The 1980s was the decade spanning from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 1989.
This tag consists of music first released in this time frame.
The decade began with a backlash against disco music in the United States, and a movement away from the orchestral arrangements that had characterized much of the music of the 1970s. Music in the 1980s was characterized by unheard of electronic sounds accomplished through the use of synthesizers and keyboards, along with drum machines. This made a dramatic change in music.
In the United States, MTV was launched and music videos began to have a huge effect on the record industry. U.S. pop artists such as Madonna and Michael Jackson mastered the format and turned it into big business.
'New wave' and 'synth-pop' were developed by many British and United States artists and became popular phenomena throughout the decade, especially in the early and mid eighties.
Hard rock, heavy metal, 'big hair' bands and glam metal, experienced extreme popularity in 1980s, becoming some of the most dominant music genres of the 1980s.
--Live Aid concert in 1985 containing many artists promotes attention and action to send food aid to Ethiopia whose people were suffering from a major famine.
--The Hip hop scene evolved to become a powerful musical force.
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