Ok this year seemed…well…………dull.
- February 8 – The 48th annual Grammy Awards are handed out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, USA. Madonna opens the awards for a third time. U2 is the night’s big winner, with five awards. Mariah Carey won three of her eight nominations, her first Grammys since 1991. Kelly Clarkson is the first American Idol contestant ever to win a Grammy.
- February 18 – The Rolling Stones give a free concert to two million people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- February 22 – The one billionth song is downloaded on iTunes; the song is “Speed of Sound” by Coldplay.
- March 5
- Three 6 Mafia became the first African American hip-hop group to win an Academy Award for Best Song and also became the first hip-hop artists to ever perform at the ceremony. The group was nominated for the song “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the Hustle & Flow film soundtrack.
- April 11 – Rapper Proof is shot and killed by a nightclub bouncer at 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan, after allegedly shooting a third man, Keith Bender, Jr, who later dies of his injuries.
- April 15 – Mary J. Blige‘s single “Be Without You” ends its 15th week at number one on the US Billboard R&B chart, making it the most successful R&B song in history.
- May 1 – 1,951 guitarists simultaneously play Jimi Hendrix‘s song “Hey Joe” in the town square of Wrocław, Poland, breaking a Guinness world record.
- May 21 – Madonna begins her Confessions Tour in Los Angeles, USA. Tickets were sold out within minutes in North America, Europe, and Asia, resulting in new dates to be announced in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and London. The tour grossed more than US$260 million – the highest grossing tour in history by a female artist.
- June 1 – YoungbloodZ and their entourage are arrested on drugs and weapons charges in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
- June 6 – Ice Cube‘s first album in six years, Laugh Now, Cry Later, is released on his independently owned record label Lench Mob Records. The album debuted in the top five selling 144,000 copies in the first week.
- June 9
- Nelly Furtado‘s new album, Loose is released and debuts at No. 1 with 219,000 copies sold, making it her first number-one album.
- Igor Cavalera leaves Sepultura because of artistic differences – the third official member and the second Cavalera to leave.
- June 19 – Taylor Swift released her first single, “Tim McGraw“, at 16 years old. It was a top 10 hit.
- June 23 – Backstreet Boys band member Kevin Richardson leaves the group to pursue other interests. However, he would return to the group permanently on April 29, 2012.
- August 1 – The 10th anniversary of television channel MTV2‘s launch and the 25th anniversary of MTV’s launch.
- September 2 – Christina Aguilera scores her second US number one album and first UK number one album with Back to Basics, selling 346,000 copies in its first week in the US becoming the best first week sales for a female artist in 2006. The album sold 84,279 in the UK and became the best selling double album by a female artist.
- September 3 – Beyoncé Knowles releases her second consecutive No.1 solo album B’Day, selling 541,000 copies in its first week. And spawning two UK No.1 singles.
- October 7 – Liquidation of the bankrupt music store chain Tower Records begins after its assets are purchased by Great American Group. The last store closes its doors permanently on December 22.
- October 10 – Justin Hawkins, lead singer of the band The Darkness announces he is leaving the band.
- November 11
- Justin Timberlake‘s single “My Love” reaches number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
- Kylie Minogue resumes Showgirl – The Homecoming Tour in Sydney, Australia after a break of a year and a half resulting from undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
- November 14 – Microsoft releases the first Zune media player.
- November 16
- The MTV Movie Awards Latin America 2006 are held. Performers at the event included Evanescence, Robbie Williams, Panda, Nelly Furtado, and Shakira.
- Snow Patrol become the first British band in 13 years to reach the top five of the US Billboard Hot 100.
- November 24 – The American Music Awards are broadcast. Winners include Kelly Clarkson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira, Jamie Foxx, Nickelback, Sean Paul, The Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Mary J. Blige, Nelly Furtado, John Mayer, Fall Out Boy and Beyoncé performed at the event.
Top 10 best-selling albums of 2006
| No. | Artist | Album | Copies sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | High School Musical cast | Soundtrack | 8,500,000 |
| 2. | Justin Timberlake | FutureSex/LoveSounds | 8,350,000 |
| 3. | Nelly Furtado | Loose | 8,200,000 |
| 4. | Fall Out Boy | From Under The Cork Tree | 7,900,000 |
| 5. | Carrie Underwood | Some Hearts | 6,900,000 |
| 6. | Pink | I’m Not Dead | 6,500,000 |
| 7. | Beyoncé | B’Day | 5,700,000 |
| 8. | The Beatles | Love | 5,650,000 |
| 9. | Daughtry | Daughtry | 4,900,000 |
| 10. | Taylor Swift | Taylor Swift | 4,500,000 |