'New Music Fridays' go live as albums & singles switch over to global release day
News: 9th July 2015 by Louise Dodgson under Finance, Law & Music Business, Record Labels
From Friday 10th July, new music releases will be made available for fans to enjoy on the same day across the world, as the switchover is made to “New Music Fridays”.
Until now, tracks and albums have been released on different days of the week in different countries - from Mondays in markets such as France and the UK, through Tuesdays in the US and Canada and to Fridays in markets such as Australia and Germany.
The change means that fans can now get new music on the same day worldwide rather than having to wait for their own national release day. It replaces the patchwork of national release days which meant fans were frustrated and unable to access music in their own country when it was legally available elsewhere.
The switchover to “New Music Fridays” is being implemented by labels, retailers and artists internationally and will establish an aligned global release day in more than 45 countries.
Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, said: “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. It’s also an opportunity to recreate excitement around the release of music – the message is “Think Friday, Think New Music.”
Fans, industry professionals and anyone else looking for information on the switch to a Friday release day can visit the website below which has all the details of the changes taking place.
“New Music Fridays” will be established in more than 45 recorded music markets worldwide. Of these, 11 countries already release music on Fridays, while the others will switch the day that new albums and singles become available.
The switch to global “New Music Fridays” has been overseen by an international steering group made up of the following organisations:
· IFPI, representing some 1,300 record labels worldwide;
· WIN-Impala, representing independent record labels worldwide;
· FIM, representing musicians’ unions and associations globally;
· Featured Artists Coalition representing UK performers;
· Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) (UK);
· Music Biz (US).
Independent research suggests that music fans wanted new music to be available at the start of the weekend. Consumer research by TNS across seven markets[1] shows Friday and Saturday as the preferred days for new music release among consumers who expressed an opinion. More than two-thirds of those with a preference (68%) chose Friday or Saturday.
The move to New Music Fridays will also lead to many countries making changes to their charts as well. Public music charts in most countries reflect a week’s sales, so changing the release day to Friday means changing the chart week as well. For example, in the UK the BBC will launch its first Friday chart show, having moved it from Sundays, and in France the TV station D17 will be moving its weekly featuring the latest charts from Tuesday to Friday.
Related Links
http://www.newmusicfridays.com
Tags
new music fridays, global release day, single release, album release, music sales, music charts, ifpi, international federation of the phonographic industry
