The database currently contains 4513 historical events.
- Scott Joplin signed a contract for a royalty of 1% on every copy sold of “The Maple Leaf Rag”, with a minimum selling price of 25 cents.
- Columbia Records lowered the price of its 12-inch classical records to $1.
- Atlantic Records bought Ray Charles's contract from Swingtime Records. He thereby moved to a label that began steering him toward harder rhythm and blues rather than the polished pop and West Coast blues in which he had previously recorded.
- Savoy Records announced that artists wishing to record cover versions of songs had to obtain permission from the US Copyright Office. The company also revised its royalty system, with royalties now to be calculated according to the number of records manufactured rather than simply those sold.
- At a meeting in Memphis with manager Bob Neal, Colonel Tom Parker and his father Vernon Presley, he signed a new contract that appointed Parker as a “special adviser” with control over virtually every aspect of Elvis's career. On the same day, Mitch Miller of RCA Victor rejected a proposal to offer $20,000 to acquire Elvis, saying that no singer was worth that amount.
- Colonel Tom Parker became Elvis's “special adviser” and effectively took over his management duties from Bob Neal.
- An official Elvis Presley fan club was established in the United Kingdom.
- Cliff Richard signed a recording contract with EMI Records that would last for the next 45 years. He also began a four-week engagement at Butlins Holiday Camp in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, as Cliff Richard and the Drifters. His debut single “Move It” followed in the UK on August 29, reaching No. 2.
- Jerry Lee Lewis accepted a $9,500 offer to perform at the opening of the new Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas.
- The Browns became members of the Grand Ole Opry.
- The Rolling Stones announced that Allen Klein, whom they had met three days earlier, would become their manager alongside Andrew Loog Oldham. At the same time, The Rolling Stones signed a five-year recording contract with Decca Records.
- The Beatles announced that they would manage their own affairs following the death of their manager Brian Epstein.
- Following the death of manager Brian Epstein, The Beatles met at Paul McCartney's house in St. John's Wood, London, to discuss their future. They decided not to seek a new manager and to manage their business affairs themselves, with McCartney taking over most business decisions. At the same time, they postponed their planned trip to India and began production of the long-delayed film Magical Mystery Tour, for which they had already recorded “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Your Mother Should Know.” McCartney presented the others with his idea for a film based on “Magical Mystery Tour.” This decision contributed to the creation of Apple Corps.
- The Beatles officially launched their own multimedia company and record label, Apple Corps.
- Elton John signed a recording contract as a solo artist with Uni Records, a division of MCA Records.
- A party was held in New York to celebrate the official opening of Electric Ladyland Studios.
- A celebration of the official opening of Electric Ladyland Studios was held in New York. Jimi Hendrix had opened the studio. He died a few months later, but the studio continued operating and was later used for recordings by John Lennon, AC/DC, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and Guns N’ Roses, among others.
- In New York City, an official celebration was held for the opening of Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, a studio complex founded by Jimi Hendrix. The studio took a year to build and cost one million dollars. Guests included Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood and the then little-known Patti Smith. Artists who later recorded there included Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, AC/DC, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and Guns N' Roses. Hendrix subsequently traveled to London to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival and died before he could return to the studio to record.
- After performing at Max's Kansas City in New York City, Aerosmith signed a recording contract with Clive Davis at Columbia Records (CBS Records) worth $125,000.
- Producer Bill Aucoin saw KISS perform at a New York hotel, offered to become their manager and promised them a recording contract.
- Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell left Wings because they did not want to travel with Paul McCartney to Nigeria to record Band On The Run. Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney and Denny Laine therefore recorded the album as a trio.
- Eric Clapton received a gold record for the album "461 Ocean Boulevard", which contained his No. 1 hit "I Shot the Sheriff". The album was later certified platinum in the U.S. for sales of more than one million copies.
- Roberta Flack's song “Feel Like Makin' Love” received a gold certification.
- Elvis Presley leased a private aircraft for one year. He paid a $26,000 deposit and a monthly rental fee of $13,000.
- Stevie Wonder signed a seven-year, seven-album deal with Tamla/Motown worth a total of $37 million. The contract included a guaranteed $13 million advance, high royalty rates, performance bonuses and extensive artistic control over his music.
- Don Kirshner staged the first Rock Music Award Show in Santa Monica, California. Among the honorees were Eagles, Stevie Wonder and Bad Company.
- He canceled the rental of a Fairchild aircraft and instead purchased a Jet Commander for $508,000. He later flew from Memphis to Las Vegas, but due to breathing difficulties, the aircraft had to make an unplanned landing in Dallas. After resting for several hours at a motel, he continued his journey.
- The Who purchased Shepperton Studios in London for half a million dollars.
- The Buzzcocks signed a contract with United Artists, an EMI label.
- California Governor Jerry Brown appointed singer and longtime environmental activist Helen Reddy to the state Parks Commission.
- Blondie signed their first contract with a major record label, Chrysalis Records. The group had been signed to the independent label Private Stock Records, which released their self-titled debut album in late 1976. Chrysalis Records bought out their existing contract with Private Stock and acquired the rights to the original recordings.
- Def Leppard signed a contract with Phonogram Records with an initial advance of £120,000 ($180,000) and a 10 percent share of sales during the first two years.
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors.
- Eighteen-year-old Sinéad O'Connor signed a contract with Ensign Records. Her debut album, “The Lion and the Cobra,” was released two years later.
- He outbid Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono at auction and acquired ATV Music Publishing for $47.5 million, a company controlling the rights to The Beatles' catalog. The catalog contained the rights to more than 4,000 songs, approximately 250 of which were Beatles compositions. Three years after their collaboration on “The Girl Is Mine”, Paul McCartney recommended that Jackson invest in music publishing rights. McCartney had previously negotiated with Yoko Ono, who withdrew from the deal for “astrological” reasons. The investment proved highly profitable but permanently damaged the friendship between Jackson and McCartney.
- Prince extended his contract with Warner Bros. in a deal reportedly worth $100 million, although the actual value was significantly lower.
- PolyGram purchased Motown Records from investment company Boston Ventures for $301 million.
- Apple Records won an auction for a rare recording of The Beatles performing “Kansas City” and “Some Other Guy” at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1962, paying £16,000 for the acetate disc.
- A two-sided acetate recording of The Beatles featuring live recordings of “Kansas City” and “Some Other Guy” from the Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1962 was sold at Christie's auction in London for $32,000 (£16,500), which at the time was a record price for a recording.
- Rick Rubin changed the name of his record label Def American Recordings to American Recordings because he felt that the word “Def” was overused in pop culture as a synonym for “cool” and had been exhausted after being added to the Webster's dictionary. He staged a symbolic funeral ceremony at the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles, which included a eulogy by Reverend Al Sharpton and the burial of a coffin filled with records.
- The Clarence Hotel in Dublin, owned by members of U2, was damaged by a fire that took more than three hours to bring under control. The nightclub The Kitchen, located in the same building, was also affected and had to be evacuated.
- Microsoft introduced the Windows 95 operating system, whose startup music was composed by Brian Eno, a pioneer of ambient music who released the album „Ambient 1: Music for Airports“ in 1978, designed to calm travelers at airports.
- A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Cleveland, Ohio, to mark the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum officially opened the following day.
- Federální odvolací soud zrušil rozhodnutí, podle něhož původní členové Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers Jimmy Merchant a Herman Santiago spoluautorsky napsali hit „Why Do Fools Fall in Love?“. Soud rozhodl, že nároky na autorská práva musí být podány do tří let od zveřejnění skladby.