Events in 2010
- Arcade Fire released the album “The Suburbs.” It was released in the United Kingdom on August 2, while its release in the United States and Canada followed on August 3.
- Bobby Hebb, singer and songwriter best known for “Sunny,” died in Nashville at the age of 72 from lung cancer.
- Madonna launched her “Material Girl” fashion brand through Macy’s, targeting teenage girls. Her daughter Lourdes also helped with the project.
- The documentary “Elvis on Tour” was released on DVD.
- Don Henley reached an out-of-court settlement with Republican candidate Chuck DeVore over the unauthorized use of parodies of the songs “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” and “The Boys of Summer” in campaign videos.
- Rondor Music threatened legal action over the use of the title and borrowed lyrical elements from “California Girls” in Katy Perry's “California Gurls.” No lawsuit was ultimately filed.
- The Wanted se skladbou „All Time Low“, hlavním singlem ze svého debutového studiového alba, dostali na první místo britského singlového žebříčku.
- Mark David Chapman's parole hearing was postponed until early September so that authorities could gather additional information.
- Ted Kowalski, a member of the Canadian vocal group The Diamonds, died of heart disease at the age of 79. The group had fifteen Billboard Top 40 hits during the second half of the 1950s.
- Olivia Newton-John was appointed an Officer of the General Division of the Order of Australia in Canberra.
- Richie Hayward, drummer and co-founder of Little Feat, died at the age of 64.
- Iron Maiden released the studio album The Final Frontier, which debuted at No. 1 on the UK album chart and became their fourth UK chart-topping album.
- Bassist Robert Wilson of The Gap Band died at the age of 53 from a heart attack. From the late 1970s onward, the group had four platinum albums and placed 30 songs on the Billboard R&B chart.
- Kenny Edwards, a founding member of the country-rock group The Stone Poneys, died at the age of 64 from cancer. The group, led by Linda Ronstadt, reached No. 13 in 1967 with “Different Drum.”
- Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees underwent surgery on his digestive tract for the same health problem that had claimed the life of his twin brother Maurice seven years earlier. Robin had been hospitalized with severe abdominal pain several days earlier, and his health problems repeatedly returned in the following months. He died in a London hospital in 2012.
- French brand État Libre D'Orange announced a collaboration with the Sex Pistols to launch the band's first perfume, intended to capture the scent of the punk era.
- A section of Interstate 40 near Memphis, Tennessee, was named the Isaac Hayes Memorial Highway in honor of Isaac Hayes on what would have been his 68th birthday.
- A New York judge dismissed a $300 million lawsuit filed against Michael Jackson's estate by Allgood Entertainment. The company claimed that Michael Jackson and his agent Frank Dileo had backed out of planned Jackson 5 concerts. According to the court, the decisive factor was that Michael and his brothers had never signed the contract.
- Alternative rock group Arcade Fire reached No. 1 in the US with their third studio album “The Suburbs”. The album also reached No. 1 in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Portugal and the UK.
- Eminem reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with his seventh studio album “Recovery”. The album was nominated for three Grammy Awards and reached No. 1 in seventeen countries.
- Flo Rida and French producer David Guetta reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Club Can't Handle Me”.
- Plans were announced for an auction of a toilet from John Lennon's luxury estate, Tittenhurst Park, in Berkshire. Lennon used the floral-patterned porcelain toilet while living at the estate from 1969 to 1971. When it was replaced, he reportedly told builder John Hancock to keep it and “use it as a flower pot”. Instead, Hancock stored it in his shed for 40 years, and after his death, his family offered it for sale. It was expected to sell for $1,500. However, the August 28, 2010 auction far exceeded expectations, with the item acquired by a private overseas bidder for £9,500, approximately $14,740, nearly ten times the original estimate.
- Bob Dylan announced his intention to fight ticket scalpers by allowing fans to purchase only one ticket at the entrance to each concert.
- George Michael pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in London to driving under the influence of drugs. In July he had been arrested after crashing his car into the Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead while returning from London's Gay Pride.
- Katy Perry released her third studio album „Teenage Dream“ on Capitol Records, her second album for a major label. The album reached No. 1 in the U.S. and several other countries and later sold more than 12 million copies. Its first five singles, beginning with „California Gurls“, all reached No. 1 on the Hot 100.
- 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.
- British EMI Records confirmed that Iron Maiden's album “The Final Frontier” debuted at No. 1 in 21 countries around the world. Almost four years earlier, the band's previous studio album “A Matter Of Life And Death” had also reached the top of the pan-European chart.
- Songwriter George David Weiss, author of “What a Wonderful World” and “Can't Help Falling in Love”, died at the age of 89.
- Iron Maiden reached No. 1 on the UK chart with their fifteenth studio album “The Final Frontier”. The album was a major international success and topped the charts in 28 countries worldwide.
- “Green Light” by Roll Deep reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart.
- Worldwide media reported that a toilet once owned by John Lennon sold at auction for £9,500 ($14,740), approximately ten times its original estimated value. After a new toilet was installed, Lennon told builder John Hancock, who took away the original blue-and-white toilet: “Put some flowers in it or something.” The toilet had been stored for more than 40 years and was put up for sale after Hancock died.
- Elton John and Leon Russell released the first single from their forthcoming joint album, "The Union". The song "If It Wasn't For Bad" featured vocals from both artists, with Russell on piano.
- Papa Roach released their first live album, "Time for Annihilation". In addition to nine live tracks, it contained five new studio recordings and reached No. 23 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
- Apple launched the social network Ping, which was integrated into iTunes. The service was discontinued two years later.
- Curt Smith of Tears for Fears made the first of three appearances on the television series Psych, whose main character Shawn Spencer is a major fan of the group.