1992
- Philip Glass' Symphony No. 2 "combines the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic hallmarks of his work in a more comprehensive, symphonic-style discourse than he (had) attempted before".
- The song "Cop Killer" by Body Count, fronted by Ice-T, becomes the subject of national controversy and is pulled from the album by Warner Brothers, due to concerns that the song promotes the murder of police.
- The Audio Home Recording Act places a levy on digital media, such as CDs, that can be used to make recordings of copyrighted music without the permission of the copyright owner.
- Awadagin Pratt wins the Walter W. Naumburg International Piano Competition, the first African American to do so.
- Branford Marsalis reaches an African American music milestone when he is appointed bandleader for The Tonight Show, the first black musician to occupy a "major spot on mainstream nighttime television".
- Ron Nelson's Passacaglia (Homage on B.A.C.H.) is the most award-winning composition for wind band in American history, winning the Barlow, American Bandmasters Association and NBA awards.
- A collection of essays, entitled The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media, is the beginning of serious scholarly research on "fandom", or the phenomenon of people being "fans" of a particular performer, group or genre.
- The digital compact cassette is introduced by Philips and Matsushita, but it is expensive and, despite superior sound quality, the format does not succeed. The minidisc is introduced by Sony, but fails to catch on in the United States.
- The first House of Blues restaurant and club opens in Boston, founded by Isaac Tigrett.
Read more about this topic: Timeline Of Music In The United States (1970–present)