2020 Music History: Key Events, Band Formations & Album Releases
Acts Formed
Folk Bitch Trio
Melbourne, Australia
Indie Folk
Hot Wax
Brighton, England
Indie Rock
Stöner
California, USA
Stoner Rock
The Mellons
Provo, Utah, USA
Baroque Pop
The Waeve
London, England
Art Rock
Wunderhorse
Newquay, Cornwall, England
Alternative Rock
YHWH Nailgun
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Experimental Rock
January 26th - Grammy Awards
Album of the Year: Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Song of the Year: Billie Eilish - 'Bad Guy'
February 7th
Boldy James & The Alchemist release The Price of Tea in China.
February 17th
House pioneer DJ Andy Weatherall dies of a blood clot at 56.
February 24th
David Roback, of Mazzy Star, dies at 61 of cancer.
March 15th
The US begins lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19
March 17th
Canada enters lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19
March 23rd
The UK enters lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19
March 20th
Kenny Rogers dies at 81 from bladder cancer complications.
March 30th
Bill Withers dies at 81 from heart complications.
March 31st
Australia enters lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19
April 3rd
Yves Tumor releases Heaven to a Tortured Mind.
April 7th
John Prine, the country legend, dies at 73 from COVID-19 complications.
April 21st
Florian Schneider, co-founder of Kraftwerk, dies at 73 of cancer. He was a pioneering force in electronic music who played the violin, flute, and saxophone.
April 23rd
Rapper Fred the Godson dies at 35 from COVID-19 complications.
April 23rd - 25th
Travis Scott performs live for fans in the popular multiplayer game Fortnite. The event, dubbed 'Astronomical', reaches over 12 million players and proves that virtual spaces are a viable alternative for live performances during lockdown.
April 24th
At 99 years of age, Captain Tom Moore becomes the oldest person to have a UK number 1 single. His cover of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' sells approximately 82,000 copies.
May 7th
British rapper Ty dies at 47 from COVID-19 complications.
May 9th
Rock and roll pioneer Little Richard dies at 87 of bone cancer. He is remembered for hits like 'Tutti Frutti'.
May 26th
Civil unrest erupts following the murder of the African-American George Floyd by white police officer Derek Chauvin. Initially restricted to Minneapolis, disorder quickly spreads throughout the US and the Western world.
May 29th
Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist release Alfredo.
May 31st
Killah Priest releases his abstract, psychedelic hip hop album Rocket to Nebula. The songs tackle subjects like having a cup of coffee with Lucifer and meeting the aliens who created us on a faraway planet.
June 3rd
Warner Music Group becomes a publicly traded company with a market capitalisation of over $15 billion.
June 19th
The British soul group Sault release Untitled (Black Is) on Juneteenth, a US holiday celebrated to mark the end of slavery.
June 20th
The Martin D-18E guitar, played by Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged, becomes the world's most expensive after selling at auction for over $6 million.
June 25th
The Dixie Chicks change their name to the Chicks to avoid associations with the confederacy. The song 'I Wish I Was In Dixie Land' was the unofficial confederate anthem in the US civil war.
July 17th
The hip-hop dup Blu & Exile release their first album in nine years: Miles.
July 28th
The British music magazine Q folds due to low circulation. In 2001, monthly sales were over 200,000. Recent issues fell to approximately 28,000.
August 24th
Riley Gale, vocalist of the thrash metal band Power Trip, dies at 36 from a fentanyl overdose.
September
High demand for the McDonalds 'Travis Scott' meal (the Cactus Jack) creates shortages of beef, bacon, and lettuce in the US. The promotion is so successful it contributes to the restaurant's best monthly sales in nearly a decade.
September 5th
K-Pop group BTS became the first Korean act to top the US singles chart. In the remaining months of the year, they have two more number 1s.
September 24th - Mercury Prize
Best British Album: Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA
October 6th
Guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen dies at 65 of throat cancer.
October 23rd
Big Thief frontwoman Adrianne Lencker releases Songs.
October 31st
Abstract rapper MF Doom dies at 49 after an adverse reaction to blood pressure medication. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust later apologises for providing him with substandard care.
November 2nd
'Baby Shark' overtakes Despacito by Luis Fonsi to become the most-viewed video in YouTube history.
November 3rd
On election day, over 60,000 people vote for the mentally ill rapper Kanye West to be US President.
November 16th
Taylor Swift announces that Ithaca Holdings have sold her master recordings for over $300m. The singer didn't make any money in the deal. This prompts her to re-record her first six albums as 'Taylor's Versions,' effectively devaluing the original assets.
December 7th
Bob Dylan sells his publishing rights to Universal Music Group for over $300 million.
December 18th
Chinese technology company Tencent increase their stake in Universal Music Group to 20%. The $3 billion deal raises concerns about Chinese involvement in Western media.
December 31st
French police are attacked in Lieuron, Brittany after attempting to break up a New Year's Eve party that was in breach of COVID restrictions. Over 2500 people were in attendance. A police vehicle is set on fire.
in 2020
In the US, vinyl outsells CDs (measured by revenue) for the first time since the 1980s.
in 2020
Live music revenues decline by up to $30 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenues from recorded music grow by 7.4%, primarily driven by an increase in streaming.
