Music Releases Move to Friday— Now What?

The big hullaballoo this past week in the music world was that the world got a little more united. Friday was dubbed the universal day for fresh releases, after a lifetime of varying days for different nations. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a body that represents record labels worldwide, claims that the Friday release date embraces digital trends and tears down figurative borders. Smaller entities such as Beggars Group – who represents artists ranging from M.I.A. to Interpol – have decried the move, insisting the uniform Friday push will further line the coffers of mainstream acts.
The move was apparently made to curb international piracy. (Example: The United States’ release date was Tuesday. Australia would have to wait until Friday to get the same albums. Thus, as the IFPI insists, that would encourage piracy. However, it’s the United States that pirates the most music via BitTorrent, according to analytics firm MusicMetric, Huffington Post Canada reports.)
Will the move to Fridays be the magic bullet the limping business has sought since the early aughts, when Soundscan sales peaked? This is pure speculation, but maybe Friday, that great gatekeeper of the weekend, will become the day young adults and other music fans treat themselves to new tunes.

More from Melissa Bobbitt (See All)
Tour Announcement - Horse Feathers
Melissa Bobbitt 0If you're longing for the days when Mumford & Sons would play tiny clubs, and the sweat of the atmosphere felt like a dusty, down-home rodeo, why not give Horse Feathers a try? Their...
Sep 27, 2012Music and Religion - Is It the Same Thing?
Melissa Bobbitt 0Image by Christopher Michel/Creative Commons The venerable Dalai Lama of the exiled Tibetan Monks is rumored to speak at Glastonbury 2015. While the media fawn over the prospects of the spiritualist appearing at the world-renown music...
Jan 12, 2015Comments
Recent posts
Subscribe!
Receive updates on what's going on in live entertainment, events, and music.

