Verzuz Begins on Instagram Live
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz turn a remote producer battle into a participatory music-history format.
NOSACONN Cultural & Arts Atlas
Cultural & Arts Atlas
THE CULTURAL ARCHIVE
THE ATLAS
Explore the moments that shaped music and culture.
78 moments96 sources7 mapped
Beyoncé Headlines Coachella
The festival’s first Black woman headliner stages a performance rooted in HBCU musical traditions.
“Gangnam Style” Reaches One Billion YouTube Views
PSY’s Korean-language hit becomes the first YouTube video to cross the billion-view threshold.
King Sunny Adé and His African Beats Releases Synchro System / Aura
King Sunny Adé and His African Beats releases the album Synchro System / Aura.
Power Pirate Releases Plane Ticket
Power Pirate releases the album Plane Ticket.
Spotify Launches Its Consumer Streaming Service
An on-demand licensed catalog begins shifting music consumption from ownership toward access.
Divididos Releases Sí o sí: Diario del rock argentino
Divididos releases the album Sí o sí: Diario del rock argentino.
Volumen Cero Releases I Can See the Brite Spot
Volumen Cero releases the album I Can See the Brite Spot.
Volumen Cero Releases I Can See the Brite Spot
Volumen Cero releases the album I Can See the Brite Spot.
Divididos Releases Sí o sí: Diario del rock argentino
Divididos releases the album Sí o sí: Diario del rock argentino.
Bulletproof Releases Shake the Foundations
Bulletproof releases the album Shake the Foundations.
Nu:Tone Releases Back of Beyond
Nu:Tone releases the album Back of Beyond.
V0.5 · CHRONOLOGY
Move through time
Every point is a published, sourced Atlas Moment—ordered by when history happened, not when a post was added.
1870s
The Phonograph Makes Sound Repeatable
Edison’s Menlo Park team demonstrates a machine that records and reproduces sound.
1 sources1950s
Berry Gordy Founds Motown
A Detroit record company begins building one of popular music’s most influential creative systems.
2 sources1960s
The Beatles Reach America Through Television
The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show before a massive U.S. television audience.
1 sourcesGeorge Benson Releases Shape of Things to Come
George Benson releases the album Shape of Things to Come.
1 sourcesWoodstock Opens in Bethel
A three-day festival becomes a defining symbol of 1960s counterculture and mass music gathering.
2 sources1970s
Soul Train Enters National Syndication
Don Cornelius brings Black music, dance, fashion, and style to a national weekly television audience.
2 sourcesThe Stylistics Releases Rockin’ Roll Baby
The Stylistics releases the album Rockin' Roll Baby.
1 sourcesJohnnie Taylor Releases Taylored in Silk
Johnnie Taylor releases the album Taylored in Silk.
1 sourcesA Bronx Party Becomes a Hip-Hop Landmark
DJ Kool Herc plays a back-to-school party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx.
2 sourcesMulatu Astatke, Fèqadu Amdè‐Mesqel Releases Ethio Jazz
Mulatu Astatke, Fèqadu Amdè‐Mesqel releases the album Ethio Jazz.
1 sourcesAnn Peebles Releases I Can’t Stand the Rain
Ann Peebles releases the album I Can’t Stand the Rain.
1 sourcesFESTAC ’77 Opens in Lagos
Artists and cultural delegations from Africa and the global Black diaspora gather in Nigeria.
2 sourcesOsibisa Releases Black Magic Night: Live at Royal Festival Hall
Osibisa releases the album Black Magic Night: Live at Royal Festival Hall.
1 sourcesBob Marley Releases Exodus
An album created during exile carries reggae, spirituality, politics, and love to a global audience.
2 sourcesRapper’s Delight Takes Rap Onto the Charts
The Sugarhill Gang record becomes an early international commercial breakthrough for rap.
2 sources1980s
MTV Begins Broadcasting
A new cable channel makes music video a daily programming format and a central marketing force.
2 sourcesMichael Jackson Releases Thriller
A cross-genre album expands the commercial and visual possibilities of global pop.
2 sourcesMichael Jackson Performs the Moonwalk on Motown 25
A televised “Billie Jean” performance turns a dance movement into a worldwide pop image.
2 sourcesJean Michel Jarre Releases Musique pour supermarché / Music for Supermarkets
Jean Michel Jarre releases the album Musique pour supermarché / Music for Supermarkets.
1 sourcesJean Michel Jarre Releases Musique pour supermarché / Music for Supermarkets
Jean Michel Jarre releases the album Musique pour supermarché / Music for Supermarkets.
1 sourcesLive Aid Links Two Stadiums and a Global Audience
Simultaneous concerts in London and Philadelphia turn satellite television into a worldwide music event.
2 sourcesAlpha Blondy Releases Apartheid Is Nazism
Alpha Blondy releases the album Apartheid Is Nazism.
1 sourcesN.W.A Releases Straight Outta Compton
A confrontational Compton album brings West Coast gangsta rap into national debate.
2 sources1990s
Femi Anikulapo Kuti, the Positive Force Releases Femi Anikulapo Kuti and the Positive Force
Femi Anikulapo Kuti, the Positive Force releases the album Femi Anikulapo Kuti and the Positive Force.
1 sourcesOrganized Konfusion Releases Organized Konfusion
Organized Konfusion releases the album Organized Konfusion.
1 sourcesNas Releases Illmatic
A concise debut album turns Queensbridge observation into a benchmark for rap writing and production.
2 sourcesThe Heptones Releases The Heptones and Friends, Volume 1 & 2
The Heptones releases the album The Heptones and Friends, Volume 1 & 2.
1 sourcesNapster Makes Peer-to-Peer Music Sharing Mainstream
A student-built service lets millions of people search for and exchange MP3 files directly.
2 sources2000s
Apple Introduces the iPod
A pocket-sized device presents a thousand-song personal library as a simple consumer experience.
1 sourcesVarious Artists Releases Hip Hop Sessions
Various Artists releases the album Hip Hop Sessions.
1 sourcesThe iTunes Music Store Opens
Apple launches a legal download store offering individual tracks at a simple price.
1 sourcesAndrew Chalk Releases Fall in the Wake of a Flawless Landscape
Andrew Chalk releases the album Fall in the Wake of a Flawless Landscape.
1 sourcesTunde Williams, Africa 70, Lekan Animashaun, Africa 70 Releases Mr. Bigmouth / Low Profile
Tunde Williams, Africa 70, Lekan Animashaun, Africa 70 releases the album Mr. Bigmouth / Low Profile.
1 sourcesVarious Artists Releases The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems 2005
Various Artists releases the album The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems 2005.
1 sourcesFrancisco Céspedes Releases Con el permiso de Bola
Francisco Céspedes releases the album Con el permiso de Bola.
1 sourcesFrancisco Céspedes Releases Con el permiso de Bola
Francisco Céspedes releases the album Con el permiso de Bola.
1 sourcesBulletproof Releases Shake the Foundations
Bulletproof releases the album Shake the Foundations.
1 sourcesDivididos Releases Sí o sí: Diario del rock argentino
Divididos releases the album Sí o sí: Diario del rock argentino.
1 sourcesDivididos Releases Sí o sí: Diario del rock argentino
Divididos releases the album Sí o sí: Diario del rock argentino.
1 sourcesSpotify Launches Its Consumer Streaming Service
An on-demand licensed catalog begins shifting music consumption from ownership toward access.
2 sourcesVolumen Cero Releases I Can See the Brite Spot
Volumen Cero releases the album I Can See the Brite Spot.
1 sourcesVolumen Cero Releases I Can See the Brite Spot
Volumen Cero releases the album I Can See the Brite Spot.
1 sources2010s
King Sunny Adé and His African Beats Releases Synchro System / Aura
King Sunny Adé and His African Beats releases the album Synchro System / Aura.
1 sources“Gangnam Style” Reaches One Billion YouTube Views
PSY’s Korean-language hit becomes the first YouTube video to cross the billion-view threshold.
2 sourcesBeyoncé Headlines Coachella
The festival’s first Black woman headliner stages a performance rooted in HBCU musical traditions.
2 sources2020s
Verzuz Begins on Instagram Live
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz turn a remote producer battle into a participatory music-history format.
2 sourcesV0.6 · WORLD ATLAS
History has coordinates
Select a point to reveal the moment, place, date, and verification trail.
December 1877
The Phonograph Makes Sound Repeatable
Menlo Park laboratoryEdison’s Menlo Park team demonstrates a machine that records and reproduces sound.
Open verified record →January 12, 1959
Berry Gordy Founds Motown
Hitsville U.S.A.A Detroit record company begins building one of popular music’s most influential creative systems.
Open verified record →February 9, 1964
The Beatles Reach America Through Television
Studio 50The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show before a massive U.S. television audience.
Open verified record →August 15, 1969 – August 18, 1969
Woodstock Opens in Bethel
Max Yasgur’s FarmA three-day festival becomes a defining symbol of 1960s counterculture and mass music gathering.
Open verified record →August 11, 1973
A Bronx Party Becomes a Hip-Hop Landmark
1520 Sedgwick AvenueDJ Kool Herc plays a back-to-school party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx.
Open verified record →January 15, 1977 – February 12, 1977
FESTAC ’77 Opens in Lagos
National Theatre and sites across LagosArtists and cultural delegations from Africa and the global Black diaspora gather in Nigeria.
Open verified record →April 14, 2018
Beyoncé Headlines Coachella
Coachella Valley Music and Arts FestivalThe festival’s first Black woman headliner stages a performance rooted in HBCU musical traditions.
Open verified record →CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT.
MAKE YOUR MARK.
Create A Free Account
Create a free account here on the Atlas. Put your self on the map and join an exciting movement!
Browse The Atlas
Discover new art the the nuances of cultures around the world.
Share Art And Story
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.