Music Industry and Indie Retailers Clash over Universal Album Release Date: Would Monday or Friday Work Best?

An issue that music fans outside of the industry rarely think about is what day works best for releasing music? We in the United States have been comfortable with Tuesday as the weekly release time for most albums, however other nations have taken other approaches: The UK gets its new albums a day earlier, on Mondays, while Australia gets them relatively late on Fridays. Why does it matter? Those involved in the industry around the world feel that a universal release date-the same for every country-would make promotions and preventing piracy easier. The problem is different parties can't decide on which day would work best, according to Digital Music News.

The current favorite for universal release is Friday, making the music industry somewhat similar to the motion picture industry. The RIAA and the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) as well as major record labels, are pro-Friday. After all, releasing albums in line with major film releases will help stick the date in consumers' minds.

This time its not the independent labels who disagree however: It's the independent retailers. According to agencies such as the Alliance of Independent Media Stores and the American Association of Independent Music, moving release dates to Friday will cause higher costs for retailers. The exact reasoning isn't provided, but the groups are still onboard for a global release date...they would just prefer Monday, which they claim would be possible without the aforementioned rise in costs. One possibility for why Independents dislike Friday as an option is because it will be tougher to get shipments of hot sellers over the weekend.

"Supporting independent retailers is a core principal of independent record companies, and we work together very closely," says Association of Independent Music Alison Wenham. "If the retailers' view is that Monday is the best day for new releases—why would we argue otherwise? They are after all the experts in retail."