Music is said to be a universal language. We are surrounded by it daily and we’ve spent large sums of money to obtain it, or so we say.
Music piracy is a huge epidemic, especially in the United Sates. This is partially because up until now, new music is released at different times throughout the world.
Most countries release new music and albums before the U.S., which means that Americans must wait a substantial amount of time before the music that is already available to the rest of the world, is available to us as well.
Many times, the mentality of the population goes something like, “If the music is already available on the Internet from other countries, why should I wait for it to be released here and have to pay for it?”
This is exactly what the industry is hoping to prevent.
For years, Tuesday has been the U.S.’s day of choice for new music releases. Well, not anymore. Beginning this summer, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has decided to implement Friday as a global release date for all new music, according to Billboard.
The IFPI has conducted research and spoken to countless labels and artists to determine whether or not creating this global release date was a smart decision. They found that consumers would be more interested in purchasing new music on a Friday or Saturday as opposed to a day in the middle of the week, according to Rolling Stone.
By having a global release date where every country is able to purchase new music at the same time, the hope is that music piracy and illegal downloading will decrease, according to Billboard.
“Love for new music doesn’t recognize national borders. They want music when it’s available on the Internet, not when it’s ready to be released in their country,” head of IFPI Frances Moore wrote in a statement. “An aligned global release day puts an end to the frustration of not being able to access releases in their country when the music is available in another country.”
The IFPI also hopes that this change will allow artists to take to social media to promote their music and regain a sense of excitement for the release of new music, according to Rolling Stone.
By releasing music on the weekend, I think there could be a substantial decrease in illegal downloads of music and albums.
I know that when my paycheck comes on Saturdays, I have extra money to spend because my bank account has just been replenished.
It could be more of a psychological route that the IFPI is trying to take, by coercing fans into thinking that Friday is the new optimal day to purchase music.
However, there will still be a number of piraters out there, I’m sure. At this point, technology is so advanced that there has to be some way of obtaining new music before it’s released and people will do anything to save a bit of money. On the bright side, we now have yet another reason to appreciate Fridays.
