Music lovers rejoice! A big change in the music industry took place this past summer. Instead of new music being released on a Tuesday, it was decided that after more than 25 years, new music would now be released on a Friday.
This change was brought upon by a few reasons. Below you will find out some explanations and new releases that will be out this upcoming Friday. One of the main reasons for the change is due to different release dates around the world.
The U.K. and Canada would have music released on Monday, Australia and Germany would be Friday, and then obviously the U.S. would get new music on a Tuesday. Many people complained that is was not fair so this inevitably lead to this decision.
The industry then realized that they should set a standard date for everyone. Even though this would satisfy most people’s needs, some still feel the need to resort to other options for obtaining music. This issue then leads to piracy.
Piracy is a big issue in the music industry. Illegally downloading music leads to a decrease in sales which ultimately turns into a loss for the artist and their label. Other countries who would receive new music before others would buy the music but would then upload it for the masses to hear.
Some artists release EP’s or certain songs (bonus tracks) that you will not hear in your country and those who get them also tend to put them out in the open. A website called yourlisten.com is a website where people from all over can post music.
This is where you will find most of songs that have not been released in your country as well as songs that have been. One organization, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), claims that piracy will be reduced due to this change.
In a statement they released, they said this change would “re-ignite excitement and a sense of occasion around the release of new music”. While it seems that piracy cannot be combated, it will hopefully be reduced for the industries sake.
A positive effect with this change would be that the new music is being released on most people’s payday. That’s right, no more having to wait around to get your hands on the latest music release.
Even though most people tend to stream music on Spotify, Pandora, and Rdio, some still like to do the right thing and purchase music either online or having a physical copy of an album. In a report released in the middle of the year by Nielsen SoundScan, it stated, “Total album sales are down 4 percent over the same period last year.
Total album consumption was up, thanks in part to the growth in music streaming services”. The industry also thought that the change would be good idea because artists can then promote their music more and have people excited for the release.
Many artists got creative with ways to announce their upcoming singles or albums. Some released little teasers while others took it to a whole other level.
Justin Bieber had numerous celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Hart, etc. help countdown the days until he released his new single “What Do You Mean?” by holding up a handwritten sign with the information on it.
Aussie band 5 Seconds of Summer left fans in agony for almost two-and-a half hours while a spray paint artist created the artwork for their new single “She’s Kinda Hot” on a brick wall. Social media also contributed to the anticipation of new music.
Artists would promote their work all over social media to get their fans excited and also try to get them to pass along their information.
In general, this change seems to be doing great thus far. Just by looking at music charts such as iTunes and Billboard, it is clear to see that it has been effective. Sure there might be issues here and there but overall this change has helped the artists and the music industry flourish even more.
To conclude, here are some new music releases for this Friday September 18th:
Lana Del Rey- Honeymoon
Shinedown- Threat to Survival
Rudimental – We the Generation
Mac Miller- GO:OD am
Elizabeth Granato
Features Editor