It’s Friday, Not in Love

A global coalition of leading retailers, trade bodies and independent labels has issued a joint statement calling for a Monday global release day as opposed to the proposed Friday.

The signatories include AIM, Rough Trade, The American Association of Independent Music and the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), with the statement highlighting that a Friday would result in additional costs to many in the industry.

The statement said: “We agree that aligning new music releases on a single day around the world could be beneficial for the music business, sending a clear message to consumers, enabling more coordinated and powerful marketing and promotions, and combating release week piracy resulting from different street dates”.

It continued: “A move to a Friday would unfortunately entail additional costs for many in the industry. We believe that while these costs are easily calculable, tangible costs, the forecasted beneficial revenue effects of a Global Release Day are inconclusive and subject to a range of opinions”.

Director General of the Entertainment Retailers Association Kim Bayley added: “The evidence suggests that virtually all the benefits of a Global Release Date can be captured on a Monday without any additional costs. It is a no-brainer. The potential to create a New Music Monday focusing all of the industry’s marketing efforts at the beginning of the week is very exciting”.