Media events
- Billboard magazine published an article about Elvis Presley, describing him as a new singer capable of delivering rock songs to both country and R&B audiences.
- Billboard reported that independent record companies continued their unprecedented growth, earning approximately $20 million combined in the previous year and beginning to challenge the dominance of the major corporations known as the “Big Seven”.
- Elvis Presley appeared on the cover of TV Guide for the first time.
- Chicago radio station WAIT began a 12-hour marathon of Elvis recordings at 7 a.m., repeatedly broadcasting 33 of his songs. Listeners called the station, and some postponed dentist appointments, laundry, hanging clothes, or even work because of the broadcast. The mother of a six-month-old child said that her otherwise restless baby peacefully fell asleep while listening to Elvis sing.
- After traveling by train from Portland to Los Angeles, Elvis Presley checked into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. On the same day, The Oregonian published a review of his concert, while the Vancouver Sun published articles about his performance and hairstyle.
- During an official U.S. Army press conference at Ray Kaserne barracks in Friedberg, West Germany, 23-year-old Elvis Presley was asked by reporters whether he feared that fans would forget him during his two-year military service. Presley admitted that it was possible but said that he had already achieved success. Meanwhile, his management arranged for pre-recorded singles to be released regularly, keeping him on the charts during his service.
- Billboard magazine published an article about the vocal group The Teddy Bears, noting that 18-year-old Phil Spector, writer and arranger of their hit “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” was studying to become a court stenographer. The same issue featured the Best Sellers in Stores chart for the last time, as retail sales data had been incorporated into the new Hot 100 chart.
- The Kingston Trio appeared on the cover of Life magazine under the headline “Top Sellers in Albums.” At the time, they had three million-selling LPs: “The Kingston Trio,” “At Large,” and “...from the Hungry i.”
- Billboard published the headline „Rock and Roll Ain't Ready For The Ol' Rockin' Chair Yet“ and reported that after an earlier decline in popularity, rock'n'roll was once again gaining listeners' interest thanks to Elvis Presley, Lloyd Price, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, The Drifters and Ricky Nelson.
- Elvis Presley was photographed by Don Cravens at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for Life magazine.
- Aretha Franklin made her first appearance on the television program “American Bandstand” on August 2, 1962, performing “Don't Cry Baby” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”
- The BBC broadcast the documentary “Follow the Beatles,” which featured the group during the filming of “A Hard Day's Night.”
- The Beatles arrived in San Francisco to begin their first US tour and were welcomed by 9,000 fans. Because of the crowd, they were taken into a protected area so photographers could photograph them; however, fans pushed against the barrier and The Beatles narrowly escaped before it collapsed.
- The Beatles appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine.
- Billboard reported that guitar sales in the US and UK had risen sharply as a result of the British Invasion. Sales during the first half of the year were 40% higher than during the same period in 1963, while sales of more expensive models increased by more than 80%. The magazine also reported that guitar sales had reached their highest level since the rise of Elvis Presley.
- The controversy over John Lennon’s remark that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ” spread throughout the United States. Several radio stations began boycotting the group’s music, followed by protests and record burnings.
- The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein interrupted his vacation and flew to New York for a television press conference defending John Lennon over his remark that The Beatles were “bigger than Jesus.” He said Lennon's comment had been taken out of context and that Lennon had not intended to boast about the band's fame.
- In response to John Lennon's remark that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ, the South African Broadcasting Corporation banned all Beatles recordings from radio broadcasts. Sales of their records in stores remained permitted, and the ban lasted nearly five years.
- John Lennon apologized at a press conference at the Astor Towers Hotel in Chicago for his remark that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” The remark was originally published by the London Evening Standard. Lennon explained that he was talking about the intense obsession of fans with the group and that he could have mentioned television, cinema or automobiles instead—anything popular. His remark sparked protests, bans and Beatles record burnings in the US, especially among some Christian communities.
- At a press conference in Chicago, John Lennon explained his controversial remark that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” and clarified that he had intended to describe the group’s influence on young people in England at the time.
- KLUE-AM radio station in Longview, Texas, held a “Beatles Bonfire” event at which Beatles records and other items were destroyed in response to John Lennon's controversial statement that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ”. The following morning, lightning struck the station's transmission tower, interrupting the broadcast and knocking the news director unconscious.
- The London Catholic newspaper The Catholic Herald published an editorial calling John Lennon's recent statement that the group was “bigger than Jesus” generally accurate but “arrogant”. Meanwhile, the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano accepted Lennon's public apology.
- The BBC Radio 1 program “Top Gear”, hosted by John Peel and Pete Drummond, was broadcast for the first time. The first episode featured The Move, Traffic, Pink Floyd, Tim Rose, and Tomorrow with Keith West.
- American magazine Eye published the lyrics to three Pete Townshend songs: “Party Piece from Rael”, a song from the unfinished rock opera that led to “Rael” from The Who Sell Out; “Joker James”, later recorded for the Quadrophenia soundtrack; and “Join My Gang”.
- The Beatles took the photograph for the “Abbey Road” album cover at the crossing outside the Abbey Road studios in London. Photographer Iain MacMillan took six shots, and the entire photo session lasted less than ten minutes. The photograph later became one of the most famous images in music history and also fueled speculation about Paul McCartney's alleged death.
- Charles Manson later cited The Beatles as an inspiration for his murder spree, which became one of the darkest chapters associated with the band’s history.
- The Beatles had their final professional group photo session at John Lennon's Tittenhurst Park estate.
- Janis Joplin made her final television appearance.
- New Musical Express published Roger Daltrey’s response to Pete Townshend’s interview of May 31. Daltrey responded sharply to Townshend’s comments about The Who and their performances.
- It was reported that Bob Dylan’s bootleg album Great White Wonder had sold more than 350,000 copies worldwide.
- The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a statement in response to Vice President Spiro Agnew's complaint that radio stations were broadcasting too many songs about drugs. He stated that songwriters were trying to help society understand and deal with its problems, rather than promote the distribution of heroin.
- The Eagles, Jim Croce, and Ike & Tina Turner appeared on ABC’s “In Concert” at UCLA in Westwood, California.
- Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones was quoted as saying that he had stopped using drugs after a doctor told him he had six months to live.
- Steve Anderson set a record for guitar playing. At the age of 22, he played for 114 hours and 7 minutes, beating the previous record by more than four hours.
- The Beach Boys became the first rock group to appear on the cover of People magazine. The photograph showed the five original members with beards and was accompanied by the headline “Still Riding The Crest, 15 Hairy Years Later.” Solo artists had appeared on the magazine's cover before.
- Steven Tyler of Aerosmith appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The photograph was taken by Annie Leibovitz, who found him tired and exhausted after only two hours of sleep. She arrived at his hotel at six in the morning to take the photograph.
- The British music magazine Sounds published letters from readers reacting to Eric Clapton's racist statement during his concert in Birmingham earlier that month. One of the letters criticized Clapton for drawing much of his music from Black music and called him the biggest colonizer of rock music. The letter also called for support of the Rock Against Racism movement, which subsequently became a major movement and organized concerts and festivals in support of tolerance.
- The first issue of Musician magazine was published.
- The first Buddy Holly Week was held in the UK, organized by his fans in London. Holly had visited the UK only once, during a tour in March 1958.
- The Memphis Press Scimitar published an article headlined “Fat and Forty” about Elvis Presley, which enraged him.
- Paul McCartney launched “Buddy Holly Week” in the UK to mark the 40th anniversary of Buddy Holly's birth.
- Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and Keith Moon each arrived separately at Universal Studios in Hollywood for a press launch of the new album “Who Are You”. The party was held on the set of the television series “Battlestar Galactica”.
- August 24, 1978 is the official publication date shown on the cover of Rolling Stone issue No. 272 featuring Bruce Springsteen.
- The Museum of Modern Art in New York opened the Performance Video exhibition, which featured, among others, the music videos “Mickey” by Toni Basil and “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads.
- A David Bowie convention, or according to the source variants a worldwide gathering of his fans, was held at the Cunard Hotel in London. According to the source variants, the event presented the largest collection of Bowie memorabilia assembled up to that time, or was the first fan gathering dedicated to Bowie. Among those attending were his former dance teacher, manager, guitarist, archivist, and photographer.
- With director Steve Barron, a-ha began filming the music video for "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." at Saint Alban the Martyr church and in the gardens of Udney Hall in England.
- Approximately 250 Gary Numan fans protested outside BBC Radio 1 in London, demanding more airtime for their favorite artist.
- Nike placed a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times in response to the controversy surrounding the use of The Beatles' song “Revolution” in a commercial.
- Madonna vyvolala kontroverzi mezi obyvateli svého rodného města Bay City v Michiganu, když jej v pořadu Today označila za „smelly little town“.
- A Los Angeles radio station bypassed Epic Records' strict security measures concerning master tapes and broadcast a pirated sample of Michael Jackson's song “Bad” four days before its official release. The leak did not slow the album's expected success, as pre-orders had already exceeded 2.2 million copies.
- The Rolling Stones filmed the music video for “Mixed Emotions” at Wykeham Rise Girls School in Connecticut.
- Pete Townshend responded to claims by The Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood that The Who were touring for their 25th anniversary solely for the money. He pointed to Mick Jagger's financial needs and the failure of his latest album Dirty Work.
- The Go-Go's posed for the first PETA “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign poster.
- David Bowie appeared on the cover of Architectural Digest magazine. According to the source, he was the first person to appear on the cover in four years.
- Prince released the home video “3 Chains O' Gold”.
- Megadeth became the first musical act to launch its own official website on the then newly accessible World Wide Web. The site included a chat, photo gallery, and song samples.
- The British Daily Mirror published a photograph of Michael Jackson wearing a scout leader’s uniform with five young scouts. It was later clarified that the photograph came from a ceremony in Los Angeles in September 1990, where Jackson received the Good Scout Humanitarian Award. A representative of the scouting organization subsequently stated that Jackson had no connection with the organization and had never served as a scout leader.
- Natalie Merchant, former singer of 10,000 Maniacs, became the first guest of a series of live chats on the Elektra Entertainment Group website.
- Time magazine published the article “It's a Ska World After All” about the growing popularity of ska in the U.S.; Sublime, No Doubt and 311 all had albums on the charts at the time.
- Liam Gallagher failed to show up for Oasis's MTV Unplugged recording at the Royal Festival Hall in London before an audience of 400. He later watched the concert from the audience while his brother Noel took over the vocals.
- Sonny West, Red West, Lamar Fike and Marty Lacker, four prominent members of Elvis's “Memphis Mafia,” recalled Elvis in a one-time online chat.
- Genesis’s first album in six years was presented live in a special edition of the radio program Album Network and simultaneously broadcast via webcasting on www.atlantic-records.com.
- The Microsoft Network broadcast a U2 concert in Dublin over the internet.
- Billy Joel presented his new classical compositions on National Public Radio's "Performance Today".
- Britney Spears' music video for “...Baby One More Time” was filmed at Venice High School, the same school used for the filming of “Grease”. The song topped the charts in at least 23 countries.
- Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats, known for Live Aid, began hosting a program on London's XFM radio and during his first broadcast incorrectly announced that Ian Dury had died.
- Paul McCartney anonymously took part in an online question-and-answer session as part of The Fireman project. On the official website of his ambient duo, he provided anonymous answers and promoted the new album “Rushes.”
- Music by Johann Sebastian Bach was discovered in Ukraine among the musical estate of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The material had been thought to have been destroyed for more than 50 years.
- David Bowie offered a virtual guided tour of the controversial exhibition “Sensation: Young British Artists From The Saatchi Collection” on his official website. The exhibition included, among other works, Damien Hirst's shark suspended in formaldehyde, “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” and Tracey Emin's tent, “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995.”
- Madonna’s “Music” music video premiered.
- The British newspaper The Mirror reported that Toni Braxton had withdrawn from the MOBO Awards after one of her breast implants ruptured. A spokesperson for her record label, Arista, declined to comment on the singer’s personal life.
- Ryan Adams filmed the music video for “New York, New York” with the World Trade Center buildings in the background. Four days later, the buildings were destroyed in the terrorist attacks, and the video was dedicated to their victims after its release.
- Under pressure to change their name because of the attacks involving letters containing anthrax bacteria, the metal band Anthrax issued a statement announcing that they would not do so. “In light of current events, we are changing the band's name to something friendlier, ‘Basket Full Of Puppies,’” they said. “Actually, the fact that we are making fun of our name is already ridiculous.”
- Enrique Iglesias and tennis star Anna Kournikova made their first public appearance as a couple at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Eminem won the Video of the Year award for "Without Me".
- NASA announced that Lance Bass, singer with *NSYNC, was set to become the first celebrity in space. His seat aboard the Russian Soyuz module was expected to cost $23.8 million, and at age 23 he was set to become the youngest person in orbit. The flight ultimately did not take place because he failed to pay the required $20 million.
- Twelve protesters dressed as monkeys demonstrated outside former Stone Roses singer Ian Brown's holiday home in North Wales. They criticized the £150,000 price of the five-bedroom house, which they considered too expensive for local residents. The costumes referred to Brown's solo album Unfinished Monkey Business.
- Readers of Mojo magazine voted Elvis Presley's recording of "That's All Right," made at Sun Studio in July 1954, the most important moment in rock music history. Bob Dylan's move from acoustic to electric guitar came second, The Clash's "White Riot" third, The Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show fourth, and The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" fifth. Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, John Lennon and Led Zeppelin also appeared in the Top 10.
- The British medical journal Thorax warned music fans that listening to loud music in a car could cause a collapsed lung. A 19-year-old man was treated in Bristol after his left lung collapsed while listening loudly to music from a 1,000-watt speaker in his Fiat Panda.
- Yahoo! launched a beta version of Yahoo! Audio Search, allowing users to search more than 50 million audio files, including music, podcasts, and spoken-word content.
- Bob Dylan's song “Like a Rolling Stone” won an Uncut magazine poll of the music, films, television shows and books that changed the world.
- A survey of 560 British funeral homes found that grieving families were increasingly favoring popular music over traditional religious hymns at funerals. Among the most requested songs were “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler, “Angels” by Robbie Williams, “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston and “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John.
- Two jurors who voted to acquit Michael Jackson of charges involving child sexual abuse and other offenses later said on NBC's Today show that they regretted their decision.
- Kanye West called for an end to homophobia in the hip-hop world.
- The Gap company hired seven artists to sing their favorite songs in an advertisement for its new fall denim collection. The commercial aired during the MTV Video Music Awards. Alanis Morissette sang Seal’s “Crazy”, while Keith Urban, Joss Stone, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Jason Mraz, John Legend, and Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd also took part.
- Kanye West criticized President George W. Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina during a televised benefit concert in New York. The concert was raising funds to help victims of the disaster, and West made a controversial statement during the live broadcast about the president and his relationship with the Black community. The statement was broadcast live on the US East Coast, but was removed from the edited version for the West Coast.
- Janet Jackson appeared on the cover of Vibe magazine wearing only bikini bottoms and a necklace made of large shells. She had lost a significant amount of weight shortly beforehand.
- The Times published an article about rock stars' demands while on tour. Ozzy Osbourne required a doctor specializing in the eyes, ears, nose and throat at every venue. The Beach Boys required a licensed masseur, Meat Loaf a mask and a small oxygen tank, David Bowie a dressing-room temperature between 14 and 18°C, Paul McCartney a large arrangement of Casablanca white lilies, and Mick Jagger a reading device containing the lyrics to all the songs that also reminded him of the name of the city where they were performing.
- A Florida man named Paul van Valkenburgh died of lung cancer. His obituary in a local newspaper was picked up by the Associated Press, which mistakenly used the name of the real Paul Vance, who was alive and living in Coral Springs, Florida. When he learned about his supposed death from television, he contacted local media and proved he was alive by showing, among other things, ASCAP royalty checks from his biggest hit, "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini".
- Justin Hawkins, singer for the British band The Darkness, announced that he was leaving the group to continue treatment for drug addiction. The band went on hiatus until Hawkins returned in 2011.
- Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon proclaimed August 9 as the official Frank Zappa Day in the city, recognizing his musical achievements and his advocacy of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- Sting topped a Blender magazine poll of the worst lyricists. The criticism included references to Vladimir Nabokov in The Police song “Don't Stand So Close to Me” and other literary allusions. Neil Peart of Rush came second and Scott Stapp of Creed third.
- In an interview with the Calgary Herald, Dave Coulier said that he was the man referred to in Alanis Morissette’s song “You Oughta Know.” Morissette neither confirmed nor denied his claim.
- Paul McCartney, a vegetarian for 30 years, objected when a Liverpool McDonald's displayed his photograph, accusing the restaurant of using his image to attract customers. His spokesman Geoff Baker publicly condemned the chain, prompting the restaurant to remove the photographs.
- Ringo Starr posted a video message on his website announcing that he would no longer accept fan mail or sign items sent to him. He explained that he did not have the time and disliked seeing signed items subsequently sold online for thousands of dollars. Later, he signed memorabilia only for charitable purposes.
- During his weekly radio programme on 6 Music, Bob Dylan revealed that he was in talks with several car companies about possibly becoming the voice of their satellite navigation systems.
- Rolling Stone published a 1970 interview with John Lennon in which he discussed some of the reasons for The Beatles' breakup. Lennon said that his bandmates did not respect and insulted Yoko Ono, and he also criticized his former songwriting relationship with Paul McCartney.
- Shinedown singer Brent Smith became the target of a remark about his weight by Today host Kathy Lee Gifford, who said she thought he was Meat Loaf. Smith finished the performance with the song “Second Chance”, but the comment affected him. Several years later, he used it as motivation to quit drinking alcohol and begin an intensive fitness regimen.
- The British Daily Telegraph published a report claiming that 17-year-old Benjamin Keough, Elvis Presley's grandson, had been offered a $5 million contract by Universal Records to record up to five albums. Universal Music Group subsequently officially declared the report completely false. Keough never released any commercial music during his lifetime.
- British newspaper Daily Telegraph reported that Universal Records had offered Elvis Presley's 17-year-old grandson Benjamin Keough $5 million for up to five albums. Universal Music Group quickly declared the widely repeated report completely false, and Keough never released commercial music during his lifetime.
- Esquire magazine named Kate Beckinsale its Sexiest Woman Alive and published a video featuring the actress accompanied by Jet's song “Goodbye Hollywood.”
- An unpublished series of photographs of The Beatles by Astrid Kirchherr was exhibited at the Victoria Gallery and Museum in Liverpool, documenting their early years, their stay in Tenerife and the filming of “A Hard Day’s Night” in Liverpool in 1964.
- Paintings by Bob Dylan displayed at a museum in Copenhagen came under criticism from some Danish critics and academics.
- Morrissey caused controversy after telling the British newspaper The Guardian that he considered Chinese people a "subspecies" in connection with what he claimed was their treatment of animals.
- Queen's song “Bohemian Rhapsody” was voted the greatest song of all time for waving a lighter in the air in a poll conducted by Zippo. “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin came second, followed by “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” by Meat Loaf.
- Louis Tomlinson of One Direction sent his bandmate Harry Styles a tweet that, according to the source, became the second most retweeted post in history.
- The website The Smoking Gun published Janet Jackson's performance contract, which stipulated that a comedian appearing at the same event could not mention the singer or any member of the Jackson family in their act.
- Forbes named Beyoncé and Jay-Z the highest-paid celebrity couple, with combined earnings of $78 million, including $40 million for Beyoncé and $38 million for Jay-Z.
- Insane Clown Posse protested against the FBI's classification of their fans, collectively known as “Juggalos,” as a criminal gang in its “2011 National Gang Threat Assessment Report.” At the annual Gathering of the Juggalos in Illinois, they announced their intention to sue the FBI. Despite this, the FBI continued to classify Juggalos as an organized gang in later years.
- Internal emails from promoters of Michael Jackson’s planned 2009 This Is It concerts were released, in which they expressed concerns about his condition during preparations for the shows.
- Miley Cyrus's performance at the MTV Video Music Awards prompted a complaint from the American organization Parents Television Council because of its sexually suggestive nature.
- According to American media reports, Little Richard suffered a heart attack at home on September 30 in the presence of his family. According to the source, he had not performed since nearly collapsing during a concert in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2012.
- Spotify announced that it had acquired the rights to John Lennon's solo catalog and made it available worldwide for streaming. The offering included his eight solo studio albums, from Plastic Ono Band to Milk and Honey, and three official compilations. Collaborations with Yoko Ono were not included.
- In an interview with Esquire magazine, Keith Richards harshly criticized The Beatles' “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
- In an interview with The Daily Beast, Jimmy Page said he did not expect another Led Zeppelin reunion. The last performance by the three surviving members took place in 2007 at a one-off concert at London's O2 Arena, with Jason Bonham on drums in place of his father, John Bonham.
- The first presidential playlists were released. The selection included songs by Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and John Legend.
- Aretha Franklin told Billboard.com that there was a possibility her life story could appear on Broadway. She said she would like to see a dramatic musical and felt the timing was right, especially following the success of “Jersey Boys”. The Broadway project ultimately did not happen.
- Ultimate Classic Rock published the feature “This Day in Rock History: August 28”, which recalled Bob Dylan’s meeting with The Beatles in 1964, Dylan’s first performance with Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm in 1965, Bruce Dickinson’s final concert with Iron Maiden in 1993, and the release of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” in 1975.
- Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones told the New York Daily News that rap music was for “people who can't hear” and criticized its musical construction. He said that, in his view, rap listeners only needed a drum beat and someone shouting over it. In the same interview, he also commented on Metallica and Black Sabbath.
- Spotify reported that “The Girl From Ipanema” had been streamed more than 40,000 times after it was played during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
- Chance the Rapper took part in the #SoGoneChallenge and posted a video in which he rapped about his pregnant girlfriend over the instrumental of Monica's 2003 hit “So Gone”. The video was quickly retweeted more than 250,000 times, and the challenge went viral.
- President Barack Obama released his summer music playlists on Spotify for the second year in a row. It was his final year in the presidency.
- Jon Sudano posted a YouTube video in which he sang the lyrics of Smash Mouth's "All Star" over the musical accompaniment of John Lennon's "Imagine". The video went viral and attracted millions of views. He subsequently made similar videos pairing other well-known songs, including "Y.M.C.A.", "Under the Bridge", and "Wonderwall".
- The Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society reported on a newly identified prehistoric crocodile species named Lemmysuchus obtusidens in honor of Lemmy Kilmister, frontman of Motörhead.
- Several days after Ted Nugent claimed that his involvement with the National Rifle Association had contributed to his not being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he wrote on Twitter that Ted was “just not good enough”.
- The music video for Taylor Swift's “Look What You Made Me Do” premiered at the MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The ceremony was hosted by Katy Perry and the viewership of 5.68 million was the lowest since 1994.
- Graceland announced that during October the estate would be illuminated in pink to support breast cancer awareness. The pink lighting was scheduled to begin on October 2 and continue throughout the month.
- Graceland announced that during the first week of October the estate would be illuminated in pink as part of breast cancer awareness efforts.
- Taylor Swift publicly expressed her political views for the first time by endorsing two Democratic candidates in Tennessee and urging her 112 million Instagram followers to vote. Vote.org subsequently recorded a significant increase in voter registrations.
- After Jason Aldean's wife Brittany posted a makeup video on Instagram with a caption saying she wanted to thank her parents for not changing her gender during her “tomboy” phase, Maren Morris responded to her post on Twitter. The dispute increased tensions between more conservatively and progressively oriented members of the country music community.
- Metallica's classic song “Enter Sandman” topped the list of songs with the most frequently misheard lyrics, while Mick Jagger was named the singer people found hardest to understand. A survey of 1,000 Americans by WordFinder also found that 65% of people preferred the incorrect version after discovering they had been singing their favorite song lyric incorrectly for years.
- The Republican presidential debate opened with a sample of Oliver Anthony's song “Rich Men North Of Richmond”, which criticizes corrupt and incompetent politicians in Washington. The candidates were asked why the song had generated such a strong response across the country.
- Amy Winehouse's 2007 performance on Radio 1 Live Lounge, in which she sang a cover of “Valerie” by The Zutons, was voted the best performance on the programme during its first 25 years. Arctic Monkeys came second and third.
- Dolly Parton posted a video telling fans that she was “not dying,” one day after her sister asked the public for prayers and raised concerns about the singer's health. Parton said that people had recently been getting the impression that she was sicker than she actually was and that she was working hard.
- Spotify announced that Dolly Parton's total streams worldwide had increased by more than 1,260% compared with the week before her death on August 25. Seven of her songs entered the service's daily most-streamed songs chart, with “Jolene” and “9 to 5” at No. 2 and No. 3, while “Islands in the Stream” with Kenny Rogers reached No. 8.