New Music Fridays: Global Release Day Shifts Today
[UPDATED] The shift to Friday as the "official" release day for music in 45 countries began today July 10th at 12.01 AM. Friday was already the new release day in Germany and Australia, but it means big changes in the US, UK and elsewhere.
Today marks the first consolidated global music release day.
“The switch to New Music Fridays is about getting new music to fans at the time they most want to enjoy it, whether in physical stores or online," said Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI. "It’s also an opportunity to recreate excitement around the release of music – the message is “Think Friday, Think New Music.”
But not everyone is happy about the change.
“Friday and Saturday are your busy days anyway,” Josh Madell, co-founder of NYC indie store Other Music told Flavorwire. “Why concentrate everything at the end of the week?”
Most music chart and trade magazines are also shifting to reflect the change.
Highlights Of Changes At Billboard
- "For all sales-based charts (ranking both albums and tracks), Billboard and Nielsen will change the chart reporting period to cover the first seven days of an album's release."
- "Streaming services will now also be tracked from Friday to Thursday for the charts that incorporate that data."
- "All charts will be refreshed each Tuesday morning on Billboard.com starting July 14 "
NPR's popular First Listen streams will now premiere on Thursdays instead of Mondays.
Vinyl Tuesday
Meanwhile, another initiative, Vinyl Tuesday, is launching as a way to offer physical retailers new titles to sell and promote during the week. Launched by the Record Store Day organization, the weekly Tuesday street date will encourage artists, labels and distributors to releases vinyl and other physical product on the original US street date.
