Before the internet, hip-hop fans would race to their local record store every Tuesday and cop the newest CDs. It’s no secret listening alternatives like streaming have changed the culture of the industry, and it looks like IFPI is finally adapting to the new buying trends in music. It looks like CDs, which used to go up on a Tuesday, will be released on Fridays in the near future to set a universal global release date. Currently, countries like Germany and Australia get albums on Fridays, which usually leads to album leaks before projects hit other countries on Tuesdays. An insider source close to Hip Hop My Way all but confirmed the news, implying the shift might occur as early in the summer in the US. Check out some quotes from industry experts below on the subject. What’s your take on the subject?
A global release day is a totally logical move in today’s global music market and Friday is overwhelmingly the right choice for the day. Quite simply, new music should hit the high street when people hit the street. New Music Fridays will get new releases to fans when they most want to buy them. As the UK’s biggest music retailer, that makes perfect sense to us.”
“In todays globalised world, it makes no sense for new music to be released to fans on different days of the week. At the same time, we view this as a tremendous opportunity to breathe new life back into the release of music. Friday has a compelling logic to it, at the start of the weekend when fans most want to listen to and buy music, which is why it has been chosen as the day.
A worldwide global release date creates more opportunities to promote new releases. We support the proposed transition to a Friday release date and look forward to helping artists reach more listeners with their new music in all 85 of our territories.
