Starting July 10th, all new music will be released at midnight globally on Fridays.
It’s Friday, and we’re in love – with the new global release day, that is! Starting on July 10th, there will be a single global release date for new music, aligning the dates in more than 45 countries worldwide. This initiative was spearheaded by an international steering group including IFPI, WIN-Impala, FIM, and many others. We, and many other Canadian stakeholders are pleased to support this new date.
Currently, release dates vary between countries, which can cause frustration for music fans when consumers in other parts of the world can access new releases before they can. In today’s connected world, aligning the day of release has benefits for consumers, retailers, and music companies.
“The music industry operates in a truly global marketplace, and aligning releases on Fridays benefits all parties in the ecosystem. It’s good for fans, who can be assured their favourite artist’s release will be available in their country on the day of release. It’s good for the industry, because it positions releases in peak traffic times for both physical and digital retailers, and it’s good for artists, as it maximizes the opportunity to engage with their fans around the world,” said Graham Henderson, President & CEO, Music Canada. “Music Canada supports the move to New Music Friday, and applauds the IFPI for their proactive approach.”
#NewMusicFridays is a way to maximize awareness of newly-released music. It’s no longer just the start of the weekend – it’s the day for new music, and it can help create more excitement and a sense of occasion around new albums and singles. “We view this as a tremendous opportunity to breathe new life back into the release of music,” said Frances Moore, Chief Executive Officer, IFPI.
For industry partners, the New Music Fridays website provides logo and branding materials for record companies, retailers and others to use in different ways to for branding and promotion. It also provides guidelines with best advice for making use of the materials.
To celebrate coming together as an industry and as fans with the new global release day, we’re inviting fans, artists, labels and stakeholders to participate in the #NewMusicFridays hashtag as we spread the word about this new date. Stay tuned as we lead up to the switchover happening on July 10th at 12:01am.
For more information about global release day, you can check out www.newmusicfridays.com
Music Canada