Global album releases to start on July 10

Music vendors around the world will start on July 10 to release albums globally on Fridays, ending most but not all regional variations, an industry group announced.

The IFPI, the music industry's global body, announced an agreement in February to start selling albums on Fridays but said that all sides needed time to sort out the logistics.

The IFPI, which stands for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, said that labels, stores, artists and other stakeholders agreed that they would be ready on July 10 for Fridays.

The releases would take place in all formats -- CDs, vinyl, digital downloads and streaming.

"We think a global release day reflects the realities of the current global music business," said Glen Barros, president of Concord Music Group, whose roster includes Paul McCartney and Paul Simon.

"Of course, the change presents a number of challenges as it's a major adjustment to long established customs and practices, but our involvement in the planning process convinces us the move will benefit consumers, which should mean we're all better off in the long run," he said in a statement released Thursday by the IFPI.

The global release day will cover 45 markets, including 11 countries such as Australia and Germany where Friday was already the standard day.

Many industry players said that the hodgepodge of release days was increasingly anachronistic and fueled piracy in an era when most music can be accessed instantly online.

Albums traditionally come out on Tuesdays in the United States and Canada and on Mondays in Britain and France.

Advocates for Friday releases said it makes sense for albums to come out at the start of the weekend, when there are more casual shoppers.

To mark the announcement, the IFPI released a logo and website for "New Music Fridays," hoping to create a buzz among music shoppers.
But the global date will not be legally binding, with artists or stores free to hold their releases if they prefer another date.

Notably, the IFPI said that Japan would continue to release albums aimed primarily at the domestic market on Wednesdays, the customary day there, although works by global artists should shift to Fridays in Japan.

The IFPI said it expected some artists in other Asian countries also to keep their tradition of releasing albums on dates considered auspicious, not necessarily Fridays.

While major music vendors support the global release day, the shift has prompted a backlash from several small, independent stores in the United States that see themselves as being issued a diktat.

The small shops argue that weekends are already good for business, while Tuesdays would bring out customers on a slow day.