk, dies at 64 after a short illness.
March 4th
Keith Flint, of The Prodigy, commits suicide by hanging at 49. He has cocaine, alcohol, and codeine in his system at the time of death.
March 22nd
Nilüfer Yanya releases her debut album Miss Universe.
March 22nd
Warner Music Group orders 20 algorithmically generated album from the German company Endel. The music will be created with only limited human involvement.
March 26th
The EU rules that content sharing platforms, such as YouTube, are liable for breaches of copyright on their service.
March 31st
The rapper Nipsey Hustle is shot dead at 33 in Los Angeles. Nipsey was hit 10 times in in broad daylight by his associate Eric Holder Jr..
April 26th
Aldous Harding releases Designer.
April 29th
Spotify pass 100 million paying subscribers. The company is now valued at $25 billion.
May 5th
Sault release 5.
June 1st
London's Metropolitan Police launch Project Alpha to remove music videos that glorify gangs and street violence from the internet. By 2022, YouTube have removed 1,600 drill and rap videos at the Project's request.
June 3rd
Forbes report that Jay-Z is a billionaire.
June 11th
Radiohead donate the proceeds of newly released archival recordings to the activist group Extinction Rebellion.
June 21st
The experimental rock prog outfit black midi release their debut album Schlagenheim.
June 28th
Madlib and Freddie Gibbs and Madlib release their second album Bandana.
July 4th
Joss Stone is deported from Iran as authorities believe she may perform an impromptu concert. Women have been banned from publicly singing in the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
July 24th
The teenage rapper Tay-K is sentenced to 55 years in prison for murder. 'The Race', a song he released online while on the run from authorities, is used against him as evidence.
August 1st
The Katy Perry single 'Dark Horse' is found to have copied elements from the song 'Joyful Noise' by Marcus Gray. Gray is awarded $2.8m in damages. The verdict is later overturned.
August 7th
David Berman, of Silver Jews, commits suicide at 52.
September 15th
Rick Ocasek, of The Cars, dies at 75 of heart disease.
September 19th - Mercury Prize
Best British Album: Dave - Psychodrama
October 3rd
Vocalist of punk band The Muffs, Kim Shattuck, dies at 56 from the nerve condition Lou Gehrig's Disease.
October 14th
Pharrell Williams denounces his 2013 mega hit 'Blurred Lines' for contributing to sexism. The single reached number 1 in 25 countries on release.
October 16th
The President of Atlantic Records UK, Ben Cooke, steps down after it emerges he wore a Run DMC fancy dress costume, including blackface, to a birthday party in 2012.
November 1st
Michael Kiwanuka releases KIWANUKA.
November 3rd
A £250,000 Tecchler violin is returned to its owner after been accidentally left on a London train.
November 26th
Thrash metal titans Metallica, known for brutal songs about war, release a childrens book titled The ABC's of Metallica.
November 30th
Slayer disband.
2019
The childrens song 'Baby Shark' becomes hugely popular when an updated version is released by the South Korean company Pinkfong.
