After Beyonce broke the internet with her self-titled surprise release the music industry has decided to take a leaf out of the star’s book by setting a globally aligned release day for new music.
So, when the first albums to be released worldwide will touch down?
Epic news below…
Record labels currently assign different days to different markets when releasing a new album.
Now, after Beyonce unlocked her new album for fans on the same day worldwide, the industry has set July 11th as the launch date for the exciting scheme.
The piracy-blocking plans will see all albums drop at 1 minute past midnight local time and drain the power out of “music leakers” who took advantage of the existing release plan.
How? By uploading music online from their market before its release date in other countries.
Billboard adds:
“This was done primarily for the consumer” IFPI CEO Frances Moore tells Billboard. “Consumers were telling us via different pieces of research done across many countries that Fridays and Saturdays was when they wanted new music and that’s what has led this campaign. We’re hoping that with more consumers in stores on Fridays and Saturdays, which stores tell us leads to increase impulse buying, and with peak activity on most social media [typically taking place over the weekend], will all lead to an increase in sales.”
Moore says that July was chosen to launch the scheme “to make sure that any glitches in the system were dealt with over the summer period,” ahead of the key Q4 sales period. “We believe we’re ready, but in the next couple of weeks there will be some fine-tuning” she adds.
As part of the global release day launch, IFPI also unveiled its “New Music Fridays” branding, which it hopes will further boost consumer interest. Among the confirmed releases for the July 10 launch date is the debut album from London-based electro pop act Years & Years via Interscope Records.
“Today’s recorded music industry operates in an increasingly borderless world,” said Edgar Berger, chairman and CEO, international, Sony Music Entertainment, in a press release from IFPI. “Hits can come from anywhere and spread everywhere. Some superstars have already launched their albums simultaneously worldwide, now all artists will be able to reach their global fan bases on the same day,” Berger went on to say calling the switchover “good news for music fans everywhere.”
His words were echoed by a long list of execs who have lent their support to global release day, including: Geoff Taylor, BPI and BRIT Awards chief executive; Glen Barros, president and CEO, Concord Music Group; Anthony Bay, CEO, Rdio; Scott Cohen, co-founder, The Orchard; Ian Harvey, executive director, Australian Music Retailers Association (AMRA); Andrew Kronfeld, president, global marketing, Universal Music Group and Cary Sherman, chairman and CEO, RIAA, who said: “The status quo does not work anymore. We can’t do business and serve fans based on a distribution system from a half a century ago, with different release dates in different countries. We have to rethink everything.”