Events in 1998
- The Beastie Boys began a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with “Hello Nasty,” which became their third U.S. No. 1 album.
- The Beatles were voted “Favourite Recording Artist of All Time” in a poll conducted by the British music magazine Mojo. They finished ahead of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Queen, and Elton John.
- MTV suspended broadcasting to approximately 500,000 households in Amsterdam after cable operator A2000 demanded that MTV share its previously exclusive channel with two other operators and pay for distribution.
- Lars Ulrich of Metallica became a father for the first time; his son Myles was born.
- Jazz musician Nat Gonella, founder of the big band The Georgians, died in Gosport, Hampshire, England, at the age of 90.
- English jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader Nathaniel Gonella, founder of the big band The Georgians, died at the age of 90.
- The final new episode of the talk show “The Magic Hour” was broadcast. Musical guests were Boys II Men, Simply Red, Mary J. Blige and Hanson.
- Hudební videoklip ke skladbě „...Baby One More Time“ od Britney Spears byl natočen na Venice High School, stejné škole, která byla využita při natáčení filmu „Grease“. Skladba se dostala na vrchol žebříčků nejméně ve 23 zemích.
- Canadian singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes was born in Pickering, Ontario. He became famous for hits including “Treat You Better”, “In My Blood” and “Senorita”.
- Spice Girls reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Viva Forever”. It was their seventh UK No. 1 hit.
- Scott Weiland pleaded guilty to heroin possession and was sentenced to three months of treatment.
- The festival lasted three days and began in Bethel, New York, where Woodstock had originally been held 29 years earlier. Rock veterans Pete Townshend and Stevie Nicks, as well as newer bands Third Eye Blind and The Goo Goo Dolls, took part in the event.
- The former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev visited the 10th edition of the Popkomm music trade fair.
- PBS aired a documentary about his Indigenous heritage titled “Robbie Robertson: Making A Noise – A Native American Musical Journey”.
- They performed on the second day of the A Day In The Garden festival in Bethel, New York, where Woodstock had also taken place. Joni Mitchell closed her performance with the song “Woodstock”.
- American singer and songwriter Clairo was born.
- Kid Rock released Devil Without a Cause, his first album on Lava Records after being dropped by Jive and releasing two independent albums. The album sold 11 million copies and turned the rap-rock musician into a major star.
- Korn released their most successful album, Follow the Leader, which featured the songs “Freak on a Leash” and “Got the Life.”
- Priscilla Presley won $75,000 in damages in a libel lawsuit against Currie Grant, a former army friend of Elvis Presley, who claimed that he had an affair with her before she married Elvis Presley. This claim was used as the main source for the controversial biography “Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley” by Suzanne Finstad. Priscilla said she was very pleased that the verdict had cleared her name.
- Terence Trent D'Arby, who had not been heard from since the release of his 1995 album “Vibrator”, posted a statement on his website: “I am a holographic representation in the third dimension of what your souls have asked to be one of your favorite artists. I have sent a portion of my soul to incarnate into an artist named Terence Trent D'Arby, who fulfilled this request.” He later explained that he was using the new name Sananda Maitreya, which had come to him in a dream.
- During the second of two concerts at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Elton John invited comedian Jim Carrey onto the stage, in the presence of Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley, for an unexpected duet of “Rocket Man”. Carrey wore one of Elton’s distinctive red Versace jackets, alternated vocals with him, and harmonized; while singing, he improvised the line “a long, long time” as “friggin' forever”. After the performance, he sat down at the piano and struck his head against the keys.
- Mark David Chapman stated that he did not want any money obtained from the sale of the signed album “Double Fantasy”, which John Lennon had signed for him on the same day Lennon was murdered. At the time, Chapman was serving his sentence for the murder of John Lennon on December 8, 1980.
- Rapper Snoop Dogg achieved his third consecutive U.S. No. 1 album with “Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told”.
- Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls, known as “Scary Spice”, announced that she was pregnant.
- 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.
- Gene Page, an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, died at the age of 58 after a long illness. He worked with artists including Barbra Streisand, The Supremes, Jefferson Starship, Jackson 5, Elton John, Marvin Gaye, Barry White, The Righteous Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Cher and Dobie Gray, and produced Whitney Houston's „Greatest Love of All“ and Roberta Flack's „Tonight I Celebrate My Love“.
- At the age of 53, Ingrid Pederson went public with the claim that she was John Lennon's long-lost illegitimate half-sister. She stated that she had kept her secret for many years to protect her adoptive parents, who were by then deceased.
- Shania Twain's concert in Syracuse, New York, was interrupted after lightning struck the ground approximately 40 yards behind the stage. The concert was almost over at the time.
- Lauryn Hill released her debut solo studio album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”. The album sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, reached number one in Canada, Ireland and the US and number two in the UK. It became the first hip-hop album to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
- Geri Halliwell announced that she would sell some of the Spice Girls’ clothing in a charity auction. Her PVC jumpsuit was offered for £5,000, knee-high boots for £1,200, and the Union Jack dress she wore at the Brit Awards for £8,000.
- The film “Studio 54” about the legendary New York nightclub premiered. Ryan Phillippe and Mike Myers, who portrayed one of the club’s owners, starred in the film.
- The film “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” about singer Frankie Lymon, frontman of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, was released in theaters. Named after his famous song, the film was a biographical musical drama starring Larenz Tate, Halle Berry, and Vivica A. Fox.
- Rockabilly and country singer and songwriter Charlie Feathers died in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 66 from complications following a coma caused by a stroke. He was a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and was also known for 1950s hits such as "Peepin' Eyes".
- Singer, songwriter and Rockabilly Hall of Fame member Charlie Feathers died at the age of 66 from complications following a stroke-induced coma.
- Marilyn Manson changed his appearance from heavily blackened eyes to lighter makeup and 1970s-style clothing, including platform shoes. The sound of his album “Mechanical Animals” represented a radical change from the 1996 album “Antichrist Superstar”.
- Roberto Augusto Miranda Soares was shot four times after refusing to hand over the keys to his Mercedes to robbers. Soares was president of Sony Music/Brazil.
- Madonna filed a lawsuit against the YMCA seeking to prevent the construction of a high-rise residential building near Lincoln Center in New York City.
- Noreaga, whose real name is Victor Santiago, of Capone-N-Noreaga was charged with assaulting a dissatisfied fan in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
- David Bowie launched his own internet service, Bowienet. The service offered basic internet services as well as exclusive news and releases related to Bowie.
- Ian Gillan of Deep Purple was charged with assault and causing bodily harm after allegedly hitting a security guard on the head with a microphone during a concert in August.
- Sandra Denton, known as Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa, gave birth to a daughter named Egypt. Her father is rapper Treach of Naughty by Nature.