Have you ever wondered which is the best way to attract global attention? Read on, as you may be surprised to hear the answer.
Maybe you think competing in the Olympic Games is the best way to get noticed, or perhaps landing a bumper online slots jackpot would grab the headlines?
Although they are undoubtedly noteworthy examples, taking part in a televised live music event is guaranteed to put you in front of a huge worldwide audience.
Research has shown that of the top ten events watched by the biggest proportion of the global population, four of them were live music.
Live Aid is often viewed as the daddy of all music events having been watched by a whopping 39% of the global population when it was staged in 1985.
Held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia, the iconic event was organised to raise funds for the relief of Ethiopian famine.
Each venue produced some truly standout moments, with Freddie Mercury and Queen’s 21-minute performance at Wembley Stadium arguably the pick of the bunch.
Charity was front and centre again 20 years later as two billion viewers tuned in to watch Live 8 – an event staged along similar lines to Live Aid.
Live 8 preceded the G8 conference held in Gleneagles, Scotland, and had the aim of persuading world leaders to pledge money to global poverty.
During the event, the G8leaders pledged to double 2004 levels of aid to poor nations from $25 billion to $50 billion by 2010, with half of the money to go to Africa.
More than 1,000 musicians performed at the 10 concerts, which were broadcast live on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks.
While both events unquestionably made their mark in history, they did have the advantage of featuring line-ups with widespread appeal.
On that basis, Elvis Presley’s Aloha From Hawaii concert in 1973 could be argued to be the most successful music gig of all time.
Presley became the first solo performer to be broadcast live via satellite across the world and was watched by an estimated audience of one billion.
Given that none of today’s music acts could come close to achieving such a feat, it puts The King’s achievement into perspective.
Another hugely iconic moment in music history was the staging of The Wall: Live in Berlin in 1990 – just eight months after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Roger Waters’ performance of Pink Floyd’s 11th studio album took place in Germany and was watched by 18 percent of the global population on television.
Another 350,000 people attended the event, which was staged on the site where part of the infamous Berlin Wall had stood for 28 years.
Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams and Joni Mitchell were amongst the other top music acts to appear at an event that was broadcast in 52 countries worldwide.