FOR music buyers in the UK and across the world, from today, Friday July 10, Fridays will become the new day for new music releases.
Singles and albums have traditionally come out on a Monday in the UK, but all this changes today, with Fridays becoming the new global release day for new music around the world.
The move will mean fans can now get new music on the same day worldwide rather than having to wait for their own national release day.
It puts an end to fans being unable to access music in their own country when it is legally available elsewhere, and the frustration that can cause.
Consumer research carried out for the IFPI in selected territories world-wide, and for the BPI in the UK, also underlines the desire of fans to have new music in time for the weekend – when it plays an important part in their leisure activity and social media engagement.
The switch from Mondays to Fridays in the UK is also being reflected through the Official Charts, which today moves from its former Sunday slot and will be announced by Greg James on The Official Chart with Greg James on BBC Radio 1.
‘New Music Fridays’ are an opportunity for artists and labels to maximise awareness of newly-released music.
Whatever country they are in, fans will now know – Friday is not just the start of the weekend – it’s the day for new music.
This can help create more excitement and a sense of occasion around the release of new albums and singles.
Various artists and retailers (as listed below) are engaged in promotional activity to support their new releases and to help launch Global Release Day New Music Fridays.
* Polydor-signed artists, Years & Years, are helping to launch ‘New Music Fridays; with a midnight event at HMV’s flagship 363 Oxford Street store, to perform songs from their debut album, Communion, and sign copies of the album, which will be one of the first to go on sale today as part of ‘New Music Fridays’ from 00.01 hours on Friday 10th July.
For more information please contact: Laura.Thomas@hmv.co.uk on 020 7432 2000.
* To celebrate the launch of the refreshed hmvdigital.com service and the arrival of New Music Fridays – all Priority purehmv members attending the Years & Years midnight PA at HMV 363 Oxford Street who have purchased a physical copy of the new Years & Years album Communionwill automatically receive a complimentary digital copy via hmvDigital.
* Little Mix release their new single, Black Magic, on Friday 10th July – backed by a major social media campaign, and are sure to be among the leading contenders to land the first Official Chart no.1 single of the first full week of the New Music Fridays new era, which will be announced 17 July on The Official Chart with Greg James on BBC Radio 1.
* Indie band, The Moon Kids, launch their new single Ice Cream on 10 July ‘New Music Fridays’ on the Block 18 Records across digital formats and services (iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and other digital music services) – and are also making a play for the Official Singles Chart.www.themoonkids.com
The Moon Kids comment: “It’s now as easy to connect with fans on the other side of the world as it is with fans at the end of the street. Global Release Day is the perfect 21st century solution to an issue that’s been left over from the 20th century. We’re really thrilled to be part of the first Global Release Day and excited to be launching our new single, Ice Cream, on 10 July.”
* Exciting new female solo artist, Megan Henwood, releases her new album Head. Heart. Hand. – which has been attracting rave reviews. Out on 10 July on Dharma Records, it features the captivating lead single, Love/Loathe.
Geoff Taylor, chief executive BPI and BRIT Awards, comments: “In a business that is increasingly digital and global, the logic for a global release day is compelling. Fans don’t understand why they have to wait to legally access music that has already been released in other countries.
“It makes sense to consider the time of the week when interest in entertainment, digital activity and physical footfall is building towards its peak. Fans are telling us they would like new music ready for the weekend, so Friday appears the best choice.”
ENDS
Enquiries:
Gennaro Castaldo gennaro.castaldo@bpi.co.uk 020 7803 1326 / 07801 194 139
For further information on ‘New Music Fridays’, go to www.newmusicfridays.com
Notes to editors:
Product releases 10 July 2015
Albums:
Communion – Years & Years
Working Girl – Little Boots
Little Black Book – Groove Armada
Morning/Evening – Four Tet
The Sweet Pretty Things (Are In Bed Now, Of Course…) The Pretty things
Coma Ecliptic – Between the Buried and Me
Hammer Of The Witches – Cradle of Filth
Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone – Various Artists
Black Rose – Tyrese
Head, Heart, Hand – Megan Henwood
Ice Cream – The Moon Kids
Singles:
Chains – Nick Jonas
Black Magic – Little Mix
New Music Fridays
10th July 2015 will see the introduction of ‘New Music Fridays’, an aligned global release day for new music. The move is being implemented by labels, retailers and artists internationally. Up until now, music has been released on different days of the week in various countries – from Mondays in markets such as France and the UK, through Tuesdays in the US and Canada and to Fridays in markets such as Australia and Germany. That will change on 10th July when new music will be released on Fridays at 00:01 local time around the world.
Consumer Research findings – Ipsos Mori for BPI
60 per cent of consumers who buy or stream newly-released music (and who expressed a preference), favour Saturday or Friday for new music releases, according to an Ipsos MORI survey for the BPI.
A survey of 2,016 British adults (16-75) for music trade body the BPI looked into the day of the week when people would like to see new music released.
The survey was commissioned in October 2014 as part of broad-ranging consultation, but its results can now be revealed following the recorded music industry’s decision to switch to a global release day from Friday, 10th July 2015.
New music has been released on a Monday in the UK for some time, but among the respondents who buy or stream newly-released music and who expressed a preference for it to be released on a specific day, Saturday (37 per cent) came out on top ahead of Friday (23 per cent) as the next favoured option – a significant figure of 60 per cent for the two days combined.
By contrast, only 15 per cent of this group wanted to see releases continue on a Monday, ahead of Sunday (ten per cent), Wednesday (seven per cent) and Tuesday/Thursday (four per cent each).
With artists increasingly promoting new music to fans through global digital services and social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, the recorded music industry examined whether it should harmonise new music release days around the world.
New release days have varied around the world for many years – often for historical reasons, ranging from Mondays in the UK and France, through Tuesdays in North America, Wednesdays in Japan to Fridays in Australia, Germany and Ireland.
This has created few issues in the past, but in this post-digital era it has sometimes left music fans in particular countries frustrated at their inability to access specific new releases by their favourite artists that may already be legally available elsewhere.
The international recorded music industry body IFPI therefore proposed Friday as the new global release day – a measure that has since been adopted – and as part of this process the BPI commissioned Ipsos MORI to undertake a survey to find out what the British public – and particularly what the music-buying public thinks.
When asked to explain their selections, the most frequently mentioned reasons given by these respondents focused on the fact that it was ‘the weekend’ (36 per cent) and it is ‘when I have time to listen to new music’ (26 per cent).
Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) cited ‘that’s when I have time to look online for what’s new’, while 23 per cent said ‘that’s when I have time to go shopping’.
The survey also highlighted a degree of confusion regarding the UK’s current release date for new music. Among those that purchase or stream newly-released music only a third (32 per cent) were able to correctly identify Monday as the official release day, with around four in ten (43 per cent) either unaware there is a specified date or simply answering that they did not know.
Nearly a fifth (17 per cent) believes that music is already released over the Friday to Sunday weekend period.
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