The US system MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) becomes the industry standard for electronic communication in music

Philips and Sony jointly introduce a new device, the compact disc

Olivier Messiaen's opera St Francis of Assisi has its premiere in Paris

Luciano Berio's opera Un re in ascolto has its premiere in Salzburg

Madonna (Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone) releases her second album, Like a Virgin, that goes on to sell millions

The opera Akhnaten, by US composer Philip Glass, has its first performance in Stuttgart

Bob Geldof forms Band Aid and releases for Ethiopian famine relief the best-selling UK single Do they know its Christmas?

Live Aid, an all-day concert for famine relief in Africa, is held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia

Harrison Birtwistle's second opera, The Mask of Orpheus, brings him an international reputation

Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki's opera The Black Mask is premiered in Salzburg

The Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill becomes the first rap (or hip hop) album to top the US chart

John Adams' opera Nixon in China is performed in Houston

English composer Mark-Anthony Turnage's first opera, Greek, is premiered in Munich

Three tenors (Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras) sing at a concert in Rome to celebrate the World Cup

The US rock group Nirvana become the leading performers of grunge

Eric Clapton's album Unplugged includes 'Tears in Heaven', mourning the death of his four-year-old son

The British pop group Spice Girls sell millions of their first album, Spice, breaking all previous UK records

Bob Dylan produces one of his finest albums, Time out of Mind

Elton John sings a revised version of Candle in the Wind in Westminster Abbey, as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales

Buena Vista Social Club, a nostalgic documentary by Wim Wenders, triggers a cult for Cuban music

Rap artist Eminem's album The Marshall Mathers LP enters the US charts at no. 1

US singer Britney Spears creates a new record when she has a fourth successive album (In the Zone) go straight to the top of Billboard 200

The sudden death of the pop star Michael Jackson triggers a world-wide emotional response